The Loving Mother summary

4.The Loving Mother

           This story took place in 1964. It shows the love of a mother to her baby even after her death. Shoji Sakota, a pharmacist, lived alone because his wife had died several years ago. One stormy winter night, when he was preparing the annual business report, someone knocked at the door. First he ignored the knock regarding that whoever was there would see the closed drug store and continued his work. Then, he heard the knock second time. He thought the wind was making the sound. Third time again he heard the knock. This time it was louder. He went to the door thinking someone might be in emergency. He looked out from the window of the door.  A young woman was standing there. Thinking the woman might rob him, he didn't unlock the door. He told that the store would open tomorrow at 8 o'clock in the morning.  The woman again requested him to give something for her baby. This time he let her to come.

              Sakota noticed the woman was very thin. Her skin was abnormally light and hair was not arranged. She was in Kimone. Her eyes were so mysterious. They looked like from another world. She asked for 'ame' on a stick which made surprise. He thought the woman had come in midnight to ask for medicine for her ill baby but she asked ame. She gave some cents, thanked him and quickly went out.

              The following two nights also the same woman, at the same time with same request came. Her appearance and her request were so mysterious to Mr. Sakota that he forgot to ask her why she didn’t come during day. The fourth night he asked a photographer friend to hide in the store and take pictures of her so he could study her appearance. When pictures were cleaned, to their great surprise pictures clearly showed objects in the store but not the woman. 

             Next night they followed her. But they were easily noticed by her, it seemed as if she wanted them to see where she was going. Finally they became able to see the woman enter into her home. The door was opened, they walked in. It was dark room. When they switched on the light, they saw the same woman lying on bed besides a healthy baby of 8 or 9 months, licking ame on a stick. Mr. Sakota touched her neck and found she had been dead for many days.

              In this way, the spirit of a loving mother visited Mr. Sakota's pharmacy in order to buy an ame on a stick. Though the mother is dead, her spirit shows an infinite love and affection to her child who is alone after his mother's death.