Akio no Oni – Akio’s Demon
One Week
All schools had stories. Silly cautionary tales passed down through the generations to scare the underclass men, the new kids, the guppies. From dead girls that haunt the bathrooms. To a vengeful spirit that wanders around the courtyard. Or even a demon that occupies an unfrequented part of the campus. No matter where you were in the world, it’s more than likely you’ve heard one of these stories. But most aren’t true. They’re just cautionary tales. Things to scare. To intrigue. To keep things interesting. To explain some strange sightings and rumours. That’s all they are. Right?
Akio’s school had plenty of these stories. Most schools in Japan had at least one of these stories. And at Akio’s small school in a small town located just outside Hiroto, Ibaraki, you could hear any number of these stories.
A boy who could grant wishes located in the first floor boys locker room, but only if you followed through on one of his requests. A dog who would spread the trash everywhere if you didn’t close the bins properly, causing you to get in trouble. Twin spirits that tease people from the Konara tree in the courtyard. A spirit that requests candy in return for not causing havoc. Dust mites that steal small items from people when they’re not looking. And many more.
Akio had never believed any of these stories. There were far too many of them and they were all so mundane. His friend Yukio had never believed them either, saying they were probably just stupid rumours spread by some of the teachers to keep students out of trouble.
“To make sure you clean up properly and stay away from messing with school property.” He said one day in morning gym class, waving his hands near his face as he rolled his eyes. Then he’d yawned and left to hide in the stairwell to sleep.
Most days, as Akio wandered around the building, he heard someone whisper about one of these stories. At least once almost every day, someone in a hushed voice would insist they had a true story to tell about one of these tales. People who swear they ran into a ghost in the stairwell. People who have “seen” weird activity on the roof in the evening. Akio always just rolled his eyes and continued on his way. Then at dinner he’d tell his mother about all the silly things people were saying in school that day.
“Maybe they are true. You never know, Akio.” Then she wiggled her fingers at him with a mischievous smile, making him laugh.
“Yeah right. As if any of those silly stories are true. They’re all so boring.”
“Maybe you just haven’t heard any of the scary ones yet. Now those,” she said, pointing her chopsticks at the table for emphasis. “Those are real.”
Akio had just rolled his eyes and continued eating.
That was last night. His most recent night of complaints about school. Now he stands in the courtyard, waiting for Yukio to show up before heading to class. He’d already put his stuff away, bag and uniform blazer sitting at his desk, shoes in their cubby. Now he just needed his friend. His late friend who probably overslept again.
Akio looked down at his watch, tapping his foot impatiently. People milled about, chatting before the school day started. Some studied, others just talked. A few even played around with a soccer ball in the hallway across from Akio, the shoe cubbies separating them. Past the soccer players and cubbies sit the front doors to the school. The not so busy main road beyond those. And on the other side of all that, racing up the side road across from the school was Yukio, blazer and bag flying around him as he raced towards the building.
The front doors slammed open, scaring the soccer players. Then they began to laugh when they saw it was just Yukio. He brushed them off, paying them no mind as he kicked his shoes off, replacing them with the white slip ons used around the school building. He pushed a pair of thick red framed glasses up his nose.
“Someone’s late . . . Again.” Akio sidled up next to Yukio, leaning against the cubbies. He glared at Akio.
“Shut up. I was actually up late last night studying for our science quiz today.” He tossed his blazer on and they made their way to the classroom.
“Right. Sure you were.”
“I was. I swear. I woke up with textbook pages plastered to my face from the drool.” “Gross man.” Akio laughed as they entered and Yukio placed his stuff on the desk next to Akio’s. “It’s true. I thought that when I peeled them off I would have molecules marking up my cheek.” He pointed to his cheek where no ink sat and Akio laughed again.
“What’s so funny?”
Akio and Yukio turned as their friend, Junko, appeared next to them. She placed her hands on the boys desks, swinging her legs slightly as she raised herself up.
“Dummy here was late to school again. And he swears it was because he stayed up late studying.” Akio said, waving his hands around.
“I did!” Yukio said, exasperated.
Junko laughed. “I have a hard time believing that, Yu.”
Yukio huffed and sat dramatically in his seat. “I swear I was studying.” He mumbled. He pulled out his notebooks for class, ignoring his friends.
“Soooo. . .” Junko stopped swinging and kneeled down next to Akio’s desk, arms crossed on the top. “Did you hear about the new ghost on campus?”
Akio rolled his eyes and began to unpack his own things. “What did the teachers come up with now? A bunny that walks on the ceiling or something?”
