Himawari Apricot

Winter of 1876
That year began with a cold winter, harsher than those of previous years. The Apricot family’s apothecary felt it as customers began arriving more frequently, seeking remedies for fevers, colds, and even to soothe persistent coughs. It was during this particular year that Tooru, the head of the family, realized he could not fight against what was known as modernization. He was losing many customers because he refused to invest in those novel new medicines.

Arguments between Tooru and his son-in-law, Haruto, filled the Apricot household. Eight-year-old Sachie always listened to the shouting with dread. Quietly and carefully, she would go to the room of her mother, Akiko, who was looking after Himawari—the youngest of the family, only five years old at the time. The little girl had come down with a fever from a cold, but fortunately, she was finally resting more peacefully.

That was one of the reasons the two men had been fighting. If it wasn't about the apothecary business, it was about the youngest girl's health. She fell ill constantly, and for Haruto, it was the perfect excuse to heal her with those new medicines.
Tooru was the one who managed to win that battle. Following the logic that his daughter, Akiko, had always been treated with traditional medicine, he wanted his granddaughters to consume it as well. Himawari’s fever finally broke, granting Tooru the victory.

"How are you feeling, Sachi-chan?" Akiko asked once she was alone with her daughters. "I’m fine, mother," Sachie said with a smile.

Akiko sat by Himawari’s futon, stroking her head while the child slept. Outside, clouds blanketed the sky; nothing could be seen, which made Sachie feel sad.

"I can't see Kaguya today," the girl said, looking at the sky. "Mother, do you think the princess will ever come down to Earth again?" 

"I don't know, Sachi," Akiko replied, trying to keep her daughter from speaking too loudly. Himawari was tossing and turning, looking as if she were about to wake up.

“Kaguya left her parents all alone when she returned to the moon”, Sachie said to 
her mother as she closed the window and sat beside her mother. “That is something I will never do. I promise I will never leave you alone.”

Two days later, Himawari was feeling better, and the sisters spent time together in the eldest's room. That afternoon, they both played at being princesses. Himawari had managed to convince her sister to be Kaguya, and she wanted her sister to search for the treasures she desired.

They both had fun hunting for treasures, as on this occasion, Himawari decided to help. It would be more fun that way. Himawari loved to imagine she was going on adventures—that she could discover what lay beyond Mizutani Port or what kind of animals lived on the other side of the mountains.

She wanted to believe she would have better health as an adult, so she could even go to China, Hong Kong, or even Singapore and India. She wanted to see their landscapes, the flowers, the animals, and meet the people of those places.

By the end of the afternoon, both were tired but happy. They hadn't been interrupted by Haruto that day, as he and Akiko had gone out, and Tooru was busy tending to the apothecary.

At dinner, the two talked incessantly. The woman looking after them was also tired of scolding them for their behavior and had already given up on correcting them.
In Sachie’s room, they both tried to look for the moon. They couldn't find it, which made Himawari upset. On that night of the new moon, the sisters decided to play something other than princesses.

"Sister, is it true that you will always be by my side, taking care of me?" 

"I will always take care of you and mother," Sachie promised with a smile.

Spring of 1884
March promised a peaceful season, giving way to the warmth, the cherry blossoms, and for the Apricot family, the hope that little Himawari might enjoy better health. It was Akiko, fortunately, who discovered her daughter's first bleeding.

For Himawari, the shock and the fear of what was happening to her body were stressful. The pain was unbearable, and combined with the spring heat, the cramps kept her bedridden. It was thanks to Tooru who, with patience, prepared a tea for those cramps.

By this season, Tooru—faithful to his beliefs and without a male heir—had already begun teaching Sachie the basics of herbology: identifying medicinal plants and some edible ones. Furthermore, Sachie was already starting to develop an interest in flowers.

Himawari did not like getting dirty with soil, and her nose always bothered her when she was near certain flowers. The girl thought about this, distracting herself with whatever she could to avoid the pain. Her grandfather noticed and asked what was crossing her little mind.

In an act of courage, she asked Tooru what she could do. Sachie was good with plants, but what about her? Her grandfather, with a knowing smile, interpreted his granddaughter's distress as jealousy. She also wanted to learn, to do something rather than just stand by and watch.

"My brother, may he rest in peace, was a chronicler," Tooru told Himawari calmly.
She watched her grandfather preparing a tea for her menstrual pains, and overwhelmed by the unbearable ache, she tried to forget it by talking to her grandfather, who encouraged her to ask questions.

"What does a chronicler do?" Himawari asked. Her grandfather handed her the cup of freshly made tea. It smelled so good that, despite the spring heat, Himawari tried to take a sip, but she couldn't yet.

“Don’t rush, Hima-chan," her grandfather said as he sat down with his own cup of tea. "A chronicler is someone who writes about the day-to-day lives of important people. If you wish, I can give you some notebooks so you can start writing."

"Who can I write about?" Himawari asked with some hesitation. "I don't know anyone important."

"You can start with yourself," Tooru replied calmly, looking at her face full of doubt and curiosity. "You are important—don't you ever forget that."