It was one of those days, snow was falling, and I was curled up by the fireplace. It was a Saturday, and we had nowhere to be. It was a plain, merry day. Just as the clock struck nine, the radio interrupted us with breaking news. I stopped reading. I looked at Dylan, my twin brother, his eyes were wide, mirroring fear, as we huddled to the radio. The reporter paused and then queasily spoke
“There’s been a bombing in Pearl Harbour” the reporter hesitated “ It was the Japanese!” He claimed
I felt like I just been punched in the gut.
“no, no, no,” I thought, but I knew it was true, I was Japanese!
We were Japanese!
We were now the enemy. I sat on the sofa, I felt like I was sinking in. The radio went on and on.
“ Pearl Harbor has a loss of more than 2,000 people and 29 battleships,” the reporter said in his awful fake voice.
It felt like time sped up but then slowed down at the same time. “What now I thought, what would happen next? They couldn’t have their enemies living happily in their country. What if we were sent to Japan?” My imagination took control, for I feared it would turn into reality. I didn't dare breathe.
Suddenly, Mom sadly stood up, tears dripping down her face, her eyes pierced with fear.
“Your dad and I are going for a walk, we’ll be back for dinner.” She said gloomily. My dad cooperatively stood up looking back at us, making eye contact with me, I saw terror in his eyes, then I knew we were not ok. As soon as she slammed the door Lily my little sister started bawling. I looked at Dylan My best friend, my partner in crime. I told them it would be okay, but knowing it was not.
Lily kept on crying. Our parents weren’t home, I suddenly doubted that they were never coming back. I tried to comfort her but at the same time tears welled up in my own eyes. I wanted to run into my mother’s arms, and have a sense of relief, I wanted to be reassured. Nevertheless, I had to be strong, I had to make sure they were okay. I looked across the twirling room, the brown grandfather clock perched in the corner contrasting the tan brown picture covered walls. Then I looked over at Lily and how she huddled in the corner hugging her knees and rocking ever so slightly, on the black velvet sofa.
As I walked over to Lily, I plopped down next to her, so she would know that I was strong.
I hugged Lily till she fell asleep, Dylan joined the hug. “We’re going to figure this out” Dylan whispered in my ear. From that second on I realized one thing, it was that we were going to stick together no matter what. It made me smile for a split second, but the radio came on again.
“ The attack killed 2,403 service members and wounded 1,178 more, and sank or destroyed six U.S. ships. They also destroyed 169 U.S. Navy and Army Air Corps planes. The Japanese losses included 29 aircraft, in addition to five submarines, and 129 attackers were killed and one taken prisoner. This is Chanal-.” I turned off the radio.
I stared at the old grandfather clock. It’s dark brown, still in mint condition. It was Grandpa’s last gift to us. I remembered the olden days when Grandpa was alive, he smelt like burnt cigarettes and told us stories about the Great war. Dad polished it every weekend in remembrance of his father. Somehow the grandfather clocks tick tick, tocks calmed me down, making me know that it would be just fine. Mom and dad still weren’t here, it should have made me anxious but it didn’t. I knew from that second everything would be alright, we would stick together till the end.
I woke in a sweat again. It had been two months since Pearl Harbour was bombed, and just two weeks ago it was announced that we had to move to internment camps. I looked around and we packed up everything we could carry. My parents haven’t come back yet. My parents would never have abandoned us, for our whole life they watched over us with love. Why would they leave? Without them, a part of me is missing. My heart ached with every memory I had of them, but I had to stay strong, for Lily and Dylan needed me more than ever.
Suddenly I heard a thump on the door. When I opened it I saw two men one short and one tall, both stood in olive-green uniforms with guns clipped on their holster, both swarmed in pride. The men had heartless expressions clung onto their faces.
“Are your parents home,” The shorter one demanded
“Uhh, T-t-they aren’t here anymore,” I whispered in shame.
“They left us” I swallowed the lump in my throat.
Lily and Dylan would never let me said that they hoped that our parents were going to come back.
The taller one's face had gone red in anger, the shorter one’s expression had softened.
They started talking in low voices. “Is it a trick,” The shorter one asked
“Of course,” The taller one retorted “Their hiding, and sent their kid to do their dirty work.”
My face burned with anger. First, they think we betrayed them, now they think we are liars? They both pushed me away to search the house.
I became even madder as fury built up inside me. I stood there perched against the doorway tears gently streaming down my face and hitting the floor, crushed, like all my hopes to see my parents. The soldiers came back to the door, both with their faces soft, and empathetic, they helped us get our things and load them into the truck.
They drove us to the train track where they would drive us to the camp, Fort Knox located just 20 miles from a small town called Dawsons Creek.
The train ride was just a few hours, but those were a few hours of thought and reflection for us. ‘How we were going to stick together?’ I thought. What was the camp going to be like? 1000 nightmares filled my head.
As I looked around the grey compartment, tears swelled in everyone’s eyes, clutching their loved ones close. I felt bitter when I saw a parent hugging their child close, for I envied the feeling of being loved again.
I thought of my parents for the last time, I thought of everything we ever did, all the happiness. Gone.
When we got out of the train the camp was devastating, there were barely any plants, dusk permeated the air. Everyone was miserable, for their life ruined.
No one knew how long the war was going to rage on. I pinched myself but I never woke up.
That day was the day that changed my life, that was the day when I became a prisoner of my own country.