At last, a shadow of a person appeared beyond.

His heart pounded. He quickened his steps and finally reached the person.

But there he stopped.

The thread was cut—at that person’s feet. It had clearly once been a single continuous thread, but now it was severed.

I should tie that up, he thought, and stepped forward again. But before he reached it, someone grabbed the end of the thread and wound it around their finger.

He froze. While he muttered helplessly, the person who had originally stood there stepped back a pace. That person seemed to smile—a gentle, warm smile, but one tinged with a bit of bitterness. It hurt his heart.

Step by step, the person retreated slowly, then suddenly turned and walked away with slow but resolute steps.