Upside-down Smiley

Across town, while father and son were eating, Yamanaka entered the doors of one of the town's public libraries. Outside the building was constructed using white stone and had a flower bed below the windows that were empty for now. Inside the overhead lighting was soft and the carpets muffled the clicking and clacking of anyone's shoes. She walked up to the front desk and there was a man in his 60's sitting, typing at a computer.

"Um, excuse me, sir."

The man looked up from the screen and offered a light smile.

"Ah, Saori, back again so soon?"

The girl offered one of the smiles she'd been known for.

"Yes, I was wondering if the books I requested came in yet?"

He pushed up his glasses and put a hand on one hip.

"I must commend you on how patient you've been. Not everyone would be able to wait three months for a book to arrive."

"Well, access to the information resources I'm after aren't always so easily accessible to high schoolers."

"Is that why you haven't done much research on the internet?"

"Yeah, I can't get access to a scholarly article without already being in college and at present I can't wait that long."

The librarian's smile faltered when he heard those words but he just cleared his throat a little and went back to the computer. He typed for a moment.

"Ah, yes they arrived here a few hours ago. Wait here just a moment"

He disappeared into a back room, leaving Yamanaka to just stand and tap her foot while she waited. The man reappeared with a couple massive books in his hands that made an audible thump when he set them on the counter.

"Phew, these things feel like they ways half a metric ton."

"Thanks, Tomoki, you're a big help."

"Anything I can do to lend my aid for the cause."

Yamanaka took the books and found a table that was surrounded by shelves, away from any interlopers or prying eyes. She set her bookbag on the floor, unzipped it and took out a notebook. It wasn't very old, but it looked like it had seen action. The cover was worn out and tattered. When she opened it, the pages were covered top to bottom, front to back in notes, charts and statistics. The pages were also covered in a myriad of colors from a small collection of highlighters. Some of the writing was so old, it was faded to where it looked like chicken scratch.

She opened the book to the index, scanned the subjects and turned to the section she was least familiar with.

'So, let's see if there's been any new information in the last few years.'

Yamanaka shut the rest of the world out and concentrated solely on the paper in front of her. For the next three hours, the only movements she made were to turn the pages and jot down a few notes and try to color code them. She sat in deep thought, only pausing for a few minutes at a time to massage her forehead from the information overload headache.

'Come on, get back to work. You don't have any time to be messing around.'

She sat at the table until the librarian walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, little miss. We're about to close for the night."

"Really, what time is it?"

She didn't even pause to let him answer as she checked her phone and slightly marveled at how much time had passed without her realizing.

"Yup", the librarian confirmed, "It's that time of night. That's what happens when you find yourself a spot where you can't look out the windows and don't move for hours on end."

Yamanaka looked a little disappointed with that announcement.

"Don't worry", Tomoki reassured, "We'll be open the same time tomorrow when you get out of school."

"I know", she mused, "I just wish I had more time right now."

The old librarian couldn't help but feel his heart twinge looking at the girl's frowning face.

'It's not like you can stop time you old fool.' Tomoki though, 'You're asking for the impossible.'

He cleared his throat

"(Ahem), well, miss Saori, would you like me to scan those books for you before I go to lock the doors."

"I'd really appreciate that. Thank you."

The librarian scanned the books, put them in a bag and gave her the receipt. As she was walking out, she started walking backwards to give a big wave goodbye and one last smile. Tomoki smiled and waved right back at the girl. As he turned around after locking the front door, he sighed and closed his eyes.

"God", he prayed, "Please send Saori a good friend during this troubling time. You know better than any of us that she could really use someone to help her smile just as much as she tries to make everyone else. And maybe to remind her that its ok to show how she really feels."

Back a few blocks across town, while Fumihiro was rustling through the underbrush of his workspace, Benjiro decided to play things safely. He returned to his room, got down on his hands and knees to look underneath his bed. After a moment of sweeping his gaze back and forth, he spotted and took out a dusty shoebox. He opened the top and couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic looking inside. A few sheets of paper of various and sundry poems written on them, a few scant photos and all the letters he'd received. He hadn't thrown a single one away, not even the ones that were years old.

Benjiro carefully folded the letter into its former shape, put it back in the envelope and set it alongside the others. Eventually Fumihiro called to his son that he had found a stamp among the mini-junkyard of the desk.

As soon as the stamp was applied, Benjiro hopped down the stairs.

"Going to deliver it so soon?" Fumihiro called

"If I don't do it now, I'll stick it into my bag and I'll forget it."

"Just make sure you get a jacket first, it's a little windy right now."

Benjiro threw on a jacket and some shoes and went down the street. The post office was most likely closed, but at the very least, depositing the letter would ensure that the first leg of the journey would be complete.

Walking down the street, he couldn't help but smile a little, despite everything that had happened. What he received was simple, but a few simple words of encouragement were worth their proverbial weight in gold. His body hurt, but his spirit felt rejuvenated, even if only by a small margin. But at the same time, he felt a little sting in knowing the piece of paper he held in his hand was the only form of connection he had to his one true friend.

The post office was a short ten minute walk from his home. The sun was sinking lower, making the sky bleed. The wind made the trees shake and the many little leaves that were scattered on the ground rustle. The way the wind howled kind of reminded Benjiro of the way someone could blow over the hole in a bottle. He liked looking at the houses. While nothing overly ornate, they were pretty. Observing the houses was how he learned to identify the different parts of town, rather than by their actual street addresses.

The cold was doing its best to bite through his layers and he was doing his best to get to the mailbox which was mercifully coming into view.

'Why does the sight of a simple big red box make me happy. Cause I hate being cold, that's why.'

He was about ten steps away from the mailbox and he took the envelope from his jacket pocket. The original plan was to just put it in the mailbox, but the wind suddenly decided that it had a few other ideas. A stiff gust blew through, chilly enough to make Benjiro's fingers give an involuntary start, which unfortunately loosened his grip on the envelope enough that it ripped from his hands and started to blow down the street.

He chased after his letter as fast as he could but every time he thought he was getting close, the wind would kick up again and blow it just out of his reach. It blew further down the street and he was beginning to be frustrated as he let a string of his favorite curses fly. After about five minutes of playing cat and mouse with nature, the wind finally seemed like it was abating.

'Got you now you slippery bastard.'

Picturing himself as some sort of jungle cat he crouched and dove forward. It was only when he was in midair that he realized there was someone walking right past where the letter was sitting.

'Oh, s**t I can't stop flying.'

As the ground came closer into view, he clamped both hands down over the envelope, but in the process he also careened into the passerby. As they collided Benjiro knocked the person's bag from their hand and Benjiro needed a moment to hold his now aching head.

"Ugh, th-this really n-needs t-to st-stop hap-ppening."

He felt a hand grab his collar, yank him forward, knocking him off balance and throw him off. He flew backwards a few feet and skidded on the ground before the wall caught him in as welcoming of a manner as concrete could be. He sat back and bit his lip for a moment trying to let the pain in his back subside. When he looked up there was a face that he wasn't expecting to see again so soon.