[A question to ponder indeed! The idea that they might be passing through a living realm has, so far, only been at the periphery of Frieda's mind. Are they haunting this world rather than inhabiting it?

Hanako calling out puts a faint smile on her face, and she joins him as they start walking inland through the tall reeds:]

We're new arrivals from the village on stilts! Is anybody here?

[With silence remaining their only response, her hope starts to dissolve... and an unpleasant odour only adds to that.]

It smells so strongly of fish here...

[Rotting fish, no less! But just as she wants to formulate a suspicion that someone or something must have feasted on their catch and left the remains to decay on land, she steps on a treacherous patch of swamp grass and slips. Letting out a startled cry, she just barely manages to regain her balance on the slippery, muddy ground.]

Goodness..!! I don't want to have to wash my dress again!