“She’s been humming all evening. At dinner, in the kitchen, in the halls, at her needle. Everywhere.” Rain tinkled like music on the tin roof.

Yoko smiled at her husband. “Can you blame her? It’s not everyday that a handsome suitor comes to the house.”

“She’s been like this all day, then?”

“Well, she’s been a little flaky, the humming this evening, constantly going outside. She does have all the appearances.”

“It must be love!” Kazuo slammed his fist into his open palm.

Yoko laughed softly. “Don’t rush things, my dear. She needs her space.”

Kazuo furrowed his brow. “This is complicated.”

“Shush, here she comes.” Reiko stuck her head in her parents’ room.

“I’ve put Katsu to bed. I’m going to sleep now.” She bowed to them. There was a flush high in her cheeks. “Good night.”

“Good night,” chorused her parents, smiling gently at her. She shut the door behind her. She tiptoed to her grandmother’s room. The old lady was snoring. She continued to Kaoru’s room. She heard her brother muttering. Text books, she knew. Midterms were looming. She glanced down the dark hall. And she had just put Katsu to bed. This was it.

Thunder rolled. She sighed, looking out the living room window, one of the few in the house. Not ideal weather, but it would have to do. She carefully and quietly scooted the low table over to the corner. She climbed up and pulled down a section of ceiling. She glanced around as she removed a bindle. Sensing that she had little time to lose, Reiko quickly replaced the ceiling and then the table.

Reiko stepped outside. The rain came down in sheets. She glanced back, reaching into her bindle. She pulled out her favorite pink hair ribbon. She frowned, but then her face hardened. Sacrifices needed to be made. She carefully placed the ribbon across the door, hoping that it wouldn’t be blown away.

She turned and ran. The road was cobbled, so it was slippery but quick going. The rain and the wind made her shiver, but she kept on. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to her family behind her. The rain washed her tears away. “I just…I have to leave…”

Kaoru’s mother’s hysterical sobbing woke him in the morning. Half awake, he stumbled into the hall. His father held his mother to his chest. His grandmother was his mother’s back. “What’s going on?” he asked blearily.

Katsu stood at the end of the hall, the only one dressed. Waka turned to Kaoru, worry set deep in her eyes. “Reiko is missing.”

Kaoru started. “Missing?”

Yoko broke from her husband and collapsed onto her son. “I went looking for her this morning! I…I thought she might’ve gone for a walk or to pick flowers…And then…and then…” She burst into tears once more.

Kazuo looked at his son seriously and held out a dirty pink ribbon with delicate white embroidery. Kaoru’s eyes widened. “Her favorite…” Katsu ran through the gathering of grown-ups, snatching the pink ribbon and running towards the kitchen.

“Katsu!” called Waka. “Katsu, get back here!”

Kaoru handed his crying mother back to his father. “I’ll get him.” Kaoru went into the kitchen. It was open, and it smelled fresh. It had rained the night before; the world was clean. “Katsu!” the older brother called. “Katsu, where are you?” He stepped into his shoes and started down the back steps into the tall grasses. He couldn’t see below his waist. “Katsu!”

Katsu was too far to hear by now. He had a bag on his back and a ribbon in his hand, crawling furiously towards the road. “Reiko,” he murmured, looking extremely serious for a six year old. “Reiko, I’m a blood hound.”

“KKKAAATTTSSSUUU!!” Kaoru was getting hoarse. His family came out onto the porch.

“Don’t strain yourself, Kaoru,” called Waka to her grandson, who was waist-deep in the middle of the field. “He’s just grieving. He’ll come back when he’s ready.” Kaoru dejectedly returned to the porch. He looked up at them with heavy eyes.

“I have to get ready for work…I’m already late.” He moved past them with his head hung low.

“I’ll start breakfast said Waka, nodding to her daughter before going inside.

“Where is she…?” whispered Yoko. Her husband stroked her back continually, trying to comfort her through his own turmoil. “Where could she have gone? She won’t be safe out there, Kazuo…”

Katsu straightened. The road. At last. He looked both ways. She wouldn’t have gone to the city. She hated the city. He looked up the road the other way. He steeled himself and set off running. “I’m gonna find you, Reiko.”