Junko shook her head. “I don’t think this one’s all that fake.” Junko knew everything there was to know about this school. All the ghost stories, drama, hide outs. All of it. And she knew everyone. Had a way of getting into every friend group. She heard and knew all.
“Why?”
“Well.” She looked up at the blackboard, at the surrounding classroom with few students and no teacher. Then she leaned in and lowered her voice so much that Akio also had to lean in just to hear her. “I’ve heard this one . . . Has killed people.”
“What?!”
“Shhh!” Junko waved her hands up and down and Akio shut his mouth. She glared at him then looked around again.
“Have you heard any wind chimes coming from the abandoned floor upstairs?”
Akio thought for a second then nodded. Every few weeks he heard the tinkling of wind chimes come from the top floor of the school, the one just above his classroom. He always figured it was just an old one left when they left that floor after a reckless student had dropped multiple beakers filled with chemicals all over the place. They cleaned them up but no one ever wanted to go back up there, so now it’s all boarded up and unused.
“Well. I’ve heard that every time those chimes ring, it’s actually a demon consuming someone.” “Then why have we never heard of someone going missing?”
“Because. . . It erases all evidence of you. Poof, gone.” Junko splayed her hands out to imitate a puff of smoke. “Like you never existed. No one remembers you. You disappear.”
A jolt ran down Akio’s spine and goosebumps covered his arms in cold sheets as the teacher entered the classroom. Junko stood up and walked away to her seat at the front of the class. “Ohayou class!” The teacher said with a large smile as she placed her things on the podium at the front of the class. Everyone smiled back, greeting her in turn. Akio stayed silent, thinking about the supposed demon living right above his head.
Five Days
Two days after learning this new story, while Akio was taking out his class’s trash at the end of the day, he’d overheard some girls on one of the second floor balconies talking about the demon. “I hear it showed up when the top floor was abandoned.” Said girl one as she sweeped the balcony. “Do you think it would leave if we started using those classrooms again?” Said the second girl, who was holding a dustpan but not doing anything.
The first girl shook her head. “I don’t think anyone would want to use that floor again anyway. It’s supposed to be super dusty and gross now. The teachers would probably make us clean it up too.” “Ha. Yeah. Like as extra credit or something.”
They laughed as Akio went back inside.
Junko and Yukio were wiping down the blackboard when he came back, clearly unsteady.
“Woah. What’s wrong with you?” Yukio said, looking over Akio.
“Junko?”
“Yeah?” She said, confused.
“When did you learn about the demon upstairs?”
“There’s a demon upstairs?” Yukio said, disgusted. He never believed any of the stories. Even scary ones from other schools.
But the scary ones had never sat right with Akio. Some of the ones he’d heard from his mother were unsettling and far too detailed to be fake.
“Yeah.” Junko said, pushing Yukio aside. He huffed and continued cleaning the blackboard. “I heard about it a week ago. Why?”
“How long do you think it’s been around?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Some say it’s new. Others say it’s been around since we stopped using that floor.”
“That was years ago though. Why would we only be hearing about it now?”
“Because all the past victims were erased, Akio. They vanished and were then promptly forgotten.” “None escaped? No one did a quick look around then came back to tell people what they saw?” She shook her head. “No. The demon gets you before you can escape. Maybe that’s why it took so long. But I don’t know much else.” She turned back to the blackboard. “It’s hard to hear about something when there’s no survivors.”
“Then how do you know about it?”
Junko opened her mouth, then stopped. She looked over Akio’s shoulder, thinking. “I’m not sure. . .”
“What?”
She looked back at him, concerned. “I don’t know. I’m sure I heard it from someone. I just . . . I can’t remember who told me.” She turned back to the board, but didn’t raise her arms to keep cleaning. Junko always knew everything, everyone, heard and knew all. How could she not remember who told her?
Two Days
Akio spent the next two days researching demons. He’d wanted to know if there were any that could do what Junko had said. He’d found demons from all different religions. Different regions. Story upon story upon story. Forest demons. Soul eating demons. Even toilet demons. But nothing like what Junko had mentioned.
He’d begun to lose hope. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe it was just another stupid story. One the teachers had made up to keep people from going into the abandoned classrooms. “Come on dude. It has to be made up.” Yukio said over the phone, his voice tired and annoyed under the static. Akio had called Yukio during one of his many research sprees. He needed second opinions. “Although. I will admit. I don’t think the teachers would have made something like this up. It would damage the school. It was probably another student. A third year looking to cause trouble and scare a few of us first years.”
