Firefly

Emiko said what she thought, and that was that. She was my elder sister, and it was my duty to love her.

I should be grateful for my good fortune, Emiko told me often. And behave suitably. By which she meant I should be quiet and respectful and always do as she ordered me without question. Even my name reflected my good fortune; I was called Keiko, which means lucky. There was no hidden meaning or irony in my birth name. It was meant to echo my circumstances, to make me understand every time I heard it that I was fortunate to be alive.