The Grave and the Fireflies By: Grace Chen

    In 1945, post-World War Il Japan was being brutally slaughtered by the American enemy. Intermittent anti-aircraft sirens sounded means  that American air bombers  attack civilian areas in massive destruction. Many people have lost their homes, money and their lives.

     Liam puts all the family’s food into the hole he dug in advance and straps his sister Judy to the shelter. As the bombers approached, the town was soon a sea of smoke and flames.

 When Liam arrived at the shelter for a medical check-up, the aunt ran to him in panic and said, “Go and see your injured mother.”

After looking for the doctor, he handed Liam a ring. His mother was burned and died. All Liam could do was hide the news of his mother's death from his younger sister.

In the open square, Liam still smile trying to cover the pain in his heart.

Perhaps, it was at that moment that Liam tried to carry all the sadness and decided to hold up a piece of sunshine for his sister in the chaotic ruins.

     Both the brother and sister went to their relatives. However, the war estranged  families, and the lack of material makes people indifferent to each other.

The aunt took Liam’s mother’s last belongings and carried them to exchange rice.

 Still Liam and Judy can only eat porridge left over from cooking rice. This meant that they need to leave soon and fend for themselves. At night, Judy cried because she had prickly heat on her body, and the aunt criticized her impatiently.

 Liam is forced to carry Judy to an abandoned bomb shelter, and they decided to leave their aunt’s house and move here to live alone.

     There they gathered snails in the pond, gathered firewood, and cooked a big dinner. At night, because Judy is afraid of the dark, Liam catches two fireflies. The light from the fireflies brings some light to the dark air-raid shelter.

Soon it was Judy’s birthday, and Liam gave her a jar full of fireflies. Opening the jar, a large number of fireflies flew around, making the air raid shelter seem to have a starry sky.

 Before long, they could not find food and  in order to let her sister no longer get hungry, the elder brother had to take advantage of the plane bombing risked his life to steal for food. He was thrilled to find some food in an empty house.

Until one day, Liam came back and found Judy lying on the grass

with blurred vision. When she was sent to the hospital, Judy

couldn’t make it because of malnutrition. Liam cremated

Judy in grief. He buried her ashes with the dead fireflies. Judy was

free and away from the cruelty and hunger of war. Liam also rallied

from his sadness. Through his unremitting efforts and tenacious

fighting spirit, he became a soldier. Liam strives to build a peaceful world.