After taking a moment to realize that what was in front of her was only a mirror...
The old woman slowly calmed her somewhat rapid heartbeat.
Without moving, she simply raised her eyes and saw herself in the mirror.
This face...
She lowered her head again to look at the photo in the pendant.
She looked up...
Then down...
After repeating this several times...
The old woman stared blankly.
She wondered if she had lost the ability to judge...
Even after comparing them like this...
She still couldn't be sure whether the face in the mirror and the face in the photo were the same.
But the one thing she could be sure of was...
Whether she saw the face in the photo or the one in the mirror, both seemed very unfamiliar to her.
The frightening thing was...
The two faces were identical.
Both faces were hers.
"Grandma?"
The old woman's prolonged silence made the two children uneasy and anxious.
The little girl tugged at the old woman's clothes.
"Do you remember now?"
"Grandma?"
The little boy tugged at his grandmother's clothes too.
"Do you remember?"
She didn't want to disappoint the children.
But...
She shook her head.
She didn't want to lie to them either.
Besides...
If she said she remembered...
What if the children asked her something else?
Wouldn't she be found out right away?
Disappointment was plain on the children's faces.
That made the old woman feel even more apologetic.
She opened her mouth.
Before she could say anything, the children were smiling again.
"It's okay."
"It's okay if Grandma doesn't remember."
The children's voices were bright and full of energy.
They really were good children.
The old woman had a very good impression of them.
"I'm sorry..."
She gently