Post by doctorpeggy on Mar 30, 2017 16:37:31 GMT
Super Short Contest #20 - Carnival: Promise
Word count: 1000
Summary: Kudo Ageha waits impatiently for her father to come home, and Ran wonders why her daughter is being unusually anxious.
Promise
“Kaa-san! When will Tou-san be back?” asked six year old Kudo Ageha.
“He’s caught up in case, Ageha-chan. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” replied Ran to her daughter.
It was one of the rare Saturdays when she had little work and was for once sitting and reading. Or, at least, she had been till Ageha had realized Shinichi hadn’t come home at the time he had told her he would.
“But Tou-san promised that he would take me to the carnival today! He’s late!” Ageha whined, her own storybook cast aside; forgotten, once had realized her father hadn’t arrived on time.
Ran hid a smile. Although her intellect was very much like Shinichi’s, Ran felt that her daughter’s fiery emotions had come from her.
She got up to replace her book on the shelf.
“How about I take you to the carnival instead, Ageha-chan?” Ran offered, turning around to face Ageha after putting the book in its rightful place.
“No! Tou-san said he would take me!” the girl insisted.
Ran frowned. Usually, Ageha agreed to whatever was most practical.
“But Ageha-chan, he may be involved in something very important.” Ran tried to reason.
The fact was that Ran knew exactly why Shinichi had been unable to show up yet. She had called him to ask where he was when Ageha had started to get anxious. He had told her that he’d stumbled across a victim of the string of serial killings he’d been tracking for a while and was sure he’d be able to finally solve it, but she couldn’t very well tell her daughter that.
“Can you call him again, Kaa-san, please?” Ageha begged.
Ran bent over and ruffled Ageha’s short ebony hair. It crossed Ran’s mind that Ageha was being uncharacteristically difficult today.
“I called him only ten minutes ago. He’s busy, Ageha-chan.” Ran explained.
Ageha pouted.
“Is he too busy spend time with me?” she groused.
Ran sighed. “You know Tou-san is in the police. That’s a very difficult job. He’s helping save people, which is why—”
“I know that, Kaa-san, but he promised!” Ageha interjected, her voice cracking.
Ran saw tears in Ageha’s eyes that threatened to spill at any moment. She kneeled and pulled her daughter into a hug.
“Wait a little longer, okay Ageha-chan? Tou-san will come soon, and then he’ll take you to the carnival. Give him half an hour, okay?” Ran said gently.
Ageha pulled out of the embrace and sniffled.
“Half an hour is when the long hand makes a half-circle the clock right?” she asked.
Ran smiled
“Yes, that’s right. Now, why don’t you read your book while you wait for him?” Ran suggested.
“No. I’m going to sit here and wait for Tou-san.” Ageha declared, her mind made up.
Ran just shook her head fondly, picked up another book from the shelf, and seated herself in the armchair.
Half an hour passed and Shinichi still failed to turn up.
Ageha started to cry. Not sobs or sniffles, but sudden, loud wails. Ran hurriedly set the book on the desk in front of her and rushed to scoop up her daughter into an embrace.
“Shhh…” she soothed, rubbing the little girl’s back.
The wails mellowed into sobs.
“Kaa-san…” Ageha whimpered, “What if something has happened to Tou-san?”
And the she clutched Ran tight and sobbed harder.
“Shhhh, nothing has happened to Tou-san. Why do you think something has happened to him?”
“Th-that time we kept waiting, and then Takagi-no-ojisan c-called you and then we went to the hospital, and… and Tou-san had to stay in bed, and—”
Ageha burst into sobs again, and Ran realized why her daughter had been on edge all this time. It didn’t help that Shinichi had been discharged only two weeks ago. At least they hadn’t told her that he’d been shot.
“It’s okay, Tou-san is safe. Nothing’s going to happen.” Ran reassured.
Ageha clutched Ran still tighter and buried her face in Ran’s neck.
Through Ageha’s sniffles, Ran heard the front door click open. She smiled.
“Come on, Ageha, you Tou-san’s back.” she said, setting her daughter down.
Reluctantly the little girl stepped away from Ran. Not half a second later, Shinichi burst through the door, looking flushed and disarrayed, as if he had run all the way to the house.
As soon as he caught sight of Ageha’s tear-streaked face, he froze. Then he kneeled and cupped Ageha’s cheeks in his hands. He smiled apologetically.
“Crying, were we?” he joked.
Ageha let out a sob and threw herself onto her father.
Shinichi chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. He grinned lopsidedly up at Ran, who had been standing behind Ageha, and mouthed a silent ‘sorry’.
Ran sighed. Even after so many years, that grin made her heart melt.
“Come on, Ageha-chan, I’ll wash up and then we’ll go to the carnival, okay?” he said patting Ageha’s back.
Ageha stepped back and nodded vigorously, a grin spreading across her small, tearstained features.
Shinichi got up and left.
“Ageha-chan, go wash you face and then wait for Tou-san on the sofa.” Ran instructed before following Shinichi.
In his room, Shinichi’s posture relaxed, letting his weariness show.
“Tough case?” Ran asked.
“Very” came the short reply. “I’m glad it’s over.” he added.
“You must be tired.”
Shinichi smiled.
“Not too tired to spend the evening with my daughter at the carnival.”
“She was upset because last time you didn’t come home on time, you’d been shot.”
“I thought as much. I’ll make it up to her. Today was supposed to be her day.”
“You’d better, Mr. Detective. You never know when to stop pushing yourself, do you?”
He only smiled in response.
When the pair left, Ran imagined that Shinichi would probably spoil her as much as he could this evening. Well, good for Ageha.
