As his final year of high school crawls to an end, Jacob receives a postcard with a picture of Tokyo's skyline on the front. On its flipside are two simple words: "I'm sorry." Although it's unsigned, Jacob immediately knows who sent it. There's no doubt it's from his best friend, Ichiro, who abruptly moved to Japan with his mother before they started high school. Jacob couldn't blame them for packing up and moving. He wished he could've done the same. The summer vacation before high school should have been filled with fun and relaxation, but instead it was plagued by tragedy. What follows is Jacob's account of that terrifying summer."

Red Maple 2018 nominee.