"Home is the best, after all.” Sister Soso yawned and stretched languidly. Ju-gyeong, seeming tired, burrowed into the blankets and fell fast asleep.
It was no wonder he was so sleepy, having wandered around in the cold weather and eaten his fill of this and that. I sat beside the bed and playfully patted Ju-gyeong's chubby, rosy cheeks before pulling the blanket up to his neck. When I opened the water bucket to fill the empty kettle, I found it was empty.
"I'll go get some water." "I'll go with you." I went to the kitchen and took out several large water buckets with lids.
Just like when we were young, my sister and I left the house together, happily carrying the buckets. After walking a short distance along the foot of the mountain, a small well appeared. My sister's face lit up like a child's. “This well is still here?”
In a hometown that had changed beyond recognition, seeing a familiar sight from the past was always a welcome feeling. I opened the wooden lid and threw the bucket into the well. Perhaps because the water came down from the mountain, the well water didn't freeze even in the dead of winter.
The bucket slapped the surface of the water and slowly sank. Standing close to the waist-high well, my sister peered inside and asked. “Do you remember when we were kids?