A Few Days Earlier
Somewhere in the mountains, far from the main roads connecting Dawn Island's villages, a small wooden house stood beneath the cover of thick trees.
The building was plain from the outside, with weathered boards, a slanted roof, and a thin trail of smoke rising from the chimney. Nothing about it would have drawn much attention from anyone passing through the area.
Inside, a Den Den Mushi sat on a rough wooden table.
"Pere pere pere... pere pere pere..."
A man sitting nearby looked toward it as the snail continued ringing.
"Pere pere pere..."
He reached over and lifted the receiver.
"Gatcha."
---
Far away, inside High Town, a Goa police officer sat behind a desk in a private office.
Several stacks of paperwork covered one side of the desk, while a window behind him overlooked the clean streets outside. The officer leaned back in his chair with the receiver held against one ear.
"Your man," he said. "I'm releasing him today."
Back in the mountain house, the man holding the Den Den Mushi remained silent.
The officer continued.
"I had to keep him detained for a while for appearances. Half of Foosha Village watched him get handed over. If I released him immediately, people would've started asking questions."
He picked up a sheet of paper from his desk and glanced over it.
"As far as the records are concerned, he was questioned, the case was reviewed, and the evidence wasn't strong enough to justify holding him any longer."
The officer set the paper back down.
"Simple enough."
A short silence followed before he tapped one finger against the desk.
"Now, about my payment."
The Den Den Mushi copied the expression of the man on the other end, its eyes narrowing slightly.
The officer's mouth curled into a faint smile.
"Just send it to the usual location."
He leaned farther back in his chair.
"You know how this works."
Another brief silence passed.
"He's being released today. After that, what he does is your problem."
---
Present Day
Morning had already settled over Namonaki Village.
Broad rice fields stretched across the lowlands beyond the houses, broken by narrow dirt paths and shallow channels of water. Farmers moved between rows of green stalks while others carried freshly cut bundles toward wooden sheds near their homes. Smaller plots closer to the village were filled with vegetables and herbs, some already hanging beneath rooftops to dry.
Wooden carts creaked steadily along the packed dirt roads, most pulled by carabaos. Some carried sacks of rice and baskets of produce, while others carried villagers between the fields and homes.
Near the edge of Namonaki, a carabao waited patiently in front of a small wooden house with a loaded cart behind it.
Several heavy sacks of rice had been secured inside, along with two baskets filled with herbs. Raisa stood beside the cart, pulling firmly on one of the ropes to make sure nothing would shift during the journey.
The door behind her suddenly swung open.
"Grandma!"
Raisa turned just as Kome came running outside.
The six-year-old had been ready for some time. His clothes were already on, a small bag hung crookedly across his shoulder, and the moment he saw the loaded cart waiting for them, his entire face brightened.
"We're really going?"
Raisa laughed softly.
"We're really going."
Kome hurried toward her.
"I'm excited!"
"I know."
Raisa fixed the strap of his bag before giving his shoulder an affectionate squeeze.
"You've been talking about today all week."
Kome grinned.
"I couldn't sleep last night."
"I noticed."
"You did?"
"You came into my room before sunrise and asked if it was morning yet."
Kome paused.
"...It looked like morning."
"It was still dark."
He looked away.
Raisa chuckled and gently patted his back.
"Come on. You've waited long enough."
Kome rushed around the cart and grabbed the wooden side, pulling himself high enough to peer over the sacks.
"We're taking all of this?"
"Every sack."
"To sell?"
"That's right."
Kome stared at the rice.
"What if we sell everything?"
"Then I'll buy you something nice before we come home."
His head snapped toward her.
"Really?"
"Really."
"What kind of thing?"
"That depends on whether you let me finish getting everything ready."
Kome immediately stepped away.
"I won't touch anything."
Raisa raised an eyebrow.
"You were climbing on the rice two seconds ago."
"I won't touch anything anymore."
"Much better."
Kome watched her finish checking the ropes.
"Will we see the castle?"
"If the weather stays clear, you might."
"And the big walls?"
"Those too."
"What about the shops?"
Raisa smiled.
"There are more shops than you'll know what to look at first."
Kome's attention sharpened.
"Do they have sweets?"
"I knew that question was coming."
He immediately climbed onto the cart.
"We should go now."
Raisa laughed.
"You weren't this eager to help me pack."
"I was saving my energy."
"Of course you were."
She climbed onto the front of the cart and looked back at him. Kome was already sitting straight with both hands gripping the wooden side, staring down the road.
