I could not help but wish that, with every good deed he performed, his prayer would reach the heavens.

#nana56b


Synopsis

At dusk, the Tobu Line was enveloped in the buzz of
people hurrying home and a somewhat languid
atmosphere. In time with the gentle sway of the
overhead straps, the passengers’ bodies swayed
listlessly.

I stood by the door, staring blankly at my
smartphone screen. My head felt heavy from the
fatigue of work. Across from me, in the priority
seating area, sat a boy of about ten with a school
backpack on his lap. He was the kind of boy you see
everywhere—a bit tanned and full of energy.

At the next station, an elderly man boarded the
train. Hunching over and leaning on a cane, he
searched for an empty seat with unsteady steps.
Unfortunately, however, the train was packed.

“Grandpa, please, have this seat.”

The boy’s voice was so soft it seemed it might be
drowned out by the sound of the train, yet it had a
clear resonance that, strangely enough, reached the
ears of everyone around him. Without hesitation, he
stood up and gave his seat to the elderly man.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Thank you.”

The elderly man sat down, looking somewhat
embarrassed, and looked up at the boy, squinting.

“That’s admirable. Did your mother teach you
that?”

It was a casual, very ordinary word of praise. The
adults around them also softened their expressions
slightly at the heartwarming scene.

The boy replied with a touch of pride, yet his
expression held a hint of sadness. “If I do lots of
good deeds, my dad will come back.”

It felt as though the straps of the schoolbag the
boy was clutching made a tight snapping sound.

For a moment, the train fell completely silent. The
eyes of the adults around him gradually began to
well up with tears.

Amid the breathtaking silence, the old man couldn’t
find the words to reply; he simply smiled.

Everyone present seemed to refuse to pry any further,
simply gazing silently at the boy’s small back.

Before I knew it, my vision, too, was blurred by a
hot film of tears. The boy’s overwhelmingly pure
wish and the single-minded determination with which
he clung to it pierced my parched heart painfully.

At the next station, the boy said “Goodbye”
softly, bowed his head, and got off.

Beyond the closing doors, the setting sun bathed his
small back as he ran down the platform in a glow of
orange.

Every time he performed a good deed, everyone
present couldn’t help but hope that …