Kazoku

"Mum, why is house moving? And I want to get out of this closet!" the kid whimpered in his mother's arms as she tucked him closer to her chest. Her hands were trembling as she stroked her toddler's hair. She could hear cries for help from afar but she could barely move a limb. The utensils were making a raucous, furniture had toppled, there was shattered glass covering the floor, the basement was flooding and the power was cut. She held the wooden closet door ajar for fresh air although sensed a burning smell. A thick black cloud and ferocious flames arose from the neighbor's garage. The kid was scared even to peep so he silently sobbed on his mother's shoulder. She held him close and rocked him gently in a desperate attempt to calm him down. The tremors lasted for three minutes that felt like hours. She tried to dial her husband's number with shivering hands. Hearing the phone unable to connect, she cursed.

He left the house after a heavy breakfast and broad smile, unaware of impending calamity. Post midday, he was driving on his usual route when he suddenly felt himself losing control of the wheel. The radio roared, "Earthquake of magnitude 7.4 has struck and more aftershocks are predicted. People are advised to find …" He sped up the car. He could see injured people on the street searching for shelter. He parked the car, switched on hazard lights and pulled the hand brake. He was sweating profusely. In the rearview mirror, he noticed a three-storey shop skew, topple and crash. He was horrified. The car was shaking. He got out of it and could barely stand. He tried to run towards a two-storey concrete house but tripped over a person's hand who was crushed by an uprooted signal pole and hit his head on a metal protruding. He felt dizzy, cries of anguish were indistinct, surrounding scenes were a blur; he smelt gasoline, lost his balance and fell flat on the ground. A dusty man bleeding from his shoulder ran towards him and dragged him inside the house. When he regained his consciousness, he saw several injured people around the house some curling up with their closed ones, many weeping for their loss and others running around with towels, medicines and first aid kits. He felt his head ache and he struggled to stand up.

"An aftershock of magnitude 7.4 Mw at 15:08 (JST), 7.9 Mw at 15:15 and a 7.7 Mw quake at 15:26 has occurred on 11 March. There have been 6000 and counting casualties, 1000 people have been reported missing…" The TV buzzed.

A sudden panic engulfed him. He hurriedly looked around and started requesting people for a phone. He dialed his wife's number with trembling hands. The phone rang.

The streets were flooded, buildings were reduced to debris and trees were uprooted. Rescue vans, ambulances, and fire brigades were running around the town clinging on to the slight glimmer of hope. His wife and kid sat inside the closet sweating yet hugging each other tightly. She was humming nursery rhymes to make him feel better. The phone rang. "It's me! Where are you? Are you all right? Where is Takashi?" She covered her mouth in disbelief and tears of relief rolled down her cheeks. She kissed Takashi's forehead and tried to speak.

In 2011, Japan was shook by the strongest earthquake in its history. The underwater earthquake turned into a tsunami. This in turn damaged the nuclear reactor’s core. Despite facing the worst possible situation Japan rose from its ashes and today stands recovered, resurrected and rebuilt.