Punishment

 

 We have a huge Multiplex in my town. I watched the newest Star Wars movie there. I am a big fun of the Star Wars series.

 In front of the entrance of the theater, Kylo Ren was standing. He was a costumed actor. He must be from a promoting company. I used to work as a costumed actor. One of the good things about this work is feeling like a star. When I wore a costume popular among children, they treated me like their close friend. I was a superstar.

 But I felt pity for the actor playing Kylo Ren. Most people didn’t pay attention to him. When I aimed my camera at him, he struck a pose. If I asked him to take pictures with me, he might say OK. But no one asked him to take a picture at that time. If he was C-3PO, R2-D2, or Chewbacca, he could mingle with people nicely. But why Kylo Ren?

 Kylo Ren is not popular among children. Even I don’t know how to react to him. He killed his father! Is he good or evil? Is he Jedi or Sith? If he was an attractive character like his father or grandfather, the whole new story could be more attractive.

 The old Japanese education system implemented a standing punishment. Teachers forced students to stand up for a long time as a punishment.

 It is possible to imagine that he was not standing there just for promotion. Some mysterious power forced him to stand as a punishment.

 

My Grandfather’s Gun

 

 In 2000, we decided to give up the house where my grandparents lived. In those days, I lived far away from them but visited the house sometimes to help them clear up. Before starting to clear up the house, my grandmother said to me, “There is a gun somewhere in this house. Please find it. Then bring it to a police station.”

 I was surprised. In Japan, having a gun is strictly forbidden. Actually, I had never touched any gun at that time.

 My grandfather passed away during World War 2 when my mother was only at the first grade of elementary school. I never met him. That was my grandfather’s gun. I started to look for it. I just imagined, if I were my grandfather, where would I hide the gun in this house? Somehow, I found the gun easily. I also found some paper beside it. I read it and was surprised. The letter was the key which changed our family history.

 The letter was my grandmother’s answer to the marriage proposal from my grandfather. In the letter, my grandmother set one condition to accept the proposal. “My younger sister wants to be a medical doctor. But our parents are opposed to it. If you support her financially, I will marry you.”

 Her sister, my grandaunt, was a medical doctor. My grandfather must have kept his word.

 But I wondered why the letter and the gun were side by side. First of all, why did he have a gun?

 This is my guess. During the war, Japanese society was so confused. My grandfather was seriously ill, and he knew he would die in the near future. My father thought about committing a forced family suicide. It is no wonder that he thought it was cruel to leave his wife and small child in that chaos. They were a family of three. I found three bullets in the house.

 He might have repeatedly watched the gun and the letter. Finally, he might have given up the idea of suicide and chose to die because of the illness.

 My grandfather! You did the right thing! My grandmother! You wrote a great letter! If my grandfather committed family suicide when my mother was an elementary student, I wouldn’t be alive.

 Clearing up an old house sometimes gives us a surprising gift!

Picture by Happypictures