Hanako's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Hanako crouched behind the glass wall of the greenhouse, watching the forest. Something was moving out there—something large enough to make the trees shake. The vine-creatures inside the greenhouse had gone still an hour ago, their tendrils pulled close to their bodies. They knew. Hanako pressed one flowering hand against the glass and felt the cold seep through. This was different from before. This wasn't someone running away from danger. This was danger coming here, to the one place Hanako had ever felt safe. And no one else knew yet. Then the thing stepped into view between the trees. It was massive, made entirely of stone—boulders stacked into the shape of something alive. Orange eyes glowed in its rocky head. Each footstep left a scatter of pebbles behind, a trail leading straight toward the greenhouse. Hanako stood. The vine-creatures couldn't fight something like that. They'd come here for shelter, just like Hanako had once. The stone creature took another step closer. Hanako moved to the greenhouse door and pushed it open. The cold air hit her face. She stepped outside, putting herself between the creature and the glass walls. Her hands shook as she raised them in the pose she'd practiced a hundred times alone—feet apart, arms crossed, then spread wide. The creature stopped. It stared down at her with those burning eyes. Hanako held the pose, held her ground. This was the moment. Not the one she'd imagined, but maybe the one she needed.