Sadako’s Diary Entry

• Sean Francis, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

Sep 17, 1955

Dear diary,
When I woke up today, a wave of intense pain washed over me. I nearly passed out, but my recent experiences with pain have taught me how to deal with it. The pain soon subsided to a dull ache, but it is still there. Dr. Numata took me outside for some fresh air later, and when I got into the wheelchair, the pain returned. It felt like my bones were burning. Some people say that it is easier to deal with pain the second time. I have learnt that that is NOT the case.

When I was wheeled onto the balcony, I was surprised to find another boy there. I asked him what his name was, and he told me he was called kenji. Kenji also has leukemia, and he thinks he’s going to die soon. I told him about the paper cranes, but he said it was too late. I do not believe that it is too late for kenji, and I’m going to try and teach him how to make paper cranes.

After nurse Yasunaga took kenji away,I stayed on the balcony for a few hours, just watching the wind blow the cherry blossoms through the air. I was sad when I was taken inside, but the nurse insisted, so I let her push me into the hospital corridor. I got another blood transfusion and the pain was almost unbearable. Over the last month, it has been getting harder and harder to eat. Just yesterday, I could not even put the food in my mouth, so when Dr. Numata came to give me lunch, It was a syringe with liquid in it, instead of solid food.

I folded another four paper cranes, but my hands were shaking, and I had to stop. I plan to make some more this afternoon. The only visitor I have had today is Chizuko. She brought me a box full of different coloured squares of paper. The packaging says there are one hundred and fifty sheets of paper in the box, so I probably won’t need any more for a while. We chatted about the stupid things that masahiro had done since his last visit, and She told me about what they were doing in junior high school. The classes sound so amazing, I can hardly bare to wait until I’m better. Apparently, the schools running team is going to have a vacancy next year, so I will be able to apply.

After Chizuko left, I made another couple of cranes, though I was somewhat clumsier and slower than usual. Masahiro needs to come in soon, because I have a large pile of cranes for him to hang up. After that, I tried to go to sleep, but the pain came back. I lay there, groaning in agony, until nurse Yasunaga came to give me dinner. I hope I get to see kenji tomorrow, so I can teach him how to make paper cranes.

Yours sincerely, sadako.