Yuka's Garden

• Zack Dauth, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2014

Yuka was mixing the spicy curry; she could feel it getting smoother by the minute. Her mother Satuki came into the kitchen with a load of groceries, she unpacked it and placing them on the table. There was a juicy watermelon that she placed on the kitchen table-top.
Satuki asked, “Yuka why don’t you make a dish with watermelons?”
“No thanks I just wanted to make curry” Yuka replied.
Satuki smiled and walked off.
“Mum, do you know where dad is?” Yuka yelled.
Satuki walked into the room.
Satuki faces went red as a tomato, “He had an accident today at work and he passed away, I was going to tell you but-” she was interrupted by Yuka.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME EARLIER?”
“Calm down!” Satuki yelled.
She wipes her tears “I’m sorry Mum” Yuka replied.
Satuki face grinned, she had an idea, “Why don’t we make the dish dad loves that chocolate coated marshmallow mix!”
“Alright but we need to get the ingredients though” Yuka said.
Yuka headed outside and noticed something about the garden; it had lumps of dirt on top of the grass.
“Mum, I think we should walk, after what happened to dad” Yuka said.
“It’s fine” Satuki said.
Satuki started the car and drove onto the road. “You can walk then” followed by a wink.
Yuka headed down the cold empty sidewalk; it was like a ghost town. “I didn’t say goodbye to him…
~ “Go to your room Yuka!” Yoshiki yelled.
“Yes dad” Yuka sobbed.
‘We had a fight on that day; I didn’t want to see his face, when he was leaving I decided to stay in my room, he called out to me but I ignored it’. “Dad…” Yuka sobbed. The phone began vibrating.
“He…llo?” Yuka asked.
“H…e…..l….p……m…..e….” Someone said.
The phone died. ‘It was getting late and still haven’t made it to the store’ Yuka thought. Yuka walked on the path nearly reaching the store. Yuka looked up and saw the bright lights from the store, and there was mum’s car. Yuka ran over to her car and noticed mum wasn’t in there.
“She is probably inside…” Yuka said.
Yuka walked into the store and saw Satuki near the baskets, sitting. She was looking at Yuka with an angry look.
Satuki face began to turn red, “You took an hour!”
“It’s not my fault it was an hour walk” Yuka said.
Yuka and Satuki walked holding a red basket, Satuki ran over to the fruit and vegetables.
“I’m going home, I’m tired” Yuka said.
Yuka left the building and headed home, where she found that the lumps of dirt were dug up. Yuka stared at the dirt that was lying at her feet; Yuka looked up and saw corpses on the ground, including Yoshiki.
“Did mum kill all these people?” Yuka said. Yuka looked over and noticed there were names engraved at the bottom of each hole; Yuka saw one hole with her name on it.