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The rain still falls, day after day, night after night. That sound of raindrops hitting the pavement echoes through our very souls. Rainy Town has become a stew of gloom and shadows, devoid of all joy. A handful of townsfolk struggle to survive in the bleak conditions, with nowhere else to go or worse - hearts hopelessly pinned here by scraps of faith too painful to fully discard.
I used to be one of those people, but I had given up all hope. Now I wandered the streets, aimlessly, wondering why this fate had befallen us. Why did Hanabi have to leave? What could she possibly be doing that was more important than taking care of us, her people? I felt like a ship without anchor, drifting on an endless sea of despair. My friends and neighbors were gone, either fled or hiding in their homes, too afraid to come out and face the reality of our situation. The rain just kept falling.
One day, as I stood under the awning of what used to be my favorite cafe watching the rain drip from the brim of my hat, a stranger appeared. Her eyes were not of Rainy Town, they didn't have the despair of it. She was a young woman, bedraggled and worn out, though completely ordinary if not for her arrival. Nobody came here anymore. They passed through, sometimes, curious tourists or amateur historians, but never stayed. This girl looked different though; she didn't seem like she was just passing through yet neither did she belong.
She asked about Hanabi, and why everyone seemed so downtrodden. When we told her she was missing, the girl promised she would find her - and tell her of our plight. We all scoffed at the idea, who was this random drifter to make such a claim? The townsfolk were skeptical. We dared not believe it, but faith, that sly mistress, began to creep back into our hearts. Maybe, just maybe, this stranger would find something we hadn't: a glimmer of light in the darkness.
Still others couldn't ignore the whispers. People began returning to Rainy Town, trickling back in ones and twos. I remained skeptical; what could they possibly want here? Our mayor was gone, and without her, our town had no soul. But the newcomers brought with them stories - stories of a girl who'd been seen in nearby towns and villages, spreading hope like wildflowers. They spoke of a wolf girl, telling tales of her kindness and strength, and how she'd inspired others to rebuild their own lives. It couldn't be true... could it?
One morning, as the sun rose over the hill at Rainy Town’s edge, hushed whispers of a figure seen in the distance drove my gaze to it. A figure on the horizon. I saw her standing at the crest, a small woman wearing a backpack and a long traveler's cloak. The sun's rays made it difficult to tell, but I might swear two wolf ears poked out from under the hood... My heart skipped a beat. The shadowy figure stood motionless, silhouetted against the rising sun.
Hope threatened to bloom within me again, but I quashed it. It hurt too much to feel that way, only to be crushed time and time again. That was all I could muster.
The woman turned towards us, and my breath caught in my throat. Her eyes shone with an otherworldly light, like Hanabi's used to when she spoke of her dreams for Rainy Town. The rain slowed to a stop as the sun rose higher, until finally, it ceased altogether. A soft breeze rustled through the trees, carrying promises of salvation. Maybe... just maybe, there was still a future for our town. Perhaps the heavens had not forgotten us after all. I took a step forward, then another, and soon found myself running towards the figure, tears streaming down my face.
The figure turned to me, smiling. She'd come back for us. She’d come back for Rainy Town.
