"Mother!"
"Come, my child," a distant voice echoed in the dark.
"Mother, where are you?" Mia asked, panting, turning around in search of the direction the voice was calling from. After a few minutes of searching, she became exhausted, falling to her feet while gasping for air. Her throat felt dry as if all the liquid in her had been drained.
Soon, she heard distant footsteps. Placing her ears to the ground to pinpoint the source, she shut her eyes, focusing on her hearing. "I am here, child," the voice came again, closer this time. Mia opened her eyes and saw a flickering flame, presumably from a lamp. She rose to her feet and pursued it, but the more she ran, the further it distanced itself. Exhausted, she fell to the ground, feeling no pain upon impact.
