Wakako recalled a phrase she had once read in a book: “One day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth.” It described how the realm where God resided was so blissful that time passed in the blink of an eye. She didn’t know what that felt like, but she knew that the five days she spent with Miki…
Wakako’s heart pounded violently, each beat sending a dull, relentless ache through her body, a torment as agonizing as being cut to pieces. After a long silence, she said, “Five years ago, it was God who forbade us from running away together, wasn’t it?” She should have realized it sooner. How could God allow the Saint to be with a…
Wakako couldn’t remember how long they had stayed in the water. It was as if she had lost her last memories, not even recalling how they made it back to the shore. All she knew was that the morning sunlight was pouring down, so dazzling that she couldn’t help but open her eyes slightly. She found herself lying in the…
Even though the mudslide had passed, the mountainside remained slick and treacherous. Descending would be dangerous, especially now that night had fallen. The two had no choice but to spend the night on the mountain. Perhaps it would be more than just one night. Wakako headed northwest and found a small stream. The ground here was higher, and a large…
As a child, reading was a difficult and painful task for Wakako. The first time she ever felt any interest was when she came across the scriptures about the Saint. She held those scrolls in her hands, engrossed in them for a long time. Some contained information she already knew from her daily service to the Saint, but other parts…