Dust And Death

By Viviana Rodriguez, James VerBurg, Dylan Trudgeon and Anahi Romero-Solano

May 15, 1942, was the day our lives had fallen apart. It had been weeks since then,
parents were gone, and all I had was my brother. We lived in a three-bedroom house, and I had
white walls with Tsubaki flowers on it. My mother and father ran their own grocery store. My
brother and I would help out sometimes. One day, walking home from the store with my brother,
we saw a lot of flyers that looked the same. We finally stopped to read it. I was confused after I
read the flyer and was filled with mixed emotions. On the other hand, my brother rushed me
straight home and told me to start packing.
We walked through the gates of Manzanar War Relocation Center, in California. The
dust was slowing down our legs, we were holding the tag they assigned us and trying to find our
barrack. The small black buildings looked very cramped, but I was glad that it was only Mizumi
and I. Our feet were covered with a layer of dust, and my mind wandered. I hoped wherever
Mama was, she, was okay, I thought.
Heres our number. Mizumis voice broke me out of my trance. I hadnt realized that the
sun which was once above our heads was now located on the roof of barracks that hid the
fence. Legs sore and hands cramped, we walked up to a black door with our number written in
white. We heard whining from inside, echoing around the small walls.
Hello? His tired voice boomed the best it could, and the voices stopped. Our door soon
opened to reveal two faces.
Hello! Whats your name? Mines Akiko! Where are you from? Where're your parents?
Ours are b- A bright girl about my age rushed out.
Akiko, calm down. Im sorry about her. My name is Yasei Kaski, and this is my sister
Akiko. This stranger held out his hand with a small smile under his nose and closed eyes.
Mizumi grabbed his hand, shaking it lightly as he pushed his way into the small barrack. I
walked out from behind Mizumi and Akiko. I made my way over to one of the bunk beds leaning
against the dirty wall.
Which one is ours? I spoke, and my small voice echoed through the tiny space making
it seem louder than it actually was. Mizumis hand hits my shoulder lightly.
You can have that one, Yasei informed us. He spoke with a smile plastered on his
face, it might almost seem real. I plater on the same smile that lined his face. We drop our bags
onto the ground. I flop down onto the bottom bunk across from Yasei. If we both held out our
arms, we could hold hands. Night soon came and the moon shone through the window we lay
awake as the first day came to a close. I had a good feeling about this.
We were walking home in the hot sun, knowing our way around camp from the year we
spent wandering around. Sand burned in my eyes, my legs hurting, hot wind blowing in my face
causing my throat to dry. My brother shook my shoulder, I focused back on him. Hey? My
brother says, pointing off to the side. There were a couple girls heading up to Akiko, and we
rushed over to her. Her eyes widened as she saw the girl's, her face went blank. The girls were
speaking Japanese. One of the girls pushed Akiko to the ground.
Hey! Mizumi yells. I quietly followed behind him.
 Akiko stays down covering her face with his arms, hiding from the assaulters. The girl
that pushed Akiko glances at me, smiled, then kicked Akiko while she was on the ground.
Another girl yelled something in Japanese, and they walked away laughing. Mizumi went over to
Akiko and shook the dirt out of her hair while she dusted off her dress.
Who were those girls? Mizumi asked while running his hand over her reddened face.
They were no one. Akiko stammered, her eyes meeting my shoes.
Why do you let people push you around? Mizumi asked moving closer.
When our parents past away. Akiko started.
Your parents? I ask gently while my hand rests on her shoulder.
Yeah, our parents... She pauses. They had a big impact on our life. Her eyes hold
mine. Not so much in a good way. They were always working, they were never really around
and --
Akiko, you don't have to, Mizumi interrupted.
I want to! Akiko responds quickly. She cleared her throat. I want to. she wiped her
eyes. I know you don't have your parents right now, but there's a chance that one day youll be
able to see them again and I would give anything to see my parents one more time, to talk to
them, to spend time with them, to tell them I love them.
I slipped my arm around her shoulder and we start to walk again. Its quiet, just the hot
wind and the sound of sand hitting the windows.
Hey, Akiko? I whispered.
Yeah? She says, our eyes lock.
I dont know if my parents are still alive, but even if they aren't. I faintly smile. I know
that they love me, that they care, and that wherever they are their watching over Mizumi and
I. She gave me a faint smile.
Weeks later during the cold winter. Yasei laid in his bunk too weak to move, I knelt next
to him, my back pushing the bunk beds against the wall filled with posters and papers. He
hadnt moved in a while. Akiko and Mizumi were out to get water and firewood. I was charged
with taking care of him. His body suddenly came alive to heave out spit and he soon collapsed
again. He was sweating so much I wanted to peel back his blankets but I knew I shouldnt.
Mizumi said that they shouldnt bring him to the hospital wing because he would just get sicker
but watching him lie there in so much pain stained my face with tears.
It has been weeks since Yasei got sick. The next day I went to go visit him, he looked
worse and weaker than ever. His skin was burning like fire, he was so pale, and the circles
around his eyes got darker by the day, you could see all the drops of sweat making a puddle on
the floor. I went to go get his food, and as I opened the door returning, my plate immediately
dropped to the floor. My heart stopped in shock. I ran to him as his arm hung off the bunk. He
was dead. I dropped to my knees screaming. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion.
Tears came flowing like a waterfall, Mizumi walked in and stood there silently. Akiko was out
grabbing more wood. Akiko and Mizumi had comforted me so much through the hardship. We
had gotten so close, almost as close as he was with Akiko. She had gone quiet. Very quiet,
Akiko doesnt speak very much, only to Mizumi. She was a husk, left behind after he died.
Akiko and Mizumi had started to date, bonding over a tragedy that affected us all. I
looked at his bed every night and cried. Mizumi and Akiko dont come home til midnight. Ive
started sleeping in his bed and watching the stars each night. I kept waiting for Mizumi to come
home. I seemed almost forgotten as they keep growing closer.
September 1, 1945, we arrived back at our home. The once familiar walls were now
covered in words foreign to me. I walked into my old room the wall was covered with white paint
and my Tsubaki flowers were gone. Although coming back home was a relief, it still felt like we
were trapped. People who use to, wave at us when wed walk home from our parent's store
close their blinds rapidly. Soon peoples absent eyes wander toward us filling with a hatred.
Akiko has spoken to me, starting to show some of the old happiness that was trapped in the
dust in the desert. The old store was sold so we all had to get jobs. Mizumi and Akiko got a
happy ending with their new life together. I was left waiting by the door for the day Mama comes
home.