“Maybe. . .” Akio sighed as he closed his computer. His eyes hurt from the strain of staring intensely at the screen for three hours straight. He’d done some homework first, then gave up halfway through when his questions about the demon began to eat at him again.
“Did Junko give you anything else on this demon?” Akio could tell Yukio had used air quotes when saying “demon”, even if he couldn’t see his friend.
Akio shook his head, then remembered Yukio couldn’t see him. “No. All she said was that it lives on the top floor in the abandoned classrooms, and that when it gets you everyone else hears wind chimes and you’re erased from this world and everyone’s memories.”
“Damn. That’s a messed up way to die.”
Akio hummed in response. “Yeah.”
“Akio! Time for dinner!”
“Okay Mom. Be down in one second! I gotta go man.”
“Alright. Tell your mom I said hi and that I’ll be over for dinner with my mom on Friday.” “Alright. See ya tomorrow in class.”
“Yeah. See ya.”
Akio hung up the phone, then padded down the stairs to the kitchen where his mom was placing plates of food on the table between their dining plates.
“Yukio says hi.”
“Hello.” She smiled as she grabbed their drinks. “Are he and his mother able to come to dinner on Friday?”
Akio nodded as he took his seat at the table.
“Oh good. I’m excited.”
Akio hummed in response, then clapped his hands together once his mother sat down. “Itadakimasu.” Then he began to pile his plate with food. He hadn’t had as much to eat at lunch as he usually did. He’d felt unwell after science. His teacher had decided it was okay to talk about dissection in vivid detail right before everyone was supposed to eat.
“Someone’s hungry.” His mother gave her thanks, then began to pile her own plate. “Did you not eat lunch?”
Akio shook his head. He couldn’t speak. His mouth was full of food. His mother laughed. “Any new ghost stories?”
Akio froze mid bite, and the noodles slipped from his chopsticks slowly. “Well, um, actually, yes.”
“Really? What’s this one? As silly as the rest?”
Akio shook his head and put his food down, and placed his chopsticks aside. His mother gave him a slightly worried look as he began to rub his hands in his lap.
“Junko told me a story last Friday that kind of unnerved me.”
“Really? What was it?” His mother placed her own chopsticks aside, watching Akio closely. “It was before class and her, Yukio, and I were just chatting when she started to whisper about a demon in the abandoned classrooms. Saying that the wind chimes we hear sometimes were actually the demon’s attacks. And that when you get caught by it, you’re forgotten. Completely erased from this world and everyone’s memories.”
“Oh my.” His mother shifted in her seat, uneasy. “I can understand why you’re uneasy about that one. Not so fun and silly, huh?”
Akio shook his head and picked his chopsticks back up. His mother watched him for a moment then picked up her own.
“Do you believe her?”
“What?”
“Do you believe her?” His mother says, more adamant this time.
Akio shrugged. He wasn’t sure. All the stories were stupid. Spirits? Ghosts? Ghouls and demons? It was all preposterous. All fake. But this one unsettled him greatly for some reason. A reason he wasn’t sure he could place. Perhaps it was because it was the first serious ghost story of his school. Maybe it was because it was rumoured people had died. And not only died, but was erased completely. A gruesome horrific death no one should have. Maybe he did believe it. Some of it. Maybe he didn’t. He didn’t know. All he knew was that anytime he thought about it his mouth got a sour taste and his stomach rolled.
“I don’t know.”
—
“You seem off, honey.”
Akio looked up from the tv set. It had been playing commercials for the past minute but he hadn’t been paying attention. He’d been staring off into space, arms crossed and eyebrows pulled close together. “Huh? Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” His mother walked over and sat down next to him on the couch. She had a glass cup and washcloth in her hands from doing the dishes. “That ghost story Junko told you seems to have shaken you a bit.”
“Oh. I suppose.”
They’re silent for a moment. His mother got up but he stopped her with a quiet “wait”. “Do you really believe in this stuff?” Akio said, wearily.
“Which stuff?”
“Demons. Spirits. Gods. All of it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Akio had never been able to understand any of it. All powerful beings nobody can actually see that control all these completely random and natural aspects of life? Nonsense. But no he wasn’t so sure.
There was something about this story that was just too real, too offputting. It made his spine tingle and stomach hurt. It made him dizzy and queasy. But a demon that makes people completely disappear? That’s not possible.
But if it was real, maybe all that other stuff is too. And who was to say that it was only his mother’s gods and spirits? How did Akio know it was only them? What about all those other ones he’s heard about? Greek, Christian, Hindu, Judaism, and hundreds of others? What if they all existed together? What if it’s only one? Which one? Who is right and who is wrong? It was too much. Too much. It hurt his head, made him feel like the room was spinning. Like some of the things around him weren’t real, as if they would suddenly start disappearing. As he could turn and see there was never a coffee table in front of the tv set or that the backdoor didn’t lead to a garden filled with green trees. If this thing he thought for ages wasn’t real suddenly was, who’s to say it’s not the other way for a ton of things in his life? He couldn’t handle it.
