Hiroshima, Summer of 1945

Eiko regained awareness to the sound of the ticking clock in the tiny hallway outside her bedroom. She squirmed in discomfort at the already stifling heat and bumped into her sister Hisako in the process.

She panicked for a moment before realizing that Hisako was still very much asleep. With a relieved smile, she observed her sister's bobbed hair and slightly open mouth, remembering the time when she had drawn a moustache above it and was chased around the house as a result.

However, that day was long gone and Eiko wasn't a child anymore. Ever since her older brother Kenji went to war, she'd had a part to play in supporting her family by going to the munitions factory every Saturday and Sunday. The work there was exhausting for a dainty girl like herself, so she had Hisako to thank for supporting her every step of the way.

"Hey, Hisako." She nudged her sister in the shoulder. "It's time to wake up. We have work today."

Hisako rolled over and moaned without opening her eyes. "Already? I'm still tired..."

"Yes. I don't want to be scolded like last week."

"All right." Hisako stretched her long arms, then sat up as her back creaked. She reached up to scratch at her scalp. "I'm only seventeen. I should be dressing up and getting courted by boys. Not slaving away like this."

Eiko saw the truth in her sister's words. She, too, dreamed of a future when the war would end, and they would be free to live the way proper women did. Perhaps, she would finally catch the attention of her handsome classmate Shigeru. His sharp eyes and easy-going smile danced through her mind, causing her to smile.

"Dreaming, again?" Hisako muttered while wrinkling her forehead. "Take my advice. A high-class boy like him probably sees us as dirt. And, besides, it won't be long before he has to leave too."

"No!" Eiko protested, finding the idea of Shigeru being seized by the army just as frightening as if it were to happen to their father. "Just watch. I'll confess soon and make him fall in love with me. Then, we'll get married-"

The door to their room slid open with a bang as their mother stormed in. "Girls, enough chatter. Hurry up before your breakfast gets cold."

Hisako bolted to her feet and started to dress first. Eiko stared up at her mother's impatient face, then did the same with a heavy sigh. You're the one who distracted me by talking about the future. Don't act all innocent now!

******

Eiko and her sister hurried off to the factory with their father after finishing breakfast and saying goodbye to their younger siblings. As usual, the streets were filled with people making their way to work, and Eiko craned her neck in search of familiar faces.

A man sped past on his bicycle, causing her to jump and bump into Hisako for the second time that morning. Hisako responded by shoving in the side, much to her irritation. Eiko became consumed by an urge to fight her sister but returned to her senses when their father began to speak.

"Girls, you may have been forced to do men's work, but that is still no excuse to act rough. Show some restraint for heaven's sake."

"Of course. Sorry." Eiko smiled sheepishly at Hisako, who just rolled her eyes and walked faster to keep pace with their father, leaving no choice but for her to do the same. Her legs soon began to feel like two heavy weights, and for this reason, Eiko wished that the bustle around her could simply stop, if only for a minute.

******

Eiko's upper body was aching as well when she returned home in the evening and waited for her father and Hisako to finish their turns bathing. In the meantime, she listened to the cicadas chirping outside while watching her younger siblings Setsu and Osamu playing with ohajiki on the floor. The sight reminded her of how she and Hisako had done the same as children, with Kenji occasionally acting as a referee.

She leaned against the arm of her chair, feeling sad about those lost days and the fact that there was no way of knowing Kenji's fate for certain. He had promised to write many letters, but it had been over two months since the last one had arrived. She hoped against all odds that he was alive and well, even if it was said that dying for the emperor and one's country was the greatest of all honors.

Kenji, please come back home soon. Hisako and I won't be the same without you, and neither will mother and father. We can play a game of ohajiki again like old times...

******

That night, Eiko settled into bed beside an already asleep Hisako and stared up at the ceiling while wondering what Shigeru was doing at that moment. His family was wealthy in comparison to hers, and he was a top student, so perhaps he was reading a book or writing some sophisticated poetry alone in his room.

Eiko didn't consider herself to be very cultured, but she knew a good story when she heard one. The legends of old were full of gods and goddesses, beautiful princesses and courageous warriors, superhuman feats, and love triumphing above all.

In her dreams, she took on the role of a princess with flowing hair and many layers of exquisite robes while Shigeru was her prince in courtly attire that was just a little too big. They danced together in a moonlit garden until the scene transitioned to a bright stage and their traditional clothes were replaced by the fashionable styles worn by movie stars before the war had changed everything.

Morning came again and Eiko left her fantasies behind to face the ugliness of reality. She stared in the mirror with a frown while combing and tying her thick hair into a bun, then put on the same dull black shirt she had worn yesterday.

The war had been going on for eight years with little sign of stopping, but she was still going to hold on to the hope that it would end soon. After all, that was the only thing she could do in a world that seemed determined to crush the aspirations of people like herself.

******

Author Notes:

- Just as in many other nations, the mass conscription of able-bodied men led to Japanese women and girls working in factories during the Second World War. The city of Hiroshima became a hub for military activity, and many weapons were manufactured there. 

- Eiko sees the war as having gone for eight years, since Japan's invasion of China in 1937 is often considered to be the catalyst for World War Two in Asia.

- Relatives sleeping together isn't uncommon in Japan, and it would have been practical for a lower-class family living in a small house. Eiko and her sister get their own room because they're older girls, while their parents and younger siblings share another.

- Ohajiki is a traditional children's game similar to marbles. It was originally played indoors by girls, and the pieces look something like this.