It all started as a sick joke. I swear, she didn't mean it. The day Murasaki Ido disappeared I knew what I had done and I swore I would atone for my sins because it was all my fault…
I was online on my computer one overcast day in November. It was… it was my second year of high school, I remember now. On that dreary day I found myself talking to my friend, Koyuki, over the internet.
"Hey, Koyuki… have you ever heard of Hell Girl? They say if you type the name of the person who you wish to be damned to hell into the box on this website, Hell Girl will come and drag them to hell for you… for a price."
"What? Hey, Ju-San, how do you spell bizness?"
"Business, but that's beside the point. Do you want to know the price or not?"
"Thanks… and yes."
"You're soul."
"Damn, well, lol, I have no soul."
"When you die, your soul also belongs to hell. 'You will never know the joys of heaven…'"
I then posted the link to the website. Simply and truly, it was a fan site and I knew it wouldn't work.
"I dare you to." I said, "Just don't do me. If it works… well, don't pull the thread on the doll."
"Ok… what do I type, an e-mail address…?"
"No, just a name."
"First and last?"
"Yeah… by the way, who are you doing?"
"Ido, lol, Murasaki."
"Ah."
"Don't take the doll, you say?"
"No, take the doll. Just don't pull the thread from its neck because that will bind you into a covenant with her…"
We waited a minute… then I laughed and was the next one to type my message.
"Haha, it says 'Murasaki Ido' as the last person sent… but seriously, if you type her name into '' at the stroke of midnight, they say it actually works… but maybe only in Japan, I have no idea."
"Oh…"
We left it like that… little did I know the trouble we would get into.
That weekend was a long one, three days. On Monday I returned to school to find the downstairs corner near my locker suspiciously empty. Where was Murasaki? Then I remembered. I went back upstairs and found Koyuki.
"Koyuki…" I said nervously, "Did you… did you really do it?"
"What?" She said surprised, "What did I do, Ju-San?"
Why they always call me "thirteen" I will never know.
"Koyuki! Did you rally type Murasaki's name into ''"
She looked rather shocked I asked, "Well, of course I did! You told me to, remember?"
"NO!" I was hysterical, "I meant to warn you… you fool… was it at midnight?"
She looked grave all of a sudden and slightly afraid. Koyuki reached into her bag and pulled out a doll. Her hands were trembling as she handed me a wicker doll with a red thread tied around its neck.
"I…" she stammered, "I found this on my dresser this morning…"
"Koyuki…" I ran to the window with a look of sheer terror on my face. I threw the doll out the window. As I looked out a noticed the doll was caught on the ledge just bellow us, the scarf still unpulled from its neck, a single scarlet thread. It was just out of reach. Good enough.
The rest of the day went by smoothly without much drama. As I passed by the window on the way back to my locker, however, I looked out to the ledge to see the doll was gone…