His mother looked at him. Watched as his eyes had become distant yet desperate. He was overwhelmed. She couldn’t bury him in all she knew, even if she believed she knew very little. To someone she knew struggled with it all, what she knew was a lot.
“Why?” She shrugged and smiled gently at Akio. “I don’t know. But I trust them.”
How can you trust in something you can’t know is real?
The Night Before
The ceiling above Akio’s bed was dark. A thin light from the streetlight outside hung against the wall across from his bed, but it didn’t reach the space just above his head. The only sounds in his ears were the tick tick ticking of the clock on his wall and the wind shaking the tree outside his window. And every few minutes, the wind chimes outside his window on the side of his neighbours house would ring, reminding him of the demon in his school. He was sure it was just the wind though. It couldn’t be people disappearing right? He guessed he had no way of knowing for sure though.
Akio had made the stupid decision of researching demons again just before bed. He’d learned about shadow demons, and it had taken all his might not to go looking for the nightlight he’d stopped using ten years ago. Now he sat in the dark, surrounded by shadows, his mind a playground full of scary children, each with their own horrible story to tell.
“The demons are going to fall from the ceiling onto your bed.”
“They’re hiding under you, waiting for you to step down.”
“There’s one in your closet. He’s watching you through the crack.”
“Shut up!” He’d wanted to say. “Shut up and let me sleep. There’s no demon. There’s no such thing as spirits!” He’d always believed it was silly. Spirits and demons and gods and such. Everyone around him had always talked about the many religions in the world, and more specifically the ones in Japan. How they were an integral part of life. They’d explained to him all the things he does daily, almost naturally, that are actually part of old religious practices. But he’d never believed any of the stories about the gods. About spirits and demons.
Ebisu didn’t control your luck in trade. There was no such thing as luck. Only chance and coincidence. Bishamonten didn’t protect warriors in battle or start wars. Nothing could do that. Armour barely helped. Benzaiten didn’t influence your love life. Only you could.
Akio had always had a hard time with all of that. But now . . . Now he wasn’t so sure. As he sat in his dark room, wondering about the shadows covering his walls, he thought maybe, perhaps just maybe, there really was a demon in his school. And if that was true, then who was to say the shadow demons weren’t also real?
Decided, Akio slowly inched his way to the edge of his bed, to his low rise dresser where he’d placed his phone before bed. Quickly, he turned on its tiny flash and shined it around the room, making sure to touch every corner and crevice. Then he hung off the bed, shining it around underneath. Nothing. No demons. No spirits. Maybe he was wrong.
Nevertheless, he made his way into the hall. His room was located upstairs, and directly across from his mothers. So he had to be extra quiet. He didn’t want to explain to his mother why her 16 year old son was sneaking around looking for a nightlight he hasn’t used since he was six.
He made his way down stairs towards the closet at the back of the house where all their old stuff was stored. The nightlight was sure to be in there somewhere. Unless his mother threw it out. He hoped not. Because then he’d have to buy one at the store tomorrow. Maybe he could lie and say he had a younger sibling and was buying it for them? No. He’d just have to find the one here.
Boxes filled the back closet. Big boxes. Small boxes. Boxes filled with tangled wires and cords. Boxes full of photo albums. Stuffed toys and playing cards. Cleaning supplies and old birthday cards. And . . . Aha! Akio’s nightlight.
Akio, smiling stupidly, raced back upstairs, plugged in the nightlight, and fell asleep. Calmer than he’d been before. Pinks and purples danced along his ceiling. Keeping the evil spirits at bay.
Morning Of
The next morning, Akio asked his mother for a few dollars to buy some breakfast on the way to school. He had to leave early to stop by some stores before school.
He’d come up with a plan while falling asleep to see if there was actually a demon living in his school. He’d buy a flashlight, pray to some of the gods just in case – and maybe ask for some forgiveness – then check out the abandoned classrooms before class started in the morning.
