Morning light filtered through the clear windows, the rays glimmering in the dust in the air. All was peaceful in the empty Mankanshoku household. The children were at school, the father was at a patient's house, and the mother was out selling the vegetables she grew in her small garden. They reasonably assumed that when they returned, their home and the few possessions they had would still be there.
But that was not to be the case....
Sukuyo hummed to herself, happy at today's earnings. She planned out the rest of her day: put the soup to cook, do some of the laundry, and spend time with her family.
What she did not expect was the empty lot where her house used to be.
Sukuyo was not the type of woman to drop everything and shriek. She knew better than that. Instead, she stared at the lot in disbelief. Where did that house go? Who would steal a shabby house? How can an entire house be stolen in a matter of hours? Why theirs? When did this happen? What could she do?
She knew what she had to do. She had to track down the mysterious thief and bring back her family's home and belongings before the end of today. They couldn't sleep exposed to the elements. She stuffed her hard-earned money into her pockets and stood up straight. There was a mystery at hand, and she was the only one she could depend on. Immediately she turned to her neighbor, who was fixing a hole in a sock while sitting on a stool just outer her house.
"Susan!" Sukuyo announced her presence suddenly, and Susan jumped, almost pricking her finger with the needle. She gave her enthusiastic neighbor and annoyed look.
"What is it." It wasn't a question.
Sukuyo crossed her arms and continued looking down at her with a serious frown. "What happened to my house!" It was more of a demand than a question.
Susan glanced briefly at the empty lot and shrugged before returning to her work. "I don't know. I just went outside to get some better light and it was empty."
So it happened before Susan began work on the sock, and mending a whole doesn't take too long if you know what you're doing. Which is what Sukuyo assumes.
"And when was that?"
Susan did another stitch. "Why would I know? I don't check the time whenever I do work."
A reasonable answer. Even a hardworking housewife like herself doesn't check the clock each time she has to step out of the house, but this provided an important clue: whoever this thief was, they couldn't have gotten very far.
"Thank you so much, Susan!" Sukuyo smile and gave her a cheery wave before running down the street in search of anyone who noticed anything unusual that happened the past hour. Even during the early afternoon, some people were milling in their homes, doing housework, resting, and taking care of children. It wasn't the most crowded time of day, but that didn't mean no one was around and no one was paying attention.
A Story for Sukuyo
But that was not to be the case....
Sukuyo hummed to herself, happy at today's earnings. She planned out the rest of her day: put the soup to cook, do some of the laundry, and spend time with her family.
What she did not expect was the empty lot where her house used to be.
Sukuyo was not the type of woman to drop everything and shriek. She knew better than that. Instead, she stared at the lot in disbelief. Where did that house go? Who would steal a shabby house? How can an entire house be stolen in a matter of hours? Why theirs? When did this happen? What could she do?
She knew what she had to do. She had to track down the mysterious thief and bring back her family's home and belongings before the end of today. They couldn't sleep exposed to the elements. She stuffed her hard-earned money into her pockets and stood up straight. There was a mystery at hand, and she was the only one she could depend on. Immediately she turned to her neighbor, who was fixing a hole in a sock while sitting on a stool just outer her house.
"Susan!" Sukuyo announced her presence suddenly, and Susan jumped, almost pricking her finger with the needle. She gave her enthusiastic neighbor and annoyed look.
"What is it." It wasn't a question.
Sukuyo crossed her arms and continued looking down at her with a serious frown. "What happened to my house!" It was more of a demand than a question.
Susan glanced briefly at the empty lot and shrugged before returning to her work. "I don't know. I just went outside to get some better light and it was empty."
So it happened before Susan began work on the sock, and mending a whole doesn't take too long if you know what you're doing. Which is what Sukuyo assumes.
"And when was that?"
Susan did another stitch. "Why would I know? I don't check the time whenever I do work."
A reasonable answer. Even a hardworking housewife like herself doesn't check the clock each time she has to step out of the house, but this provided an important clue: whoever this thief was, they couldn't have gotten very far.
"Thank you so much, Susan!" Sukuyo smile and gave her a cheery wave before running down the street in search of anyone who noticed anything unusual that happened the past hour. Even during the early afternoon, some people were milling in their homes, doing housework, resting, and taking care of children. It wasn't the most crowded time of day, but that didn't mean no one was around and no one was paying attention.
[That's all that's written.]