The aunt on the hospital bed shook the phone in her hand.
"I was on the phone just now."
"Then the child's scream startled me..."
She had been so startled that she nearly flung the phone from her hand.
Fortunately, she reacted in time and held on tight, stopping it from flying away.
Even so, she'd been badly shaken.
At the time, she hadn't had the energy to pay attention to what had happened to the child...
When she looked over a little later, she saw that everything was in disarray...
After that, the old lady had rushed in...
The old lady continued, "None of us saw a mouse in that hospital room."
Perhaps the child herself didn't even know.
The old lady took a deep breath.
The old lady paused.
Who would have thought that the child would come back a few days later...
After all...
The old lady smiled.
"Really?"
As the old lady explained, the others gradually began to understand.
The hospital room was always bustling during the day.
"Watch your foot."
The girl's expression relaxed a little.
"It's not certain there was a mouse in the room."
The nurse's mouth fell open.
The nurse beside her nodded.
"...Strange?"
The puzzled nurse had taken leave and gone home a few days earlier. She'd only returned to work today, so she didn't know what had happened to the child.
The old lady helped the girl adjust her position.
All the patients had made their feelings clear.
"Isn't this much more comfortable?"
This time, she'd broken a bone in her foot.
The mouse had been so close that the child could even see its dirty, gray teeth.
"I know."
She'd been playing hide-and-seek with her friends.
Hearing the doctor say that, the girl immediately raised