Akio made it to the nearby convenience store and bought a flashlight, some chips for later, and a vegetable onigiri for breakfast. He hadn’t been lying to his mother. He still needed breakfast. Then he stopped by one of the oteras near his school. He hadn’t been there for a few years – almost ten – so he’d gotten lost trying to find it. Then, after about ten minutes of searching the nearby area, he found some steps built into the wall on the side of the road, trees and bushes covered some of it from view. At the top of the steps sat a sanmon, kongourikishi flanking either side, beckoning you in. Once he’d made it up the steps, he had to ask somebody for more directions. He didn’t know where to go, or who to pray to. Sadly, nobody was in clear sight. The only things visible were the surrounding buildings, a few trees, and a temizuya at the back across from the steps.
It was calm there. Peaceful. Akio could understand why people liked visiting these places. Perhaps he could try a bit harder. Maybe if he tried a bit harder – and got down to the bottom of this whole demon mystery – he could learn to appreciate all of this stuff better. The otera. The prayers. The peace and quiet. Maybe join his mother on some of her shrine visits. New years and other holidays. Maybe a god would even help him out once in a while. On his exams at the very least, he’d hoped.
In the midst of the cool wind and rustling of tree leaves, Akio could hear a faint repetitive thump coming from his left, just beyond one of the otera walls. Curious – and hoping it was someone who could guide him – he’d made his way into the building, kicking his shoes off at the entrance.
Just beyond the left side of the building, was a small semi enclosed archery arena, where a young boy, no older than Akio, was practising kyūdō. The boy stood still, watching the unmoving, low hanging target a few metres away. Then he raised his bow, knocked his arrow, took a deep breath and let the arrow fly. It hits its target.
Akio, stunned and in awe, clapped for the boy, startling him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Akio bowed slightly, worried the boy was mad at him. But when he looked back up, the boy was only watching him curiously, still in the ready position. “Why’re you here?” He asked.
“Oh. Well. You see, I came to pray and ask for some luck today, but I haven’t been here in almost ten years, so I was looking for somebody to help me out.”
The boy watched Akio for a moment, then he made his way to the back of the arena, going through a complex series of motions Akio assumed were necessary when practising and leaving the arena. The boy stepped out of the arena to stand next to Akio. He watched Akio for a moment, face unmoving. He unsettled Akio slightly. He showed little emotion, and didn’t speak. Then the boy turned and walked down the hall Akio had come from.
“Follow me.”
Akio followed, and the boy led him out to the temizuya. He pointed to it and said flatly, “Follow my lead.”
The boy picked up one of the long wooden ladles, scooped up some water and deposited it in his left hand, letting the water dribble through his fingers. Akio quickly followed him. Then they did the right hand. Then the boy raised his left hand with water to his lips, took a sip, and spit it out. Akio followed, slightly confused, but intrigued. Then the left hand again.
Beside the temizuya sat a small offering box. The boy dropped a coin into the box. Akio dropped one in as well. He’d expected he’d have to use the bills his mother gave him. He’s lucky he doesn’t clean his pockets.
The boy then pointed to two thick ropes and pulled on one, ringing a bell Akio hadn’t seen sitting above them. He pulled the other rope. The boy looked at Akio and clapped his hands together. “Now make your wish.”
“Right!”
“Quietly.”
Akio nodded and clapped, then shut his eyes tight. He pleaded with whatever gods would hear him. Asked for their forgiveness. Apologised for not believing in them. Asked for them to keep him safe from the demon. He had a strange and sudden sinking feeling they would not. Perhaps he didn’t have enough trust. From them? For them? Maybe both.
“Have you made your wish?”
Akio nodded and opened his eyes, dropping his arms. The boy nodded, then bowed, deeply. Akio copied him. Then the boy nodded again and turned to leave.
“Thank you!” Akio called after him. The boy merely waved a hand over his shoulder. “It was nice to meet you. My name’s Yasuda Akio.”
The boy stopped before the otera’s entrance. “Mochizuki Ena.” Then he disappeared into the building.
Oh. That was Yukio’s cousin.
—
Akio raced into the school building, throwing his shoes and bag about, not dissimilar to how Yukio had the week before. Everybody had already made it to their classes, no one was left in the halls. Akio burst into the classroom, out of breath. Everyone turned to him. There was no teacher yet. Thank the gods. He dropped his stuff down at his desk, breathing heavily. Yukio turned to look up at him from where he lay at his desk.
“Somebody’s late.” He said through a yawn.
“Yeah yeah yeah. Shut up.”
“Where were you?”
“I stopped by the otera. I didn’t know your cousin trains there.”
“What? Oh, yeah. He started training there this year. His high school doesn’t have an archery team.” Yukio dropped his head into his arms. A moment passed, then his head shot up again. “Wait a minute. Why were you at the otera? You don’t believe in that stuff.”
“I’ve had a change in heart-“
“What?”
