The Old Photograph
A picture from years ago
This afternoon, I visited Mrs. Kimura for tea.
Her small dog Coco slept quietly near the door.
On the wall, I saw many old photographs.
One photo was older than the others.
In the photo, a kind woman was smiling on our street.
She was holding some small notes in her hands.
She was giving the notes to her neighbors.
"That is Hana," Mrs. Kimura said .
Hana looked in the picture.
The maple tree behind her was much smaller then.
Today the tree is taller and wider than before.
Years ago, the street looked different.
The houses were newer, and the gardens were greener.
But the kind notes were the same as today.
I looked closer and saw a small maple leaf on each note.
My beat faster because I knew that leaf.
"Hana loved this street more than anyone," Mrs. Kimura said.
"She wrote a note for every house each week."
Then her voice became and sadder.
"Hana passed away two years ago," she told me.
I felt and a little sad.
If Hana is gone, then who writes the notes now?
The notes in my are newer than two years.
Someone is still keeping Hana's kind alive.
Who could it be? I had to find out.