The narrator wonders how many women have died in the castle since the return of Hayao. He wonders if the women who have entered the castle have crossed over the border into Aizu, and he wonders if they have been killed by the castle's inhabitants. The narrator then wonders aloud if the rope bridge over the river has been used to lure the women into the castle. He imagines that they will find a thud on the bridge, and then he will teach the women a lesson