In the Peace Museum in Hiroshima there is a series of glass cases. In each is a smock, or a pair of trousers, or a shoe, torn and often burnt. Attached to each case is a vignette, giving the name of the wearer, his or her age (mostly teenagers), how far each was from ground zero at the moment of the explosion, and what he or she was doing just then. Some had died where they were. Others managed to crawl home but died that evening or the next day. Perhaps the most moving is the description of the child who was 2 years old when the bomb fell. She survived, and grew into a fine athletic girl. Ten years later radiation sickness crept up on her, and she died slowly over the following months. In accordance with a Japanese myth that if you make a thousand paper cranes your dearest wish will be granted, she made more than 500, believing that each one had to be perfect. Many of her exquisite creations are on display in the museum, some smaller than a little fingernail. The girl's school friends made the rest for her after she died.
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