What is your first memory?

My sister says she remembers things from the age of 2. I, on the other hand, don’t remember anything earlier than kindergarten. I think my earliest memory would be from when I was around 5 years old.

I was standing at the bottom of the staircase in my house, looking up. There was a window at the top of the stairs and a streak of sunlight was coming through it. It looked  like a spotlight on a stage. 

I thought it was beautiful.

There were something twinkling in that ray of the light. It looked like snowflakes. I tried to catch them, but I couldn’t.

“Chiyo, what are you doing?” Mom came out from the living room and asked me.

“Mom, what are those tiny sparkles in the light?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s just dusts.” Mom laughed.

“Is it?” I was surprised. It looked like glitter to me. 

“When the dust reflects the sunlight, it shines.” Mom explained. I admired her knowledge. Mom seemed to know everything. 

I looked up the window again and raised my hand against the light. The light parted between my fingers. As hard as I tried, I still couldn’t catch the sparkles. But I felt the warmth of the sun on my palm.