Emmy crouched over the steaming clay pot on the charcoal stove.
The aroma of cooking rice mixed with the scent of dry wood and thin smoke curling into the evening air.
The rural village around her was quiet. Crickets sang in harmony with the whispering wind, filling the air with a gentle, soothing rhythm.
She was the only one awake in her family, busy with chores in the fields, yet her mind drifted far away.
Her eyes reflected the flames dancing on the stove… and within them, she sometimes saw a strange flicker.
A golden light shimmering as if it belonged to another world.
"Is this… real?" she whispered, reaching out her hand toward the flame.
It flared in response, almost like acknowledging her call, and within its glow, she saw a faint silhouette — someone from a world she had never known.
Emmy's heart raced.
The warmth of her simple rural life intertwined with the mysterious light, filling her with both hope and wonder.