“I’m going upstairs to check to see if this demon is really a thing. And I thought, maybe praying to a few gods wouldn’t hurt.”
“You’re insane. None of that’s real.”
“How do we know?”
“Because . . . it’s all just fake. I’m too tired for this.” He shoved his head back into his arms. “You’re too much in the mornings sometimes. Don’t die while you’re up there.” He waved one of his arms, but didn’t raise his head up again.
Akio scoffed a laugh, then grabbed his flash light and headed upstairs.
The Encounter
The stairwell to the abandoned classrooms was located on the far east side of the building. The complete opposite side of where Akio was. Quickly, he made his way across the building, ducking his head down when a teacher passed by. There were few enough students at the school that Akio would be recognised. Maybe not by name, but enough so to know that he shouldn’t be near the classrooms on the opposite end of the building.
The stairwell was tucked behind a small sitting area, a few vending machines against the railings, blocking it from view. A large bookcase with no books sat in front of the steps, the vending machines lining up at the corner, a makeshift blockade made to keep students from going up the stairs to the top floor.
There was a small space between the shelf and the machines where the railing jutted out. Akio reached for the top of the bookshelf, placing a foot on the top of the railing. With a grunt and some effort, Akio hoisted himself up onto the top of the vending machine next to him. He looked down at where he’d been standing a second ago, then down the hall to make sure no one was watching. With a deep breath, Akio swung his legs over the side and hopped down, making his way up the stairs to the abandoned classrooms beyond.
The top floor was dark. The windows were boarded up, only thin slivers of the morning light outside slipping through to draw dancing lines on the dirt and dust covered floor. Wires hung from the ceiling and light fixtures. Classrooms lined either side of the hall further down in the building. Occasionally, the walls of a class would disappear and the boarded windows leading to the courtyard below appeared. Branches and vines from the Konara tree reached through with desperate fingers, leaves dancing in the breeze.
Akio shined his flashlight around, illuminating broken glass, dirt and stones, and wooden boards. Even though they had cleaned up the chemicals, those first couple of weeks where people were hesitant to come back up here students had decided it would be a fun place to hang out, to break things and do stupid activities. Until they got bored two months later. Now no one comes up here. Or, at least, Akio had thought no one had come up here.
Akio made his way to the hallway above the one with his own classroom. He could hear people shouting and laughing below him, and could hear teachers in other classrooms trying to quiet their students down. Besides the sounds below him, Akio had lost almost all his other senses. It was too dark to see anything, and the flashlight he’d bought that morning wasn’t doing much. There was no smell either. Just the bland stuffiness that comes with abandoned places.
The classes below him finally quieted down, leaving Akio in silence. He looked around for a moment, unsure of what to do now. Was there really a demon? If there was, wouldn’t it have attacked him by now? Or was it waiting for him to leave?
Akio turned around, scanning everything surrounding him. Nothing. He was about to turn back, defeated and relieved, when something scraped behind him. His nerves stood, his hair rose. An involuntary reaction to something definitely dangerous.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Or flight?
Which do you choose when you hear something in the dark scraping towards you. Drawing closer and closer. But Akio had just come from that way, and seen nothing. His flashlight hadn’t bounced off anything that could make a scraping sound. You’d begin to feel a little deranged wouldn’t you? Or, at least, he did. There had been nothing there. Now, with his back turned to where he’d come from, he felt every fibre in his body stand on end.
Fight or flight? Fight or flight?
Fight, right? Whatever it was couldn’t be that bad, right? It was just a silly sound coming from the hallway leading to the abandoned classrooms on the top floor of Akio’s school, nothing to worry about . . . right?
The hallway contained no windows, just closed sliding doors that squealed when moved. Even if he turned around to look, there was not enough light to see what was there. Maybe his flashlight could show him something – maybe it was just a small animal and he was overreacting – but it didn’t work well. It was the only light and yet barely a light at all. There were no windows on the classroom walls facing the hallway, the ones on the other floors were new, added in only three years ago. The only light in the hallway was the one from Akio’s flashlight. A shitty convenience store flashlight.
It flickered as he turned to face where he’d just come from, the two dollar flashlight sensitive to movement. He really should have bought the ten dollar one. Before he’d left for the stairs he’d told Yukio to tell the teacher he’d be right back. Maybe if he ran he could make it back and get a late slip. Yukio had either told the teacher by now or had fallen asleep.
Akio had just been a little curious. People had been saying they’d heard scraping and a distorted wind chime coming from the top floor, in the abandoned classrooms. So naturally, he had to check it out. What teen wouldn’t?
Now he’s starting to regret that decision.
