The morning sun rose over the small village of Nexus. Sheep were making noise in their shed, demanding to be released for their morning meal. An old woman, hearing the commotion from her hut, stepped outside.
"Mel, go and open the gate," the woman called out.
"Mel? Mel, do you hear me?" she repeated. Suddenly, a shadow leapt down in front of her, startling her.
"Oh, Mel! I've told you not to do such things," she scolded.
"Grandma, don't worry. I'm 15 now," Mel said, flashing a big smile.
"So what? That doesn't mean you can act recklessly," her grandmother retorted.
Mel ignored her and sprinted toward the shed. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" her grandmother shouted.
"Just doing the job you assigned me," Mel replied as she vaulted over the fence and opened the gate. The sheep scattered and eagerly began grazing on the fresh grass.
From a distance, her grandmother sighed, watching Mel. "You're just like your mother, Mel. That's why I'm so worried about you," she murmured as she turned and went back into the hut.
Mel, a spirited 15-year-old, lived with her grandmother in the Fudo village of the Nexus kingdom. She perched on the fence, balancing on one leg, watching the sheep graze.
"No babies are sneaking out of the field. Nice," Mel said proudly.
She shifted her gaze toward the field's entry gate and froze. A sheep was making a break for it.
"Oh no!" she shouted, dashing toward the gate. When she reached it, she saw the lock was broken.
"Oh, I told Grandma to fix this," she muttered. The runaway sheep darted into the storage shed.
"No, you don't!" Mel yelled, chasing after it. She reached the shed's entrance and stepped inside cautiously.
"Whoa! I knew the mulls had a good harvest this year, but this much?" she exclaimed, marveling at the stacked produce. "Okay, little girl, where are you?" she called out, searching for the sheep.
"Mahe! Oh, I see you behind the stack, don't I?" she teased. Mel crept closer to the stack of mulls, hearing faint sounds. Suddenly, the sheep bolted past her.
"What? Hey!" she shouted, turning to follow. "Looks like she was running from something," Mel said, frowning.
From behind the same stack of mulls came a rustling sound. "Huh? Okay, who's there?" Mel shouted. She moved closer, her curiosity and unease growing.
She bent down to peek behind the stack and screamed. Her shriek was so loud that her grandmother heard it from inside the house and came running. She stopped at the shed's gate, her heart pounding, just as Mel emerged.
"What happened, dear? Why did you scream?" her grandmother asked, breathless.
"Oh, Grandma. One of the sheep went into the storage shed, so I went to fetch her. She jumped out at me and startled me, that's all," Mel said with a sheepish grin.
"Kinda? Mel, your scream nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"No, really, it wasn't that bad," Mel insisted.
Her grandmother sighed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Mel, after losing your mother, I can't bear the thought of losing you too."
Mel's expression turned serious. "Grandma, don't worry about me. Nothing is going to happen to me. One day, I'll find my mother." Her voice carried a fierce determination.
"Oh, dear," her grandmother whispered, wiping her eyes. "All right, let's have breakfast. Come inside, dear."
"Right. You go ahead; I'll join you in a few minutes," Mel said. Her grandmother smiled and headed back to the house.
Once alone, Mel let out a deep sigh and stepped back into the shed. "Okay, you can come out now," she said firmly.
"Uhh, thanks," a voice replied. It was Raz, stepping out from behind the stack of mulls.