the rape of the Mind

Her youngest sister woke up earlier than usual that morning. Unusual as it really was, the fact piqued her curiosity that she also made an effort to follow her downstairs, to the living room where the teenager immediately picked up the broom and the dust pan and began to sweep the floor. There might be something special for the day, she thought to herself. Her youngest sister, who has always been reputable as the senorita in the house, was now being punctual, even with the absence of orders from the highest authority at home who was their mother. After sweeping the floor, she immediately had breakfast and right after finishing it, she went in front of the television set.

It was the premiere of Sailor Moon, she realized.

While the opening theme was playing, her youngest sister was so delightful. Finally, she was able to meet those characters whom she just saw printed on her oldest sister’s old school bag. The girl with long blonde pig tailed hair, the black cat with crescent moon on its forehead, and the other girls with hairs of different colors and were dressed like sailors—characters she knew only through the older people’s stories whenever they talked about their nostalgic childhood.

While in her own mind, flashback began.

***

She was in kindergarten then while her cousin, whom she grew up with, was in third grade. Accustomed to taking a nap in noontime, they would always do their best to fall asleep so in the late afternoon they would be permitted by their grand mother to turn the television on and watch their favorite show. And because they were so into the anime, they even imitated them—their poses, their lines—as they convinced themselves that they would also undergo some transformation and that soon they would also be able to fight bad people and save the world.

The madness continued. In the afternoon, most especially on weekends when there were no classes, they would do some role-playing where they imitated scenes from the animation series. Sometimes, they would even give voices to their paper doll collection which consisted of the full cast of characters.

The two of them enjoyed the world they were able to build. In fact, even if they already moved to another place and was not able to save their paper doll collection which were left in their old house in Paranaque, they were still able to sustain this world which lasted until a new generation of animes was born.

And eventually, they both got tired of them as they grew older.

***

Years have already passed, indeed. She was now about to finish her college degree while her cousin was already in another country, busy with her own family.

The Sailor Moon episode began.

“I can still remember that and that,” she proudly told her sister as she pointed her index finger to the TV screen. “Oh, it’s her… wow, she’s…”

“Shhhhhhhh… No spoiler please!” Her sister shouted.