Hi everyone! For those who are following Loving Chiyo, it will be continued so pay no mind to this. This is just a Halloween treat from me to everyone who would want to read this. So Happy Halloween!!!! And let me make one point before you read. I understand that the custom of Trick or Treating is more of an American custom than a Japanese one. And though I did read some things about similar customs in Japan, minus the costumes and probable door to door ritual, this is overall just a made-up scenario. But please enjoy this creepy little tale for the holiday. Happy Halloween once again so read, review, and enjoy!
Trick or Treat
The evening sun tinted the skeletons orange outside of Chiyo's house while she waited inside for Osaka. It's exciting to be able to go trick or treating, but at the same time, it's a little scary. Having never gone trick or treating before, Chiyo wasn't quite sure what to expect. Sure it would only be children dressed up in costumes, but after looking through the store, some of them were genuinely creepy. One in particular being that of a witch; where the face had been horribly deformed with the skin a crusty green.
In the end, she had decided to choose a Yomiuri Giants baseball uniform. It doesn't have to be a scary costume. Chiyo concluded as she changed into the uniform and suddenly realized that the costume wasn't complete without either a bat or glove. As she glanced around, Chiyo found just the perfect thing. It was an old plastic baseball bat with the Giants symbol on it. Mom and dad had got her the bat from a game when she was little. It may not be real, but it will work perfectly. Grabbing the bat and hurrying over to the mirror, Chiyo adjusted her clothes and hat until a warmth of satisfaction rose in her chest. Originally, she had planned to go with her parents but something suddenly came up and Osaka was the only one who was free. "Is it alright if I dress up too?" had been Osaka's question over the phone. The idea of Osaka dressing up excited her even more and she wondered what Osaka would dress up as. I hope it's nothing to scary. But it is Osaka I'm talking about here.
As Chiyo waited, she watched the sun sink lower and lower into the horizon. Soon the last rays of light sparkled in the distance and the moon replaced the orange glow of the sun with a concealing shadow of light. With her parents gone, Chiyo felt lonely and a little scared. As she watched, she finally caught glimpse of Osaka approaching the door. Excited, she rushed over to it and opened it up to find the girl standing before her. "Osaka-san, thank you for coming! We still have a few minutes so would you like to come in?"
"Sure," Osaka replied as she walked into the house.
Looking over her best friend, Chiyo closed the door and noticed that Osaka was wearing a black cape. When she finally got a good look, she saw a white, button up shirt and a red bow tie. Her pants were black and the inside of Osaka's cape was red. Walking into the living room and taking a seat, Chiyo gave another look over Osaka and asked, "Are you going as a vampire?"
Nodding her head, Osaka replied, "It was the only one I could fine. I wanted to look more like Dracula but those just sell so fast."
Chiyo smiled and nodded in agreement. She wasn't sure why the girl wanted to dress up like Dracula. There were plenty of female vampires out there as well. But Chiyo wasn't one to argue so she silently sat and waited. Glancing back over to Osaka, she noticed that the girl didn't have any vampire teeth. "Don't you have any vampire teeth for your costume? We could go pick some up if you don't," Chiyo suggested.
Taken aback by the question, Osaka tried to wave it off, "No, that's alright. I've got some but they hurt my gums so I won't put them in until we leave."
When she looked back to the window, Chiyo noticed that the moon was shining brightly in the sky. Stars blanketed the night and she could suddenly hear the sound of other children running around outside. When she looked, Chiyo found some anime costumes such as Dragonballs and Naruto along with other characters she had never seen before. Other kids had more traditional costumes like ninjas, mummies, and princesses. I guess we can head out now. I just need to remember to close the gate when we leave. Chiyo thought and glanced over to Osaka to see if she was ready to leave, but Osaka was gone. Chiyo became alerted by the fact because she hadn't heard the girl move.
"Osaka-san, where are you," Chiyo called as she began searching for her friend. She couldn't have gone too far. Suddenly, Chiyo heard some whimpers coming from a nearby hallway. Worry swept over her as she feared that Osaka might be hurt and hurried into the hallway. The whimpers became louder as she entered the hallway. They seemed to be emanating from the bathroom door. It sounded as if the girl was in pain. Running to the door, Chiyo banged on it as hard as she could with her fist, "Osaka! Are you okay?! What happened?!"
Trying for the handle, she found that the door was locked. Just as Chiyo was about to knock on the door again, all noises from within the bathroom vanished. It had ended as fast as it had begun. Hearing a click, Chiyo backed away as the door unlocked and Osaka stepped out. She wore her usual smile but appeared a bit paler than before. "Are you alright Chiyo-chan?"
Confused, Chiyo stuttered in explaining, "B-but weren't you hurt . . . You disappeared . . . and I heard noises . . ." carefully looking at Osaka, Chiyo noticed she now had her vampire teeth in. "You've got your vampire teeth now?"