Akio threw his flashlight’s dim beam into the hall, but it didn’t go more than a few feet in front of him. He really should have splurged. The scraping sounded again and Akio felt goosebumps spread along his arms and legs under his uniform. At the edge of the light a solid black void covered the hallway and he couldn’t see what was making the sound. Against his better judgement, Akio took a step forward to get a better look. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back, right?
Akio didn’t feel satisfied.
A thin clawed hand appeared on the floor at the edge of the light, then it disappeared with a high pitched whine from the floor where the claws had dug in. Akio lifted the flashlight up to see the green and red reflection of eyes staring at him from the void filled hallway. Four eyes, two resting next to each other on either side of a large head he couldn’t see.
Akio’s ears popped as the pressure in the air began to build. He plugged his left ear with his hand to alleviate the pain. The light flickered and the clawed hand appeared again. Three long snow white spindly fingers with sharp black claws the length of Akio’s fingers. The black of the claws curled up the fingers in thin swirls that crawled up the hand and onto the arm still hidden by the darkness.
Then another hand.
Fight or flight? Fight or flight?
It’s large head slowly drifted into the beam of the flashlight. White skin pulled taut over bone, gaunt and rotting. Beady shiny black eyes. A long snout, snarling with hundreds of long razor thin teeth. A thick black liquid oozed from it’s snarling mouth, dripping on its hands and the floor below. A matted and rundown grey mane of hair ran down its neck, surrounding thick black antlers that branched out and nearly touched the ceiling even with the creature hunched over.
Freeze.
It froze too, watching Akio for a moment. Then, in the quick second his flashlight flickered, it lunged. Akio screamed.
Yukio Mochizuki
Yukio looked up at the ceiling, at the sound of muted and distorted wind chimes. Perhaps there was still an old one sitting in one of the abandoned classroom’s windows. The wind making the chimes sing. Then he felt his stomach turn. Or perhaps it’s the stories people are talking about. The monster people say was connected to the singing chimes – even though Yukio had never understood why such an awful sounding creature would make such a pretty noise. People said these things. People. Who? Yukio looked over to his right, at an empty desk he could have sworn someone sat at. Maybe they had switched seats. But he could have sworn he’d seen a bag there not too long ago. He shrugged and turned to the front of the class as the teacher walked in. Maybe three hours of sleep wasn’t enough, he thought.
—
“Hey, Junko?” Yukio pulled a chair around and sat in front of Junko’s desk as she pulled out her bento.
“Yeah?” She said, not looking up at him.
“Was the desk to my right always empty? Or is my sleep deprivation starting to kill me?” She looked back to the desk next to Yukio’s. Yukio looked back too wearily. There was nothing there. No backpack, notebook, or pencils. But every time Yukio had looked over at the seat during class, he got the uneasy feeling that someone was sitting there . . . Or . . . Should have been sitting there. “Yeah.” She said quickly, turning back to her bento. She picked up her chopsticks without making eye contact with Yukio.
He bent forward, attempting to meet her eyes, but she looked away.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Why aren’t you looking at me?”
She looks up but not at him. Then she closed her eyes. Sighing, she turned to Yukio and whispered, “Because I’m trying to hide my discomfort.”
“What, why?”
“Because . . .” She looked over to the door leading out to the balcony. “When I was standing on the balcony, I heard some shuffling from the top floor and then the windchimes went off.” She turned back to Yukio, and motioned over her shoulder and the empty desk. “When I looked inside, I noticed the desk was empty, but something felt off. . . I think whoever had sat there got eaten.”
Iki Yasuda
Iki moved about the house, a bundle of laundry in her arms. Sheets and towels hung around her, trying desperately to escape. She stumbled up the stairs and dropped the pile in the bedroom on the right, then looked around. It seemed emptier than before.
The guest room had always seemed quite empty and lonely. Perhaps she should adopt a child. Fill the house with some activity.
Why did it feel like she was forgetting something she was supposed to do today? Had she had plans? She’d have to check her calendar.
Iki moved to the window and shoved the glass up, allowing fresh summer air to filter in. From outside she could hear the neighbours’ wind chime sound, but it sounded off. Instead of the usual twinkling ring that sounded akin to what Iki thought dandelion tufts would sound like, the chimes rang out in a disconcerting tone similar to something she’d hear in a horror movie.
Iki suddenly felt uncomfortable and sick. Why? She’d never had issues with this room before, but now it and the windchimes were making her feel dizzy and uneasy. Perhaps a trip to the meditation gardens would do her some good.
