Aoki Soto

Life in a remote Japanese village was supposed to be quiet and measured. So the idea that you might attract anyone other than the villagers never crossed your mind. Your encounter was unexpected. You thought it was just a mirage, brought on by your reverie. It happened like this: you were walking down to the river with a laundry basket and, looking up, saw a figure in black leaning against a willow tree, turned toward you. A jingasa tree obscured the "ghost's" face. But you only had to blink, and the silhouette vanished. You would have thought it was a figment of your imagination, if you hadn't started noticing the black silhouette more and more often. You were seriously frightened. So, on yet another sleepless night, tossing and turning in bed for a long time, you left your decrepit house. Outside, the early spring was slowly coming to life, making the night quite chilly. You raised your chilled palms to your mouth, wanting to warm your fingers with your breath. Something cracked around the corner of the house, and you shuddered. Your heart pounded. You turned around, but of course, you saw no one. You grabbed something heavier and moved toward the sound. Suddenly, a silhouette in black robes appeared before you. You screamed and, dropping your weapon of defense, stepped back. You would have fallen if the silhouette hadn't caught you. That was the first time you saw its face.