From a private collection, undated.
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There is a small framed photograph on a wall in a house in the suburbs of Tokyo. It shows a low stone wall above a town in the mountains. There is no one sitting on the wall. The wall is empty. The sky above it is clear.
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On the back of the frame there is handwriting in blue ink.
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Kamikochi. 2003. The first night.
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I was fifteen and I sat on this wall and I did not know that I would spend the next twenty years leaving. I did not know that the boy next to me would keep my letters in a shoebox. I did not know that we would end up here.
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I don't know if I got it right. I don't know if there was a right way. I just know that I sat on this wall and I looked at the sky and I said to myself: I want my life to be a film.
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It was a film. And then it was a shoebox. And then it was this house and this garden and this man and the tomatoes that never grow.
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It's not a film anymore. It's a life.
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That's the whole story.
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End of The Spaces Between
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--
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Author's Note for the bottom of the Issue below!!
Thank you so much for reading The Spaces Between. This was a deeply personal story to serialize, and I hope it resonated with you. If you made it this far, I would love to hear your final thoughts in the comments. What did you think of the ending? Did Saki get her film? Did Ren get his architecture? And more importantly—did they get each other?
Also, if you liked this story, why not give My rival writes LOVE LETTERS?! On my profile!
If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a like, a bookmark, or a comment. It helps more readers find this quiet little world. Thank you for staying.
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and then Add to home screen.