The Loving Mother

Mr Shoji Sakota, a pharmacist in the city of Sappora on Hokkaido Island in northern Japan, lived in a house which also served as a drug store. His wife’s death had lead to his solitary life style. One stormy night in the winter of 1964, he was busy working in his room up until mid night. As it was the end of the fiscal / financial year, he was occupied with the accounts of the whole year. At that very moment there was a knock at his door. He chose to ignore it at first, but the knocking continued to abrupt the night time silence. Finally, he opened the door considering that somebody might have come for some very important medicine. To his surprise a woman stood at his door, who wanted an ame (Japanese candy used for pacifying young children) on a stick for her baby. Mr Sakota was quite astonished at what he had seen. Her hair was untidy and her eyes were quite strange. He was very much moved by the appearance of the lady. She could well be described as lady from another world. Somehow Mr Sakota could not forget her appearance even after she had parted and at last he left working and went to the bed. The following night, the same woman came and again asked for an ame. Mr Sakota deemed to know this woman asked his photographer friend to record the lady if she came next night. The next night also, the lady came at the same time and with the same demand. The photographer friend was hiding in the shop and he snapped the lady from different angles. But, when the photographs came, they were quite surprised to find that all articles were present in the photograph but not the lady. Then the two friends decided to follow her the next time if she came. Similar to the previous night she did come with the same demands, after receiving the ame she left, the two friends followed her quietly. The woman lead them to a room in an old building and vanished. In the room, they found a baby sucking at the ame and the woman appeared to be sleeping beside the child in the bed. When they tried to wake up the lady, they realized that she was dead and for several days.

Related questions:

Summarize the story "The loving mother"

Write brief story of Shoji Sakota

Describe the woman who visited Mr Sakota's Pharmacy