(For those who are unfamiliar with the terms, Tou-san means 'father', Kaa-san means 'mother', and *so and so*-no-ojisan means 'uncle *so and so*'. I'm not sure how well I handled putting them into English, though)
Word count: 1000
Summary: Kudo Ageha waits impatiently for her father to come home, and Ran wonders why her daughter is being unusually anxious.
Promise
“Kaa-san! When will Tou-san be back?” asked six year old Kudo Ageha.
“He’s caught up in case, Ageha-chan. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” replied Ran to her daughter.
It was one of the rare Saturdays when she had little work and was for once sitting and reading. Or, at least, she had been till Ageha had realized Shinichi hadn’t come home at the time he had told her he would.
“But Tou-san promised that he would take me to the carnival today! He’s late!” Ageha whined, her own storybook cast aside; forgotten, once had realized her father hadn’t arrived on time.
Ran hid a smile. Although her intellect was very much like Shinichi’s, Ran felt that her daughter’s fiery emotions had come from her.
She got up to replace her book on the shelf.
“How about I take you to the carnival instead, Ageha-chan?” Ran offered, turning around to face Ageha after putting the book in its rightful place.
“No! Tou-san said he would take me!” the girl insisted.
Ran frowned. Usually, Ageha agreed to whatever was most practical.
“But Ageha-chan, he may be involved in something very important.” Ran tried to reason.
The fact was that Ran knew exactly why Shinichi had been unable to show up yet. She had called him to ask where he was when Ageha had started to get anxious. He had told her that he’d stumbled across a victim of the string of serial killings he’d been tracking for a while and was sure he’d be able to finally solve it, but she couldn’t very well tell her daughter that.
“Can you call him again, Kaa-san, please?” Ageha begged.
Ran bent over and ruffled Ageha’s short ebony hair. It crossed Ran’s mind that Ageha was being uncharacteristically difficult today.
“I called him only ten minutes ago. He’s busy, Ageha-chan.” Ran explained.
Ageha pouted.
“Is he too busy spend time with me?” she groused.
Ran sighed. “You know Tou-san is in the police. That’s a very difficult job. He’s helping save people, which is why—”
“I know that, Kaa-san, but he promised!” Ageha interjected, her voice cracking.
Ran saw tears in Ageha’s eyes that threatened to spill at any moment. She kneeled and pulled her daughter into a hug.
“Wait a little longer, okay Ageha-chan? Tou-san will come soon, and then he’ll take you to the carnival. Give him half an hour, okay?” Ran said gently.
Ageha pulled out of the embrace and sniffled.
“Half an hour is when the long hand makes a half-circle the clock right?” she asked.
Ran smiled
“Yes, that’s right. Now, why don’t you read your book while you wait for him?” Ran suggested.
“No. I’m going to sit here and wait for Tou-san.” Ageha declared, her mind made up.
Ran just shook her head fondly, picked up another book from the shelf, and seated herself in the armchair.
Half an hour passed and Shinichi still failed to turn up.
Ageha started to cry. Not sobs or sniffles, but sudden, loud wails. Ran hurriedly set the book on the desk in front of her and rushed to scoop up her daughter into an embrace.
“Shhh…” she soothed, rubbing the little girl’s back.
The wails mellowed into sobs.
“Kaa-san…” Ageha whimpered, “What if something has happened to Tou-san?”
And the she clutched Ran tight and sobbed harder.
“Shhhh, nothing has happened to Tou-san. Why do you think something has happened to him?”
“Th-that time we kept waiting, and then Takagi-no-ojisan c-called you and then we went to the hospital, and… and Tou-san had to stay in bed, and—”
Ageha burst into sobs again, and Ran realized why her daughter had been on edge all this time. It didn’t help that Shinichi had been discharged only two weeks ago. At least they hadn’t told her that he’d been shot.
“It’s okay, Tou-san is safe. Nothing’s going to happen.” Ran reassured.
Ageha clutched Ran still tighter and buried her face in Ran’s neck.
Through Ageha’s sniffles, Ran heard the front door click open. She smiled.
“Come on, Ageha, you Tou-san’s back.” she said, setting her daughter down.
Reluctantly the little girl stepped away from Ran. Not half a second later, Shinichi burst through the door, looking flushed and disarrayed, as if he had run all the way to the house.
As soon as he caught sight of Ageha’s tear-streaked face, he froze. Then he kneeled and cupped Ageha’s cheeks in his hands. He smiled apologetically.
“Crying, were we?” he joked.
Ageha let out a sob and threw herself onto her father.
Shinichi chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. He grinned lopsidedly up at Ran, who had been standing behind Ageha, and mouthed a silent ‘sorry’.
Ran sighed. Even after so many years, that grin made her heart melt.
“Come on, Ageha-chan, I’ll wash up and then we’ll go to the carnival, okay?” he said patting Ageha’s back.
Ageha stepped back and nodded vigorously, a grin spreading across her small, tearstained features.
Shinichi got up and left.
“Ageha-chan, go wash you face and then wait for Tou-san on the sofa.” Ran instructed before following Shinichi.
In his room, Shinichi’s posture relaxed, letting his weariness show.
“Tough case?” Ran asked.
“Very” came the short reply. “I’m glad it’s over.” he added.
“You must be tired.”
Shinichi smiled.
“Not too tired to spend the evening with my daughter at the carnival.”
“She was upset because last time you didn’t come home on time, you’d been shot.”
“I thought as much. I’ll make it up to her. Today was supposed to be her day.”
“You’d better, Mr. Detective. You never know when to stop pushing yourself, do you?”
He only smiled in response.
When the pair left, Ran imagined that Shinichi would probably spoil her as much as he could this evening. Well, good for Ageha.
(For those who are unfamiliar with the terms, Tou-san means 'father', Kaa-san means 'mother', and *so and so*-no-ojisan means 'uncle *so and so*'. I'm not sure how well I handled putting them into English, though)