Chapter 1

PROLOGUE The rain during the warm seasons was ever so slightly sweet. She thought this while licking away a raindrop that rolled down her cheek. She had been given an errand, and on the way home, it started to rain. Like the region’s never-ending plains, the rain, too, was flat. The raindrops, so small they were almost invisible, doused the peaceful fields, and white mist covered the land for as far as she could see. It was a quiet world—she only noticed the ground beneath her feet and the beating of her heart. If she stood still, it felt as though she would be trapped in place forever. It was soft and calm, perfect for a nap—but if she had to be swallowed up, then somewhere else would be better. With this in mind, she quickened her pace. Her skirt might have grown heavy with water and splattered with mud, but that did not concern her. She simply ran and ran. Just as she began feeling as if she was caught in a bad dream, the wooden building appeared out of the mist. The structure was quite old and slanted a bit, but she found the oddity of it appealing. When the two of them had first arrived, the shanty had been unfit for people to live inside, but they worked hard to repair it until she found herself rather attached. Were she to be stuck there for an eternity with no way out, she would not mind. In the end, that slanted roof would collapse on her like a hug, and she even thought that could be wonderful. Picturing it, she smiled faintly. Then, as though her footsteps echoed particularly loudly on this quiet, rainy day, the door to the shanty opened, and out came a person wearing white. Together they had repaired this place, driving in the last nail with their hands intertwined around the same hammer. Seeing him, she lifted her head in happiness and widened her steps. A droplet fell into her mouth, and of course, it was sweet. As though pulled in by the taste, she jumped under the eaves. It was not frightening if she closed her eyes. She knew he would catch her. She leaped into his chest without waiting to catch her breath, declaring, “I’m home.” She could not hear an answer over her ragged breathing and the sound of her heart beating almost painfully in her chest. But that did not matter. She knew he responded in kind. It was only recently that she understood such thoughts were faith. There was no one else in this misty rain. Her eyes still closed, she repeated, “I’m home.”