Silent Devour

The lights in this inquiry room are so bright that it hurts my eyes. The walls were off-white, and there was a water stain near the ceiling, shaped like a bird with spread wings. Across the table sat two police officers, one older and one younger. They asked me to say it again, recalling all the details. What happened on that sweltering and breathless afternoon in the summer of sixteen years ago? What can I say? I was just a kid, eleven years old at the time. Memories are like old photos that have been soaked in water, with blurred edges and faded colors. But I still remember the patterns on my sisters' skirts, the mud spots on my brother's sneakers, and the colors of the hydrangeas in the yard. They said this was the last inquiry. Files need to be sealed and cases closed. The murderer has long been brought to justice, and the truth has long been revealed. There are just some details that need to be confirmed in order to complete the record. I nodded. Okay, I'll say it. All. But remember, I was just a kid back then. A quiet kid who hates talking. A child who is always forgotten in the corner of a family of six children. My name is Saori Chiba. This is my story.