Minato's Tea Cup World

The kettle always starts singing before the sun has even thought about climbing over the horizon.

By the time the soft light finally makes its way through the curtains, I’ve already got the pan heating up with two eggs cracked in, bacon laid flat and sizzling, and the air filling with the kind of smell that makes the house feel safe even when no one else is awake.

Toast always comes last.

I spread butter across it and then grape jelly because that’s the only way it feels complete.

I also save it until the end of breakfast because the sweet bite tastes better after the salt and honestly nothing pairs better with tea.

By the time I’m sitting by the window, the steam is rising out of my cup in little twists and curls, and I let myself drift into the words I never say out loud.

Sometimes they turn into half-finished poems that I scratch into the corner of a notebook no one will ever find.

Other times they become notes for drink recipes that I’m too nervous to share with anyone.

If I let myself dream, I picture a little shop of my own, shelves lined with teas and coffees, pastries sitting warm in the window, and people laughing while the sound of cups and spoons fills the air.

I think it would be a place where routine feels less like hiding and more like belonging.

Still, I know how easily the peace I find in these mornings can be broken.

I’ve watched Noriko carry the whole world like it is nothing but it really is everything. I’ve seen Rika create beautiful things she’s too scared to share. I’ve heard Fumiko joke and pretend he is braver than he really is because deep down he’s afraid of being fragile too.

I notice all of it. That’s the part of being quiet that no one talks about. You see everything, but almost nobody ever sees you.

And sometimes I think I like it that way, because being invisible means no one expects anything and it’s easier to breathe when there isn’t all that weight on your shoulders.

But then sometimes I wonder if being invisible forever would feel like sitting in a room pouring tea for no one.

So I keep going, I keep brewing and I keep writing. I keep tasting and fixing until something feels right even if I’m the only one who ever notices. Because in my teacup world, peace doesn’t last very long. But while it’s here, I hold onto it with both hands.

Journal Prompts

• What small routine helps you feel calm even when the world feels uncertain?

• Do you prefer being noticed or do you find comfort in being unseen? Why?

• If you had your own “teacup world,” what would it look like and what would it hold?

If you want to get to know Minato and the Parris family better, you can join The Parris Post here where I continue to tell their story through, letters, art and stickers.