Just Another Day Zero (Aborted)

Just Another Day Zero was a failed attempt to write a spiritual prequel to the original Just Another Day, set over one hundred years earlier in another prefecture of Japan. A prefecture known as Hiroshima. As I began writing about the events of August 6th, 1945, I wondered if I really had any business there. My stories often deal with the hardships of death, but this was in a whole other category.


Original Working Title (Justice Another Day)

Chapter 1: Saisho no Suteppu (The First Step)

"Please give me the light of your wisdom; to dispel the darkness of my mind and heal my mental continuum," said a noticeably anxious young woman. She went on to say, "I must seek work this morning. It is required of me, but at the same time, it is frowned upon." The woman picked up a single incense stick and placed it in the bowl before her. She closed her eyes and proceeded to recite a mantra; "Om Mani Padme Hum." She concluded the session with a selfless wish. "May all beings be well, happy and peaceful," she said as she collected herself and her belongings. Sunlight drenched the temple. Outside, a bevy of wild flowers were blooming. There were faint signs of life off in the distance. The woman quickly made her way down the steps and began her trek into town. This would be a historic day.

Just Another Day Postmortem

Just Another Day was a work of semi-fiction. Actual events blended with fiction. If you should find a few truths along the way, that is okay.

Just what the hell happened in Just Another Day's final chapter?

I get asked this question a lot. Like, three whole people already! Just Another Day came about in the aftermath of two sudden losses. My uncle and aunt passed away just a week apart in the spring of 2014. Not very long after which, a rather severe debate engulfed much of the family on Facebook. I eventually took it upon myself to quit the service. I would come to find solace in creative writing. I have always admired the serenity of Japanese culture and wanted to tell a story that began there. As the story came into fruition, it became clear that I myself was Aratana Hajimari - I myself would die that day. Nobody wants to picture their own death, but it presented me with an interesting writing challenge. Just how would I process everything in my final hours on Earth? And what ultimately caused my fatal heart attack? It led to a somewhat horrific third chapter. I knew that I would have to deal with something difficult. More difficult than my own death. The story sadly dictated the revelation that my eldest brother, Patrick, had passed away a year earlier. Having lived in Japan for twenty-something years, I had naturally lost touch with the family. It weakened my heart enough to become the catalyst for my own death later in that chapter. Foreshadowing can sometimes be a bitch.