Return to the Castle

Hana steps quietly out of the house,

her eyes still filled with tears that had turned to crystal.

Her hand in her pocket,

she clutches the tear—now a small, clear stone.

The silence of the forest is like an ancient secret it carries with it.

She walks toward the tall building,

the one where she first traveled by elevator.

Slowly, with steady steps,

she descends and sees the large iron door.

Her hand presses the elevator button.

Click!

The elevator begins to move.

Its metallic tune fills the quiet night.

Hana looks back.

The memories of the forest,

of Pino,

and of her promise, still alive in her heart.

The elevator climbs rapidly from floor to floor.

At each stop, the ticking sounds from within

bring a kind of anxious, melancholic feeling to her chest.

Until finally, it reaches floor 1008.

The elevator doors open.

Hana steps out.

And once again, the castle stands before her.

This time, perhaps she sees it with new eyes.

A new world of spirits,

of life and death.