Death 1 / Sunshine From The Past 4: Origami

The first time was in Primary Two. Too young to understand, but old enough to remember.

We were gathered at a corner of the canteen, around the phone booth. I recall it being a particularly warm afternoon, with dust from the barren playground swirling in with every gust of wind. There were four of us, Boy 1, Boy 2 (me), Girl 1 and Her. The years may have matured me, but they have taken the intricacies and details of my youth in return.

"What's that? A comic book?" Girl 1, ice-cream in hand, with sweaty strands of hair matting her forehead.

"From the book fair? You actually managed to buy something?" Boy 1 gestured to the mini book fair concentrated on the outer steps of the canteen. The crowds of eager children massed around the cashier reminded me somewhat of voracious ants around sugar, for some reason.

Daintily, She nodded. When She showed the cover to us, we saw but one solitary pink Origami crane, framed by obscure Katakana. And then She told us she was going to learn Origami over the holidays, and come back next term fully schooled in the art. She beamed when She noted our enthusiastic support.

Curiously enough, at the close of that last day of term, She passed the book to me. She spoke of how she was going to be busy, could I learn to do the crane and teach Her instead when school reopened? I agreed, of course. But for the life of me I cannot recall Her voice as she said it.

A month later, crane and book in bag, I went to class waiting to instruct Her. But that first day, She didn't come. Neither did she come for the second day, third, fourth, the rest of Primary school.

Maybe I should have plucked up enough courage to ask my Form teacher where She had gone to, that first day in school. But I don't think I could have, not when she was crying the whole day after meeting Her parents in the morning before assembly.