A Distance of One Meter
On May 11, during the Great Tsunami in Japan, a 74-year-old woman named Chiko, who lived in Ōtsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, was out for a walk with her husband Hashimoto on a road one kilometer from the sea. They had no idea that disaster was about to strike.
Hashimoto’s first reaction was to run to the shelter immediately. This might have been easy for young people, but for them, it was an almost impossible task. Chiko had developed cataracts many years ago, leaving her nearly blind, and it was Hashimoto who took care of her every day.
Without thinking much, Hashimoto grabbed Chiko’s hand and tried to flee to higher ground, but the monstrous wave followed them like a demon. Before long, they were caught in the turbid flow.
Blind Chiko had no idea what was happening. The roaring waves fiercely swept over them. They staggered and stumbled but never let go of each other’s hands.
In the end, the inevitable happened—Chiko’s hand slipped away. Hashimoto grasped at the air, finding nothing. In desperation, he closed his eyes and groped around, believing Chiko was right beside him, just as they had been inseparable for the past many years.
Those brief seconds felt like an eternity to Hashimoto.
Fortunately, after a few seconds, Hashimoto managed to grasp Chiko’s hand once more. After much struggle, they finally climbed to a higher slope and escaped the disaster. The elderly couple who survived the tsunami embraced and wept at the shelter.
Their story spread widely in the shelter. When reporters heard the touching tale, they came to interview them. One reporter asked, “Uncle, how did you manage to find Auntie’s position so accurately in just a few seconds and grab her hand?”
Hashimoto, appearing calm, said, “It was my intuition. When the tsunami knocked Chiko down, I felt a sudden sense of separation, but my heart told me she was right beside me.”
Chiko’s answer moved the reporters even more: “Children, the moment I lost his hand, I told myself to hold my position with all my might. As long as I didn’t move more than one meter away, Hashimoto would find me. Luckily, we succeeded.”
There was another touching story behind this. When Chiko developed her eye disease, she attempted suicide several times, but Hashimoto always encouraged her. He told Chiko, “I will be your eyes. We will be inseparable in this life, and I won’t let you be more than one meter away from me!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chiko’s tears flowed. Hashimoto gently wiped her tears away, and the two elderly people were as sweet as first love.
Chiko could no longer see Hashimoto’s appearance, but they could both feel the bond of their twenty-plus years together, even if separated by a distance of one meter.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