This would be his first time traveling beyond Namonaki.
Raisa smiled as she watched him trying to look ahead before the cart had even started moving.
"Ready?"
Kome turned toward her immediately.
"Ready!"
Raisa took hold of the reins.
"Then let's go see what you've been bothering me about all week."
The carabao started forward, and the cart creaked as its wooden wheels began turning.
Kome immediately twisted around.
"We're leaving!"
Raisa glanced back at him.
"We are."
He laughed and leaned over the side as they passed the neighboring houses.
"Grandma, look! We're already past Aunt Mari's!"
"I see her."
Several villagers noticed them as the cart passed.
"Off to trade, Raisa?"
"That's right."
Aunt Mari stepped closer to the road and spotted Kome leaning excitedly over the side.
"Taking Kome with you?"
Before Raisa could answer, Kome called out proudly.
"It's my first time!"
Raisa laughed.
"He hasn't let anyone forget."
Mari smiled.
"Then have fun, Kome."
"I will!"
The cart had only gone a little farther when Mari's expression changed.
"Raisa, wait a moment."
Raisa gently pulled on the reins.
"What is it?"
Mari walked closer while Uncle Benji looked up from his rice field nearby. Hearing them, he set down what he was carrying and made his way toward the road.
"You two are taking the forest road into the kingdom, right?" Mari asked.
Raisa nodded.
"The same route I always take."
Benji stopped beside the cart.
"Be a little more careful this time."
Raisa looked toward him.
"Why?"
"A few people coming through Namonaki have been talking about bandits." He glanced toward the distant mountain. "More of them have been showing up around the forest roads lately."
Mari nodded.
"One of the traders who came through yesterday said he turned around after seeing a group farther ahead."
Kome's excitement faded slightly.
"Bandits?"
Raisa glanced back at him.
"Did anyone get hurt?"
"Not that I've heard," Benji said. "Could just be more of them wandering around than usual, but there's no reason to take chances."
Raisa nodded.
"I'll keep my eyes open."
"And if anything looks wrong, turn around," Mari added. "The rice can wait another day."
"I know."
Kome looked between them.
"Are we still going?"
Raisa reached back and rested a hand against his leg.
"We are. We'll stay on the main road, and I've made this trip plenty of times."
Kome studied her face before nodding.
"Okay."
Mari smiled at him.
"Listen to your grandmother."
"I always do."
Raisa slowly turned toward him.
Kome hesitated.
"...Most of the time."
Benji laughed.
"That's more believable."
Raisa shook her head as she took hold of the reins again.
"We'll be back before tonight."
"Safe trip," Mari said.
Benji raised a hand.
"Keep an eye on the road."
"We will."
The carabao started forward again.
Kome waved enthusiastically as they pulled away.
"Bye!"
Raisa had barely looked forward again when she felt him lean too far over the side. She caught the back of his shirt and pulled him farther into the cart.
"Careful. You can wave without falling out."
"...Right."
Raisa brushed a hand over his hair.
"I'd like to bring my grandson home in the same condition I left with him."
Kome grinned sheepishly.
"I'll be careful."
As they continued through Namonaki, the houses gradually gave way to open rice fields. Morning sunlight reflected across the shallow water between the crops while familiar places slowly passed behind them.
Kome pointed toward one field.
"Grandma, that's Uncle Benji's."
"I know."
"And that's where Mako pushed me into the mud."
Raisa looked back at him.
"You told me you slipped."
Kome went quiet.
"...I remembered what really happened."
Raisa stared at him for a second before laughing.
"How convenient."
Before long, the last houses of Namonaki were well behind them.
Kome turned around and watched the rooftops grow smaller among the rice fields.
After several quiet seconds, Raisa looked back.
"Nervous?"
Kome hesitated.
"A little."
She reached back and rested a hand on his knee.
"That's alright."
He looked toward Namonaki again.
"We're coming back tonight, right?"
"Of course."
Raisa gave his knee a gentle squeeze.
"Your bed isn't going anywhere."
Kome turned forward again.
Ahead, the road disappeared into a thick stretch of forest before curving around the mountain.
He leaned forward slightly as the trees drew closer.
"Grandma?"
"Yes, Kome?"
"Are there big animals in there?"
"Some."
Kome shifted a little closer to the front of the cart.
Raisa noticed.
"We'll stay on the road."
He nodded.
After another moment, his attention returned to more important matters.
"Do you think they'll have coconut sweets?"
Raisa laughed.
"We'll find out together."
The cart continued toward the forest.