Seemingly ashamed of herself, Osaka closed her mouth, hiding the fangs from view. "They just bother my gums when I put them in. Shall we go?"
Nodding in confusion, Chiyo grabbed her bag and followed Osaka out the door. She locked up the door and the gate once they were outside. As they walked towards the part of Tokyo that was doing the trick or treating, Chiyo glanced up at Osaka who appeared nervous for some reason. If it hurt that much to put the teeth in, she didn't have to. Taking Chiyo out of her thoughts, Osaka said, "I hope we get lots of stuff tonight."
She seems fine now. But she's still so pale. I hope Osaka is okay. Hoping that her friend wasn't sick, Chiyo decided to ignore it because Osaka didn't seem interested in talking about it. She happily nodded and agreed with her friend as they walked up to the first block in their path that was offering trick or treating. Almost every house had Halloween decorations strung up across it and kids ran back and forth among the lawns, grabbing candy wherever they could find it.
Reaching the first house, Chiyo watched as a zombie extended his bag out for candy. When he had received several pieces, the zombie turned on the house and walked past Chiyo in excitement for the next house. As the zombie passed Chiyo, she instinctively moved towards Osaka, clutching her plastic bat as she did, and moved away from the kid. Even though it was just a kid, the costume was still creepy. But it's just someone in a costume. I'm not gonna let that bother me. I've always wanted to try this since I read about it, and I'm not gonna let a few scary costumes stop me. Seeing that the owner of the house was a lady in a kimono, Chiyo glanced at Osaka who said, "Go ahead Chiyo. I don't think the zombie bit her so you should be okay."
"You're not gonna get any candy," Chiyo asked and when Osaka politely shook her head no, Chiyo sighed and walked the ten or so feet up to the woman's door who happily greeted her. "Trick or treat," Chiyo said, smiling at the woman as she held out her bag.
"A Giants fan," the woman kindly exclaimed, "They're gonna win it all this year!" And grabbing a handful out of her bowl, the woman dumped in an assortment of wrapped candies and things into Chiyo's bag. "Here you go."
Politely agreeing with the woman, Chiyo said, "They will win it all this year! Thank you very much!" Proud of her first handful of candy, she hurried back to Osaka who seemed to be worrying about something. Her face growing paler by the minute, and Chiyo again worried about the girl. She looks sick. I wonder if she's catching a cold. "Osaka-san, are you okay?" When Osaka didn't respond, Chiyo repeated in a louder voice, "Osaka-san!"
When the girl finally turned her head to Chiyo, she smiled, revealing the vampire teeth for her costume. They shimmered white and were very long. As Chiyo took in the detail while she could, she noticed that the fake teeth appeared to be very sharp. You can't even tell they're fake. They sparkled under the moonlight and noticing the change in Osaka's stare, Chiyo quickly said, "are you sure you don't want to go home? You really do look sick."
Again, Osaka waved it off and it appeared that she was once again getting nervous from the question. "No no, I'm really okay. Let's head to the next house." Confusingly, Chiyo nodded, deciding not to question her friend's health further. But if she gets any worse, we'll head straight home. I can just fake being tired or something.
As the night went on, Chiyo's bag got heavier and heavier with sweets. She soon found herself dumping the candy into her pockets and even Osaka's pants began to bulge with the all the candy. While Chiyo continued to enjoy the variety of people, costumes, and candy that she ran into, she still couldn't help but notice Osaka's blank stare. We can go to one more house and then we better head home. Chiyo thought to herself and walked up to the next house, holding her bag out as usual.
A man answered the door and happily smiled at Chiyo as he placed some candy into her bag. Chiyo watched as he glanced around behind her and then returned his gaze to her. Smiling, the man said, "Have a Happy Halloween. But don't wander too far from your parents."
"Oh that's alright, I'm with my friend . . ." and as Chiyo turned around to point Osaka out, she discovered that the place where Osaka was standing, was now empty. Where did she go? Chiyo quickly smiled at the man and said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine," and then headed towards the sidewalk where Osaka had been standing.
Where did she go? Why would she run off? Chiyo's mind quickly raced as she tried to locate her missing friend. If it was at school, Chiyo would have just kept walking with her other friends but this was different. Here, Osaka might not know how to get back home, and besides, the girl's health was questionable at this time. As she searched, she noticed that the crowd was beginning to thin. Figuring that the night was coming for a close, Chiyo hoped that it meant she would have an easier chance of spotting Osaka. "Osaka-san, where are you," Chiyo frantically shouted, hoping that she'd be within earshot.
