Family episodes

On Sunday morning, the first one to wake up before the alarm clock was Evelyn, the ten-year-old daughter.

With a voice way too loud for her small frame, she shouted, “Dad! Mom! It’s gym day today! Bouldering!”

In the next room, the couple in their forties—Shota (the dad) and Ria (the mom)—groaned simultaneously under the covers.

“Don’t tell me... it’s today?”

“Yeah, you said it was reserved! From ten o’clock, at the usual place!”

The “usual place” was the climbing gym in the station-front shopping mall.
They went together every week.

It wasn’t full-on outdoor climbing, just indoor bouldering, with colorful handholds and a squishy mat below.

They’d started going when Evelyn was in second grade, thanks to Ria’s idea of “getting the kid some exercise.”
But as it turned out, the one who got hooked the most was Shota.

“Climbing is the metaphor for life,” he had said.

“If you miss a foothold, you fall. But you can always climb again. It’s philosophy.”


He even ordered five bouldering technique books on Amazon.

Still, the three of them genuinely enjoyed their weekends together.

Evelyn, nimble as a cat, scaled the walls easily.
Ria was cautious—she often froze at the third move.
Shota was all enthusiasm but usually got tired just adjusting his starting position.

That day began just like any other.

Evelyn warmed up on a beginner wall, swiftly finishing it.

“Okay, your turn, Dad!”

“Alright! Watch me. I’m going all the way up today!”

Shota tightened his Velcro shoes and confidently gripped the wall.

But by the third move, his hand slipped.

“Ah!”

Thud. He fell onto the mat.

“Whew... that was... an unexpected gravitational betrayal.”

“Dad, you just fell.”

“Even falling has meaning…”

“Yeah, yeah. The philosopher speaks again.”

After some laughing and stretching, the family moved on to the centerpiece wall—a 4-meter tall, overhanging intermediate course.

And that’s where... the incident happened.

“I’ll go first!”

Evelyn declared and started climbing confidently.

One, two, three holds—
She paused at the overhang and squinted up.

“I... might not reach the next one.”

“I’ll spot her from below,” Shota said.

Ria stepped underneath, arms out in case of a fall.

But Evelyn suddenly lit up.

“Wait—I think I can do it!”

She lunged left and grabbed the next hold beautifully.

“Yes!!”

Then—

Her left foot slipped.

Swoosh!

She dropped hard—right onto Ria, standing below.

“Waaah!!”

Ria caught her out of reflex, but the impact knocked both of them over.

Shota saw it all in slow motion: mother and daughter tumbling on the mat, spinning together like a tangled pill bug.

“Sorry, Mom...”

“It’s okay... I think my bones are fine... But my butt feels flatter than before.”

“I think that’s how it always was, Mom!”

The three of them burst into laughter.

A staff member ran over, flustered.

“Are you okay?!”

Ria, still lying on the mat, raised her hand.

“All good… just a little domestic collision.”

On the way home, Evelyn said,

“Hey, maybe the top of the wall isn’t just the goal for climbing—maybe it’s also the stage for funny landings.”

“You’re getting deep,” Shota replied.

“You’ve grown.”

“Nope! I was just copying what you said earlier about ‘climbing is philosophy.’”

“Hey! That was my line!”

“Then go write your name on the wall. Call it ‘Shota-ism’ or something.”

“Yeah... that sounds kinda lame, honestly...”

The three laughed as they walked.
The evening breeze was soft on their cheeks. Evelyn ran ahead, turned around, and called back:

“Next time, let’s try the even harder wall! But first, Mom’s butt needs to heal!”

Ria shouted from behind,

“That’s not happening!!”

Laughter bounced along the road as they made their way home.

The End