Mikoto emerged from the tall grass, still grasping her baby. She came upon a town with medium-sized wood houses and several shops. On every building, the all the window's had been shut. No one was outside, not one soul. A little ways down the street that ran throught the middle, Mikoto saw a house with a sign that said "Shichigatsu residents". Very reluctantly, Mikoto sat her daughter on the top step of the house. She kissed her head one last time, knocked on the door, and disappeared into the tall grass.
"Who's there?" called a shrill voice from the door.
The voice called again, "Whoever it is go away!"
The door cracked very slightly.
Mikoto watched in silence as the door swung wide open to reveal an old lady with grey hair and wearing a brown, battered dress. The old lady gasped at the sight of the baby on the steps.
"Oh my gracious! It's a baby! Pa! Pa! C'mere! Look, it's a baby!" she called back into the house.
"What's that?" said another voice. Taking very loud thumps, and old, white-haired man stepped out scratching his head. He looked down and gawked at the sight.
"Oh dear...would ya look at that..." he said.
The old woman picked up the baby and cradled it in her hands.
"What you s'pose we do with it, Ma?" Pa said peering at its face.
"What do you mean "What do we do with it?"? We're gonna keep it a'course!" Ma yelled at him.
The loudedness of the yell caused the baby to cry.
"Oh dear..." Ma said tenderly, "You must be hungry...here, let me take you inside for some food."
Ma turned around and took the baby inside. Pa started mumbling to himself.
Several feet away, Mikoto watched the old man start walking back to the house. She took a step back and cracked a twig. Pa looked directly at the source of the noise. Mikoto instintively ducked down to where she could not be seen. The old man still searched for the noise, but quickly gave up and went inside.
Mikoto sighed, and turned back to meet up with Warui.
Tears began rolling down her cheeks.
