Haru and the Bonsai Tree

WC: 290

Haru arose early, brushed a curtain of bamboo aside with her frail hands and greeted the morning sun. The old woman stood at the window as was her ritual and watched the orange orb rise from the distant ocean. She silently prayed to Buddha, asking for another beautiful day.

After a cup of tea and eating a wedge of left-over rice cake, she lit joss sticks and placed them alongside her cherished ancestral tablet. The fragrant smoke wafted upwards from the burning incense, tickling her nose, which caused the usually austere old woman to release a breathy giggle.

Satisfied that Buddha had answered her prayer, Haru reached for her cane and with a slow gait, she limped toward her garden doorway.

There, in her garden is where she found peace, harmony and tranquility. She sat down on a wooden bench, next to a water basin and with loving hands tended to an ancient bonsai tree. The sturdy little tree had once belonged to her grandfather. After his death, her father kept it safe and alive. And now, its life depended upon Haru. The tree flourished and blossomed under her faithful care and tender touch.

Haru snipped a tiny dead limb from the tree’s trunk and when it fell to her feet the earth began to shake. The water basin toppled and Haru was catapulted to the ground. As her garden crumbled and splintered into remnants of what was once a serene landscape, she desperately reached for the tree and cradled it in her arms.

Moments later, an unwavering watery claw engulfed the tranquil garden. Still clutching the tree, Haru was swept away and disappeared. The old woman and the ancient bonsai tree died together as it was meant to be.

OUCH ... My last and final 300 word entry for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge. It's been fun and a painful learning experience.

Prompt for 03/12/11: Write a story that includes the words: claw, safe, nose.

I was moved to write this story after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred (Friday – March 11, 2011) off the Japanese shore – the largest in Japan’s history. The quake unleashed a 23 foot tsunami and was followed by hundreds of aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0. At this time (03/13/11) the death toll is still unknown.