Airplanes

The white fluffy clouds swim in the sky, changing their shapes whenever they moved. Like the salami toy, Taro had at home. Taro the seven years old boy was heading home after a long rough school day when his tiny chocolate eyes caught the orange sky and the diving clouds.

Taro followed the clouds movement, titled his head when its shape changed, maybe an elephant or whale. His tiny imagination mixed all the colors, shapes, animals and everything he knows to give him a hint on the cloud puzzle.

"Airplane" he yelled and pointed at one giant cloud. 

He got home, and his mother greeted him from the kitchen. "Welcome home, Taro" her cheerful voice was the first thing he would hear when he arrives home. No home without mother's voice.

"Wash your hands Taro", the usual instructions, Taro rushed to the toilet. 

The smell of the miso soup, burger was on the pan, white rice ready, Taro's mother listed all the dishes that were be put on the dinner table tonight.

"Mom, Are airplanes so scary?" Taro's voice came from behind her.

Taro's mother jumped, " Taro when did you …" 

He waved his hand "Just now. I am sorry mom. Did I scared you?" he held on his backpack strips.

"Just little bit. Don't do that again" She give him a smile.

"What did you said about Airplanes honey?" she flipped the burger.

"Are they scary?" he said.

"No they aren't scary. We let the airplane take us to grandma house. Don't you remember?" she squeezed the burger against the pan.

"I guess so, but I heard they are scary." He sounded troubled.

"What? Who told you that?" she turned to face her confused child.

" I read a book and then …the airplanes were throwing bombs and then people died …" he looked at his mother.

Taro's mother took a deep breath; she knew what her son was talking about. Taro wasn't like other kids, he had this huge curiosity which his mother herself couldn't do anything about it. Sometimes she was troubled by his embarrassing questions. Moreover, if it is only curiosity that would be easy but Taro was smart. He didn't fool by half- answer, so he would turn to little detective if it necessary. 

"Yes, Taro. There were times when the airplanes were scary." She stroke his head, "but now they aren't and that is great news." 

"But they still use them to be evil, right mom?" he said 

"Well, people are working hard not to use them in evil again" she tilted her head and smiled at him.  

"It's burning mom" Taro pointed behind her, she jumped screaming and flipped the cover of the miso soup.

Taro laid down on his bed. He stared at the nylon light on the room ceil. 

"Airplanes…Airplanes…Airplanes…"

Taro was thinking of the book he read about the WWII. In his humble experience, airplanes were cool and astonishing. Transporting people to different places was excessively cool. However, what he read on that book was something different. Airplanes used to be scary and evil. They would kill people and burned the houses to the ground. Frightened indeed, a mass of metal used to take the souls of humans and without feeling sorry about it. Taro close his eyes and thought about the white giant airplane turned to evil monster.  

A noisy sharp sound went on. Taro opened his eyes and put his hands on his ears. The sound penetrated his ears and shook his head; he rolled around himself in pain. It was siren.  

"AIRSTRIKES! TAKE COVER!" he heard someone yelling. It was not his father or his mother's voice, he jumped to look who was it but to realized he wasn't home.

Wall was from old darkened wood, there were thick wood stands, and the roof was ancient crack wood, the room left cold and doom. It was like those houses that would appear in old Japanese's tales.  

Taro heard noises outside, he glared at the door when it suddenly slides and a shadow figure busted in, the ground shook and strong sounds of explosion went in the air. Warm vibe went through his wrist nerves. A hand was griping him. 

"Come on, Toshi!" Taro float in the air and soon be embraced with skinny body. Taro knew from the voice she was a woman. 

"I'm not Toshi" he screamed while he took a strong grip on the woman's weary sleeves. 

"Not now, Toshi! We have to run!" she covered Taro's head and let her legs to the wind.

The dark night soaked in bright crimson fire, wooden houses burning and truned to ashes, people running like preys chased by predators, children older than Taro trying to keep up with their parents, panic screams, frightened eyes; Taro witnessed those entire crazy scenes from a hole on the cover  

"Don't cry. We will be fine. Toshi" the woman voice remained him of his mother's voice, Taro tightened his grip on the woman arms.

A groan of engine blasted all the dark sky. Taro looked up and the cover slide little bit from his head revealing the figure of the dark monster roaming the sky. The black giant wings spread on both side, the pumped long body and the tail. The monster stomach opened and a ball fell.

"Bomb!" 

Pain, Taro felt a strong hit on his head. He reached his hand to the back of his head. Soft white bright light surrounded his air.

"Where am I ?" Taro jumped and inspected his room.

The study desk, his toys box, the books on the bookshelf, his stuffed bears and frogs and his fluffy bed all of them were there, Taro sensed that they all staring at him saying " little fellow are you okay?".

"Taro it’s dinner. Come down!" For some reason, Taro heart broke into tears hearing his mother's cheerful voice. 

"Mom…" he wiped his tears and rushed down stairs.

Taro's mother was standing beside her husband when her body took a hit from behind not soon her waist embraced by two tiny arms.

"What's wrong Taro?" she was shocked by her son face sinking to her waist.

"I love you" a muffed voice. And a smile on mother. 

"Oh, I love you, too" she hugged her son back and patted his back.

"That is nice Taro. What about daddy?" his father spread his arms expecting to receive a hug, instead he received silence.

"No hugs for daddy's I guess" he scratched back of his head, mother made pitiful smile to her husband.

All of the sudden, Taro jumped to his father's arms and buried his head on his chest.

"I love you, too. Dad".