Black Swan Wonderland

Puzzle

Halo Twenty-Two: Puzzle:

Mikado found Noriko standing alone in a playground. She was stood near the swings staring out into space. Something was about her felt off. He started taking slower steps towards her.

"Ishikawa?" Mikado asked. The girl turned her head. Mikado hesitated at first. He could see nothing in her eyes. Her face reminded him of a crudely stitched together rag doll. A small smile spread across her face.

"Mikado-kun!" Noriko said. The tadpole boy took a step back.

"Are you... Ishikawa?" he asked. They both stood in silence for a moment. Noriko only had on a long white nightgown. She didn't have any shoes on her feet. Her vacant stare put him off. It was then he noticed her arms.

"Are you... cutting again?" he asked. The tadpole paused. This whole set up felt familiar. Same location and same dialogue. Noriko looked down at her arms. She saw the fresh cuts all over the skin. Mikado also noticed the cuts were on her legs too. The girl didn't say anything.

"Ishikawa, what is going on here? Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. There was no emotion in her voice. Mikado didn't look so convinced.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked. Noriko shook her head. Was she high or under a spell? Mikado didn't like the answer to either one. He slowly walked over to her.

"Let's get you home, okay?" the tadpole said. Mikado reached out for her arm but she pulled away.

"I have a riddle for you," Noriko said out of the blue. The tadpole gave her a strange look.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. That calm look on her face gave him the creeps. Noriko acted like she didn't hear him.

"I was out walking earlier today when I heard a woman scream loudly," she began. "This startled me. So I ran to the place where I heard the scream come from. And I saw a woman sitting on the ground in front of a large iron block about two meters in length and two meters in width and very thick."

"Okay, where are you going with this?" Mikado asked.

"I tried talking to the woman but she was just too stunned to talk," Noriko went on. "A man dressed in construction worker's clothes came up to me and explained what happened. It seemed like the iron had been dropped to the ground while they were working. Thankfully, it looked like nobody got hurt. The woman had just fallen over due to shock. But I must admit I felt shivers run through me as I looked at the large metal block on top of the red tiles."

"What are you talking about?" the tadpole boy asked?"

"I went home after that but in the late afternoon before the sunset I visited the scene of the accident again. The block was still there probably due to its very heavy weight and the fact that they couldn't move it yet," the girl said in the same rhythm as before. "The area was cordoned off with a security guard standing in front of it. The woman who I had seen earlier was still there. I went over to talk to her what happened. 'Earlier must have been quite shocking.'" Mikado waved his hand in front of her face.

"Are you listening to me?" he asked. Her face came within inches of his.

"The woman replied, 'Yes, I was quite shocked especially when I heard the scream,'" Noriko said in a low voice. Mikado narrowed his eyes as it clicked in his brain.

"Did the person behind her get crushed to death?" he asked.

"Ding-ding!" Noriko chirped. What was with the sudden mood swing? One moment she had no emotion on her face and now she perked up.