Story of Hiroshi- chapter 1

Chapter 1-Hiroshi's Suicide


It was just a little before noon in the forest. The Jukai's treeline was too thick for the wind to be audible. Instead, the only sound were the crunching of leaves as a lone man walked across them. The man had round glasses and white hair, in spite of the fact that he was still young, only halfway through his twenties. He stopped after a while, and looked around.

Content that nobody was watching, a young man started off deeper into the forest, away from the trail. Painful thoughts were swirling about in his head. He tried to rub his temples to ease the headache they brought. Where he was walking, wasn't part of the trail, but a path had been worn out for him to walk on, just as many others had.

Along this path, he came across a sign. It read, "Your life is a precious gift from your parents. Please think about your parents, siblings, and children. Don't keep it to yourself. Talk about your troubles."

His thoughts briefly turned to his family. How they gasped, covered their eyes, and hid their faces. He remembered the letter they sent him, telling him he would no longer be welcomed as a member of the family if he got out of the asylum. He cringed as he forced himself to continue walking.

Now his thoughts were set on that track as he was set on the path. He remembered the asylum. The cell, the drugs, the questioning, the screams that came from all directions. He remembered Dr. Kiichiro, his doctor there. He remembered the story he made up to get out. The false confession of malice and hatred for the only friends he'd ever know.

Now he was no longer insane, instead he was a murderer.

Then he had a crime to answer for. The next years of his life were in a different cell, but a cell nonetheless. One of concrete instead of padding. In addition to the screams, he remembered the cursing, the beatings, the loss of his virginity, the times he almost died in there. He wished he had died there and wouldn't have to here.

He was free now. He had paid his forced debt to society for a crime he didn't commit. He had no home to live in, no family to live with, nothing to live for, and soon he wouldn’t live at all.

He found a decently tall tree, and took off his coat, and tied a knot with it around his neck. The other end he was bringing to a branch with shaking hands. As they were inches away, the silence was suddenly shattered when a voice spoke:

“Hiroshi.”