—
For the rest of the day, Iki felt uneasy and struggled to move around the guest bedroom. It felt hollow and empty, as if it should have been filled with more than was there, but also full and heavy, filled with a presence and air that weighed down on her. It had been slightly suffocating.
After dinner, she made her way to the nearby otera, just between her house and the centre of town where the school was located. She’d planned on meditating there for a while, to ask for help from the gods, to help lighten the tight feeling weighing her chest down.
People milled about, climbing or descending the steps overgrown by plants. People kneel and pray or give offerings at the temizuya. Iki could hear the thwacking of arrows in the arena blocked by one of the otera walls.
She made her way into the otera to a room accessible to the public, for people looking for a quiet place to meditate and contemplate, to talk to the gods.
Inside the room was a shelf spanning the length of the room filled with meditation pillows. Opposite the shelf was a set of thin wooden and glass doors leading to the zen garden outside. Just by the door sat two young boys, no older than the beginning of high school.
They peeked up at Iki as she made her way inside, grabbed a pillow, and sat a few feet away from them.
It was almost silent as Iki sat with her eyes closed, legs tucked underneath her. Birds chirped in the garden and she could hear people on the other side of the garden, in the main courtyard. “Ok. Anyway.” One of the boys spoke, whispering as he leaned over to the other. “I heard from a girl in class 1-C that there’s a new spirit at the school.”
“Ooo. What’s this one?” Said the other, excitedly.
“She was hesitant to say. She’s usually bouncing all over the place. But today she was really mellow.”
“Must be a good one then to get her to shut up. What is it?”
“Some man-erasing demon.”
Man erasing?
Despite her best efforts to keep to herself and pray, Iki couldn’t help but listen to the boys’ muffled conversation. She was intrigued. Ghost stories had always interested her, but this one snagged something in her brain. More so than past stories had.
“What does that mean?”
“You know those windchimes?”
“Yeah?” The second boy sounded confused and hesitant.
“That’s the demon. It eats someone and their screams can only be heard as the windchimes. And then you’re gone, erased, as if you never existed.”
“That’s bull-“
“It’s not. She said she remembered telling someone about it last week but can’t remember who.” “That doesn’t mean it’s real.”
“I suppose there’s only one way to find out-“
“Don’t be stupid” a new voice.
The three occupants turned to the doorway and saw a young man in the otera’s gown, no older than the boys already there.
“Don’t risk your life on curiosity.” He turned but looked at the boys through the corner of his eye. “We don’t need others dying.”
“Yes, Mr Mochizuki.”
The boys turned back to face the garden as the Mochizuki boy walked away with a huff. Ah, thought Iki, he must be related to that Yukio boy.
She paused. How did she know them?
Ena Mochizuki
Ena made his way through the otera, cleaning here and there, sweeping leaves from the garden off the porch. There had been no visitors that morning, and when his coach had asked about the numbers, Ena had told him they should really cut the plants covering the steps that were already basically hidden.
His coach had just waved him off and told him to clean the temizuya and offering box. When Ena had gone to do so he felt like he had been there already, had paid his visit, even though he had been in the arena all morning.
Strange.
A breeze blew past him, making the water in the temizuya ripple and dance. The windchimes hanging from the top of the awning sung a disconcerting tune. Ena closed his eyes briefly. Someone had passed.
Glossary
Otera
Buddhist temple
Temizuya
Water ablution pavilion for ceremonial purification rite known as Temizu or chozu
Bento
Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch
Ohayou Gozaimasu
Good morning!
Itadakimasu
Prayer made before eating – Thank you for the meal!
Ebisu
One of the Shichi-fuku-Jin (Seven Gods of Luck) – The patron of fishermen and tradesmen – Symbolic of good luck
Bishamonten
One of the Shichi-fuku-Jin (Seven Gods of Luck) – Protector of the righteous – Patron god of warriors
Benzaiten
One of the Shichi-fuku-Jin (Seven Gods of Luck) – Patron goddess of literature and music, wealth, and femininity
Onigiri
Rice ball – A Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and often wrapped in nori (seaweed) and filled with veggies and/or meats
Sanmon
The most important gate of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple
Kongourikishi
The first of the heavenly kings, called Nio – Statues stand at the entrance of many Buddhist temples – They flank either side of the entrance, the one on the right with an open mouth for the first character A あ, and the one on the left with a closed mouth for the last character N ん
Kyudo
Japanese martial art of archery
August Tartamella, a student currently enrolled in the UMaine Farmington Creative Writing program, is an aspiring new adult author with an interest in the strange and fantastical. Using their ever wandering mind and outlandish imagination they seek to write fun but gripping stories from many different outlets and environments.