6 Silent Story and Soundless Tears...

It was a silent night, and the only sounds were those of owl's hooting, the chipping of wood and the light breaths of a boy. In the boy's hands were a sharp yet small knife and in front of him stood a rather large brown wood. A dim light coming from a single candle lit the brick room. The candle was fragrant and smelt of warmth. Yes, the smell was warm.

A cold breeze invited itself into the room through a slightly opened window as it carried the warm fragrance towards the boy. The boy was struck by the cold wind and warm scent and closed his eyes.

(Shoku POV)

The night was tranquil, and I held my knife tightly. In front of me was a large log, and I planned to carve something I had never done before. Taking a deep breath in, I walked towards my new canvas. I was planning on doing a life-sized statue of a human.

I stabbed my carving knife into the wood, and then a warm yet cold breeze suddenly hit me, striking me with nostalgia. My eyes became wet, and I made another cut in the wood. 'My life has been amazing and filled with blessings… Mother, Father, Big Sis Yuki, Grandma, my Aunties and Uncles, even Uncle Bob….'

With every stroke, I took a journey into the past… 'I remember that day where I got beaten up by Mum. Grandma was there to support me and stand by my side, making childish arguments.'

Countless other events rushed through my mind, like when Grandma helped me sneak out when she told me bedtime stories or even when she simply kissed my forehead and told me she loved me.

I didn't know what had gotten into me. Why was I thinking about my Grandma so much? The warm wind had all of a sudden become colder. The winds gave out a ghastly wail as they cried aloud, creating an ominous aura, but I continued to carve, letting my Carving Knife become a paintbrush, the wood a canvas and my memories the paint.

Pouring down all my emotions, I slashed about. My wrist seemed to dance and move fluently. I was in a state where all my senses seemed to be immersed within the world around me, and I had become one with my knife.

'I know that the world will always be changing… that everything will erode in the passage of time… But I want to leave a legacy and a world ingrained within wood, a world from my eyes, a world where all my family are here. A world of just pure happiness.'

My thoughts were childish, but I continued slicing through the wood as if it was paper. With every flick, another piece of timber fell, as my movements never stopped.

As time passed, an image formed from the endless stream of cuts. Beads of sweat dripped down from my forehead as my heart palpitated with excitement. I looked at the artwork I had created and immediately felt drawn in.

The sculpture was made of rough wood yet seemed alive, featuring two figures. An elderly lady with her arms stretched around a young boy.

The elderly lady had a kind smile on her wrinkled face and wore a coarse robe. Her sculpted eyes told a story of years of History. Although she looked old, you could see how young her heart was and the love she had in her eyes holding the child in her arms.

The young boy had a childish smile in her arms and closed eyes as he lay in her hands. The scene was entirely surreal and seemed to come out of a dream. The sculpture told a silent story, a tale of a boy, his Grandma, their family, village and peaceful dreamy world.

"Sho-" A middle-aged man walked into his smithy, his voice loud but then suddenly went quiet seeing his son holding a carving knife in front of a sculpture of his mother and his son.

As Hayate stared at the carving, he felt a gentle pain in his heart as his eyes went wet with tears. 'If only I could go back….'

As the two pondered, acknowledging yet also ignoring each other's presence. Dazing off to their thoughts, they stood in silence. The only sound was that of crickets chirping ceaselessly, filling the void of the night with a semblance of life.

Waking up from his stupor Shoku was the first to speak, "Dad… What happened?" I said with my voice breaking.

I knew what had happened…

I know what's happening, but I needed to ask…

I only hoped I was wrong…

The winds howled out in sorrow as the leaves on the trees fell, marking the end of their long life.

"I-I-It's your Gra-Grandma… She wants to see you before she departs…." Each one of those words rang in my head, echoing endlessly as my heart stopped and the world froze momentarily as the night sky had become even darker.

'What! No! No, no no no no no no NO!…' The world didn't wait for me to process this sorrowful revelation as I dropped my carving knife. "Why! Why is this happening!" I stared at my father with my hands on my head, pulling off a few strands of my black hair in search of an answer…

I screamed in the distance with a silent cry for help, but my voice drowned from my tears. This shouldn't be happening. My thoughts were in disarray; I couldn't think.

"Son, you have to acce-"

"Dad, don't lie to me….!" I rushed at him, my small arms grabbing the collar of his shirt. My eyes were bloodshot. "Don't… Lie" I collapsed in despair.

'Why? Why was it Grandma, why wasn't it me' Lying down, I couldn't handle it… There was a soundless pain stabbing my heart, distracting me from my previous tears.

"Sorry", I muttered.

"Come on, son. You know you have two options right now. Leave and regret for the rest of your life or go to her and let all your emotions out. It is either a lifetime of regret or a wound made of sadness that will heal with time…

I know what your Grandma would want you to choose."

He stretched out his trembling hand. I reached and grasped it, looking in his eyes which were just as red as my own. 'How could I be so childish? We are all in pain, not just me'.

"I won't run away. I will go and see her…." I forced a shaking smile on my face. 'I can't run, I have to say strong... If not for myself but Grandma...'

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A/N: You may have noticed this chapter is shorter than usual... Well, yeh, it is more concise as I aimed this chapter to be more straightforward. I'm not going to drag this chapter and add an extra hundred words to get up to a higher word count and ruin my story when I can do it in the Authors Note... Ooops.

I like duccs, and I want to make a ducc chain in the comments one day. Just write ducc, put a gif or a picture of ducc in the chapter comments and make my dream come true : )