Fuko

Mimiko was a beautiful little girl born in the outskirts of Japan. She lived with her obasaan, her grandmother, who loved her dearly. Her obasaan told her stories about everything around, from the grasshoppers to the Gods, from the rains to the draught. She loved the nature and loved to believe what her obasaan had told her, but deep down she knew they were just fantasy stories and no rain were tears of the Kami (Gods).

At school, she was someone no one noticed. Mimiko never had a problem of being unnoticed until the day she had her first crush. His sharp features and swaying hair, swayed her heart too. For the first time ever, she wanted to be noticed. Ayaka was a mean, popular girl who had a crush on the same boy. Though the boy never noticed Mimiko, Ayaka did. One day Mimiko tried on her best look and she was indeed noticed, but not in a way she expected. Ayaka and her friends who noticed her efforts, insulted her loud enough for the boy to laugh at her as well.  Humiliated to the core, she ran home in tears.

She skipped school for 2 days and even upon a zillion requests, her parents, who worked in the city, were not ready to change her school. Her obasaan sensed something not right. Stroking Mimiko’s soft black hair, her obasaan asked her what the problem was. With no other option left, Mimiko, busted into tears saying that she was the unluckiest girl on earth. Her obasaan smiled and said, “My dear Mimiko, it is just that Fuko (misfortune) is pleased with you, that’s all”. Mimiko looked at her obasaan confused. “All you need to do is light a candle on your window sill before bed and pray for Fuko to show up in your dreams. When he does, promise him an offering and request him to leave you and then my Mimiko would be free of Fuko”.

That night, Mimiko lit a vanilla scented candle on her window sill and joined hands praying for Fuko to show up in her dreams. In her dreams, she was at the beach on a beautiful full moon night when suddenly she heard a voice ask, “You wanted to see me?”

Besides her, stood a tall, pale, handsome man with his dark green hair sway an emerald hue to the moon light. As he looked at the crashing waves, a flicker of anger sparked in his eyes while he smirked and coldly asked, “So what would you offer me to leave Mimiko”.

Mimiko did not expect him to be so attractive, after all he was Fuko, the misfortune! But this changed her plan all together.

The next day Mimiko decided to go to school. As she entered the school gates, a cold hand suddenly held her hand. As promised, it was Fuko with the same handsomeness and coldness as from her dream. They walked around the school as a couple while Ayaka and other girls envied her to the core. It was like Fuko was always in the school and they were always a couple. Mimiko could not have asked for more.

Nothing was much different about Mimiko except that she was envied by all the girls in the school. She loved all the attention and held Fuko’s had tighter than ever. Blinded by all the attention, Mimiko never noticed how her obasaan’s noodle shop was destroyed by the storm or how her mother lost her job while her father met with an accident. She never wanted to believe it was because of Fuko. No flowers in her garden bloomed again, no rainbows shone upon her house, but Mimiko closed her eyes at them all.

One day, her obasaan confronted Mimiko about how she suspected her to have asked Fuko to stay than leave. Mimiko denied all her allegations though deep down she knew her obasaan was right. With tearful eyes, her obasaan warned her, about how Fuko will rob her off all her happiness. Yet Mimiko chose a deaf ear.

Months passed and Mimiko realized how she was orphaned now as her obasaan and her parents were no more. Her house was destroyed and none of her relatives wanted to help her out, all while Fuko held her hand tight. Was all the attention worth it? wondered Mimiko. Holding Fuko’s hand tighter than ever, she walked into the sea till the last wave took her over.