Why'd she do this? Where could she have gone? A sudden movement out the corner of her eye grabbed Chiyo's attention and when she glanced over, a figure moved around the corner. All Chiyo saw was the movement of a cape. Hurrying in the direction, she frantically prayed that it would be Osaka. "Osaka, wait," Chiyo called out as she rushed to catch up with the girl. Maybe she really isn't feeling well and got sick. I shouldn't have made her come. Rounding the corner, Chiyo found the street empty aside from a stray black cat that stood a few feet in front of her.
As Chiyo stared at the black cat she noticed something peculiar about it. The pupils of the cat's eyes were red, a very deep, almost blood red. Squatting down to pet the small animal, Chiyo's hand barely touched the cat's forehead when the thing, apparently distracted by some unseen object or force, dashed away before Chiyo could chase it. The encounter had momentarily distracted her from the missing Osaka. Those eyes. I wonder if that cat was sick.
Suddenly reminding herself that Osaka might be sick, Chiyo returned to her feet to search for Osaka. But where do I start? I don't even know where she could have gone? As she glanced around, Chiyo tried to think of where to start. "Let's see, I should just go back to where I last saw her. Maybe Osaka wandered off and is waiting for me." Figuring that was the best idea for the moment, she decided to go back. If I don't find her soon, I'll call for help. Admiring herself for staying so calm, Chiyo quickly turned and without even thinking, ran straight into someone. She never even saw who it was until they were both on the ground. "OSAKA!" Chiyo shouted when she saw the girl on the ground, rubbing her back.
"Chiyo-chan, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you," Osaka nonchalantly replied as she stared at Chiyo.
"I was . . ." Chiyo stopped midsentence for when she looked at Osaka's eyes, she saw that the pupils were blood red, just like that cat, Chiyo thought. The red vanishing from Osaka's eyes rather quickly, Chiyo wondered if she even saw it. Noticing her friend's confused expression, Chiyo quickly finished, "I was looking for you. Where did you go?"
Osaka appeared to have a lot of difficulty answering the question. She seemed to be deciding on an answer. What's going on? Is she trying to hide something? Chiyo wondered as Osaka fumbled with her words and finally said, "I was . . . using . . . the bathroom."
Not knowing what else to say, Chiyo reluctantly suggested, "Let's go back to my house. It's getting late and trick or treating is over anyways." Osaka happily nodded, apparently relieved at the sudden change of subject. I better make sure she doesn't wander off again. Chiyo thought, shuddering at the idea of Osaka getting lost again. Reaching for her friend's hand, Chiyo clutched it to which Osaka only smiled at the affection. But for Chiyo, the second she grasped her friend's hand, she became even more scared Osaka's health. It's cold. Her hand is cold. The second she had grasped onto Osaka's hand, it had been ice cold. It was like clutching an ice cube that wouldn't melt or holding snow without any gloves. Chiyo could almost feel her hand going numb. She must be sick. We've stayed out too late. I wonder if she was like this before. Chiyo wondered as they walked in silence. Watching her friend the entire time in worry, Chiyo noticed that Osaka's face wasn't as pale as before, and she now appeared rather tired.
Finally reaching her home, Chiyo unlocked the gate and allowed both of them entrance. When they reached the house, the two head straight into the kitchen after taking off their shoes. Setting her plastic bat on the table, Chiyo felt relieved to be home again. The night had been full of trick or treating, but more than that, the strange occurrences with Osaka had sent a chill down her spine. "Osaka, you can count the candy if you want. I'll be right back," Chiyo explained and headed into the bathroom where she knew her parents kept some cold medicine. There's got to be something for Osaka. Chiyo thought as she located a stool to stand on to reach the shelf. Finding nothing of use, Chiyo disappointingly hoped down. What should I do? She can't walk home by herself. She might wander off. Deciding that the best thing for Osaka to do, at least for now, would be to have her spend the night. Hurrying out of the bathroom, Chiyo ran back to the kitchen, hoping Osaka wouldn't mind staying the night. However when she got back, the kitchen was empty. Fearing creeping up in her, Chiyo thought to herself, where did she go to now?
"There you are Chiyo-chan," a voice behind her suddenly said. Jumping from the surprise and letting out a small scream, Chiyo spun around and found Osaka standing there. Before getting a chance to respond, Chiyo noticed that the girl's skin had gone a pale white. It looked even worse than before. Before Chiyo could even say anything, Osaka said in almost a hypnotized state, "Say Chiyo is it alright if I spend the night? I've already called my parents and they said it was okay."
"O-Osaka, are you alright," Chiyo asked, "You've been acting strange all night and your skin is so cold. Are you sure you're not sick?"
Suddenly shaking her head quickly, Osaka seemingly fell out of the trance like state and smiled at Chiyo, "Don't worry about me. I'm just a little tired is all."
