Spring, The Place to Return – Short Fiction

This story is a fiction based on a true story of a parent and child in the midst of suffering, with the hope that this is how it should be. We have written this story in the hope that parents and children can once again join hands and live happily ever after.

Bonds Torn Apart

One winter day in the cold rain, Mariko was suddenly kicked out of her house. Her mother-in-law, taking advantage of her position as her ex-husband’s mother, forcibly separated Mariko from her son, Hurt. Harto was left in the house, and Mariko was left alone, with no way to see her son. As if thrown out into the cold darkness, Mariko was expelled from the house, and Harto was taken from her. Mariko stood there, vaguely remembering the warmth of Halt’s small hand. She was so shocked that she could not even cry.

Soon after, her mother-in-law filed a motion with the court to “suspend parental rights,” claiming that Mariko was neglecting her child. Each time her cold voice echoed down the hallway, it was as if her heart was being sliced open with a blade of ice. Mariko desperately pleaded her innocence, and all that remained was to wait for the court’s decision.

Eventually, the court ruled that the motion to terminate parental rights was denied. Mariko was granted custody of the child. However, Halt still did not return. The mother-in-law, who ignored the court’s decision, seemed to have no intention of returning Halt at all. No matter what the court ruling was, would the day ever come when I could hold that little hand again?

When she consulted the police and the child guidance center, she was coldly dismissed as a “family problem. Mariko was left at her wits’ end and could only continue to endure her loneliness, remembering Harto’s smile night after night.

Past the Faded Scene, Into the Light

As spring passed, summer ended, and the autumn winds began to sweep in, Mariko came across a community on the Internet. There, she found a group of people who had also lost their beloved children and were still struggling to cope with the loss. Facing the problem of “single-parent alienation,” they were discussing their fierce struggle to regain the bond between parent and child. Everyone faces the fear that they may never see their children again, but they continue to search for a way to reunite them with their children at the risk of their lives–this refusal to give up deeply touched Mariko’s heart.

A small flame lit in the back of Mariko’s mind, “I won’t give up on Harto either. With renewed determination, she began preparing to appeal to the family court. In this appeal, she strongly argued the possibility that Harto had been improperly cared for by his stepmother and that he had been adversely affected psychologically. The court finally began to realize the seriousness of the situation.

The court took a serious look at the situation in which the mother-in-law was making Harto’s mental state unstable and decided to intervene. Mariko felt that her small step had become a sure light, opening the way to reunion with her son. It was like a ray of hope at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

A Stranger Wearing Your Face

It has been a year since she was evicted from her home, and Mariko is finally able to visit with her son, Harto. Gray clouds cover the sky and a cold wind blows across her cheeks. Mariko waits with bated breath at the rendezvous point, and then Harto appears — the first time she has seen her son in a year, a little thinner and with a somewhat reserved expression on his face. Harto refused to look at Mariko, as if coldly rejecting her with his entire small body. Mariko’s chest tightened at the sight of his changed appearance.

‘Harto, how are you?’ She asked in a trembling voice, but Harto remained silent and stared off into the distance. In the suffocating silence that followed, Halt murmured, “I don’t need a mother. I don’t want a mother” – Mariko’s body stiffened at these words. Her son’s words felt unnatural, as if he were reading from a script, and Mariko was overcome with sadness.

Still, Mariko spoke softly. ‘Harto, your mother has been thinking about you for a long time. It was a real blessing for me to be able to spend time with Haruto,” she said. He did not answer, but Mariko smiled at him, as if regretting the short time they had been together. As they parted, she softly told him in a small voice, “We will definitely meet again. I don’t know if her words reached him, but there was a small light in her eyes that made me believe in the day we would meet again.

Weaving Together Lost Moments

After the reunion, the family court found that the mother-in-law’s behavior was suspected of “single-parent alienation,” which caused Harto to exhibit rejection behavior toward his biological mother, Mariko. The court also took seriously the fact that Harto was not allowed to attend school and was even deprived of his right to receive an education, and ordered that Harto be promptly turned over to Mariko. This effectively granted Mariko parental rights. In addition, the need for psychological care for Harto was also pointed out, and support by a professional psychological counselor was prepared.

On a day when the snow melted and the spring sunlight softly illuminated the town, Mariko was ready to see her son again. Dressed in his new uniform, Harto stared at his mother’s face with a slightly nervous expression. Mariko caught her breath and spoke slowly. ‘Let’s start a new life together, Harto. I will always be with you.”

At these words, Harto’s eyes shook slightly and a faint smile returned to his face. The two hold hands and slowly begin walking down the path to the school. The petals of the cherry blossoms along the path were falling down as if to bless the father and daughter with a fresh start, gently enveloping them.

A New Path for Mother and Child

As school began, Harto was surrounded by new friends and gradually regained his old bright smile. Mariko’s heart was filled with relief when she saw the innocent, childlike expressions on their faces. After a long period of loneliness, the parents and child were once again living together, and a peaceful routine was beginning to return.

Mariko thought that for him to have a stable life, he needed to gradually regain his relationship with his father, so she suggested that her ex-husband also have an opportunity to interact with Harto. At first, Harto was perplexed, but little by little he began to have natural conversations with his father, and eventually he began to feel at ease when he spent time with each of his parents.

While feeling the joy of living with Harto, Mariko also began to participate in support activities for other parents who were suffering from similar problems. Mariko knew firsthand that “single-parent alienation” was a form of psychological abuse that left deep scars on the hearts of parents and children.

At that time, the Diet was discussing legal measures against “single-parent alienation” and psychological abuse, and passed a new bill to protect the rights of parents and children. With this, a step was taken to reconnect parents and children who had been similarly separated.

The bond between mother and child, reconnected by love and trust, was made stronger and more secure with the support of the law and the reestablishment of the relationship with the father. Hurt feels the love of each of his parents as he moves forward into the future.

With the spring of hope in their hands, they begin to move toward a new future. Behind them, flowers in full bloom swayed in the wind, softly scattering their petals as if to bless their path.