Malam Habu hurriedly headed toward the entrance of Malam Sani's house, where he spotted a young girl. Even though he knew in his heart that no one else should be there, he recognized her instantly—it was his daughter, Maryama.

When he reached her, he touched her gently, but she flinched and tried to hold back tears. Even in the darkness caused by the storm clouds, she could clearly recognize her father.

"Baba, you’re back?" she asked.

Malam Habu, filled with sympathy, nodded. "Yes, I’m back, Manana." That was the special name he called her—the name of his own mother.

He led her inside, holding her hand. When he greeted the household upon entering, there was no response. The courtyard was empty due to the drizzle that had begun to fall. Without hesitation, he headed to Balaraba’s room, quickening his pace as the rain intensified.

Balaraba was sitting, eating noodles with oil and pepper, holding her little daughter, Safinatu, who was fast asleep in her arms. Her eldest son, Hafiz, sat on the mat beside her, eating his own meal.

Hearing Malam Habu’s greeting, Balaraba looked up and acknowledged him.

"Welcome back, Malam," she said.

Malam Habu smiled. “Ah, Balaraba, so today it’s noodles? I thought you’d be making tuwo, especially since we had leftovers from the morning.”

Balaraba sighed. “Honestly, Malam, I’m tired of making tuwo every day. I decided to switch things up.”

"That’s fine," Malam Habu said as he sat down on the bed. He pulled Maryama closer and said, “Come here and eat before you sleep, okay?”

But Balaraba frowned and snapped, “No way, Malam. She’s not sleeping in this room! She wets the bed. She should take her food and go eat somewhere else. I don’t want her messing up my room.”

Malam Habu shook his head in frustration. "Come on, Balaraba. She’s just a child. How can you keep pushing her away like this?" He saw that Balaraba was still sulking, so he softened his tone. "Okay, fine. She won’t sleep here. But at least let her eat first, please?" He smiled at her, trying to ease the tension.

Balaraba sighed and reluctantly agreed. "Fine," she muttered.

Maryama finished her meal and went to sit by the door of the room where her older siblings slept. She shivered from the cold as the rain poured heavily outside. Their room was already overcrowded, so she curled up near the entrance, trembling from the chill.

Sadiqu, her older brother, peeked out, noticing someone outside. He first thought it might be a thief, but when he got closer, he realized it was Maryama.

"Maryama, go inside and sleep!" he said.

She looked up at him with scared eyes. "I can’t. Balaraba won’t let me sleep in her room, but I’m also scared to sleep alone," she whispered, pointing to an old storage room that was originally their mother’s but had been filled with Balaraba’s belongings.

Sadiqu sighed and took her hand. “Come, you’ll sleep in our room.”

She followed him inside. He pulled an old sack from the corner of the room and spread it out for himself. Then, he found a piece of cloth and laid it on the mat for Maryama.

"Lie down," he said gently.

She obeyed, lowering herself onto the mat. Seeing that she was still shivering, he covered her with another cloth to keep her warm.

Only after she drifted into sleep did Sadiqu finally allow himself to