"Is that so . . ." Remembering that that was exactly what she had wanted, Chiyo quickly suggested to Osaka, "T-Then, why don't we go to bed? You can sleep in my room." Osaka hastily nodded and leaving the candy on the table for the next day, the two headed up to Chiyo's room. Upon arrival, she set up a sleeping bag on the floor and made sure it would be well insulated to help keep Osaka warm. "This should do it," Chiyo said, satisfied with her work and invited Osaka into the sleeping bag. Noticing the vampire teeth still in the girl's mouth, Chiyo asked as Osaka lay down, "Don't you want to take those out first?" But Osaka had fallen fast asleep the second she hit the pillow. I guess we can take them out later.
Changing into her pajamas, Chiyo felt bad that Osaka had to wear her costume to bed, but the sudden sleepover wasn't expected and none of her clothes were going to fit the older girl. Finally turning off the lights, Chiyo climbed into her bed and took one quick glance at the sleeping Osaka. Saying a quick prayer for the health of her best friend, Chiyo soon fell into a deep sleep.
Sometime past midnight, Chiyo woke up, feeling something heavy moving around on top of her on the bed. With the darkness surrounding her, she couldn't quite make out the figure. Its breathing could be heard as Chiyo tried to move but found herself paralyzed. Fear suddenly swam through her mind with the realization that whatever this thing was, it meant her harm. Trying to struggle, Chiyo was helpless with the small amount of movement her body allowed. She couldn't feel anyone holding her down and when she tried to scream for help, nothing but a whisper escaped her lips. Sweat trickled down her face as the figure's head (what Chiyo assumed to be the head) moved closer to her face and suddenly, red eyes glowed through the dark. Blood red, gazing eyes that seemed to study Chiyo's every feature. The eyes were not threatening or even angry however, but more of a desperate, sorrowful stare as they locked onto Chiyo's. She tried to inch away for they scared her but could barely move from the frozen state of her body.
The lips on the figure parted as Chiyo felt an ice cold hand run down her throat, exciting a chill upon Chiyo's spine. She heard the whispers of her name from the figure, "Chiyo-chan," and she swore it was Osaka's voice before the eyes disappeared.
All was silent for only a moment when Chiyo suddenly felt cool breath on her neck and what sounded like Osaka's whispers. "I'm sorry . . . . . I can't stop . . . . . so hungry." Pain slowly swept through Chiyo's body as she felt two sharp, needle like objects piercing her neck, forcing their way in. A strange feeling followed, engulfing her as it felt like her life was being sucked out and Chiyo felt herself grow weak.
Out of nowhere, a burst of energy shot through Chiyo and she sat up in panic, to push off the thing that was on top of her. To her surprise, nothing was there. Chiyo glanced around the room and found it in silence. Quickly looking over to Osaka, the girl was soundly sleeping in her sleeping bag, just as Chiyo had left her. Just a dream. Chiyo happily thought and yawned and silently laughed at herself for the silliness of the entire situation. Glancing at the clock, Chiyo discovered that it was just a little after two in the morning.
Giving a quick stretch, Chiyo found her neck to be rather stiff. It was sore and she figured that that was the cause for her outlandish dream. Osaka's costume and her getting lost. So much commotion made me have such a weird dream. Glancing at Osaka, Chiyo could still see the vampire teeth and she shook her head, thinking of what might happen if those things came loose while Osaka was sleeping. Reaching for her neck to rub the soreness, Chiyo was quite surprised when she felt two bumps on her neck. Walking into the bathroom, Chiyo turned on the light and looked into the mirror. On her neck, about an inch and half between them, were two pin like holes. A dot of red with white surrounding the area and a bit of blue, stared back at Chiyo like eyes.
"It can't be. Vampires aren't real. It was a dream . . ." Trying to think of another reason for the marks, Chiyo couldn't come up with anything. She felt herself beginning to panic and pinched herself to make sure that she was awake. The pressure on the skin between her fingers stung and confirmed that Chiyo was indeed awake. Figuring that she was scaring herself, Chiyo ran back into her bedroom to prove the coincidence. It was just a dream. Vampires don't exist. This is all just an odd, scary coincidence. Reaching her room and finding Osaka still asleep, Chiyo hurried over to check the teeth. I'll pull them out and that will prove it. They're just plastic. But upon reaching Osaka's sleeping bag, Chiyo found the girl sleeping and upon close inspection of her friend's mouth, the vampire teeth were gone. There wasn't any evidence that she had ever had any kind of fake teeth in her mouth.
Panicking and not knowing what to do, Chiyo slowly climbed back into bed, her whole body shaking from fear. Her parents still weren't home and she no longer knew if she wanted Osaka sleeping next to her. It's all a dream. I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and those two marks on my neck are gonna be gone. And everything will be alright. She tightly wrapped herself up in blankets and clung to the pillows. As Chiyo tried to fall asleep, she heard Osaka dreamily mutter these words, "Chiyo-chan . . . . . . so delicious."