Ikuko wakes to a seemingly ordinary day. She opens her eyes and slowly adjusts to the slanting morning rays pouring through the window. A lazy yawn, a good stretch, and she's on her feet.
Her first stop is her parents' bedroom. Despite her best efforts to get their attention, they're still sleeping (or pretending to be). Undeterred, she taps at the side of the mattress as far up as her small stature would allow.
"Kuku..." one of them mumbles. "We'll be up soon. Go outside and play for a while."
With an exaggerated huff, Ikuko departs for the yard. The heat of the sun had not yet saturated the garden. The chrysanthemums and dahlias display a range of oranges in the morning light, and the yard was littered with pinecones. This is her happy place.
As is her custom, she settles into her favorite spot beside the door and surveys her domain. Nothing is amiss except for a few suspicious squirrels scurrying through the pines. Dry leaves tumble across the yard whenever a breeze stirs and she can't help but follow their paths with curiosity. She lounges for a while relaxing in the cool shade of the porch.
After a while she gets up and busies herself wandering the garden. She pauses at the vegetable beds, where the vines and trellises sag under the weight of produce readying themselves for harvest. Squashes glisten with dew, beans dangle from their vines, and one especially large yellow cucumber catches her attention. Ikuko gives it a cautious sniff. It smells yeasty and bitter. She wrinkles her nose and moves on. Ikuko is not a fan of cucumbers.
She notices her parents come out to check the vegetables from the garden. They stop to give her some attention then goes to the garden to harvest some sweet potatoes. Ikuko follows along as they work. They pick out a few plump, copper-red sweet potatoes brushing them off before placing them in a small wicker basket. Ikuko inspects their progress and waits patiently for them to finish. After they're done, they stop to play for a bit longer but eventually go back inside leaving the garden quiet. Ikuko wanders back to her favorite spot. Her eyes close, her head tilts down, and she drifts off to a long nap.
A long while later a voice comes calling from the porch. "Dinner time!"
Ikuko leaves the garden behind and hurries back inside, expecting her typical dinner. She pauses in the hallway. Something is different today. A captivating smell wafts in from somewhere beyond the kitchen doorway. A savory aroma with a hint of sweetness hangs warmly in the air. It isn't the smell of an ordinary dinner.
She carefully makes her way to the kitchen through a maze of toys scattered across the floor and peeks around the corner.
"There you are. Happy birthday, Kuku! We made you something special."
Ikuko's eyes widen, and she settles down to her meal.
