I Work for Spirits
His palm pressed up against the wall speaking to the thin paper and air so that he might stay safely suspended in the room so his cold green eyes could look down onto the matted floor. Bundles of women slept wrapped in blankets of purple, red, green, and yellow with dots and patterns of numerous kinds. Parts of feminine faces, long brown, and black hair highlighted from the golden sunlight seeping through the paper walls peeked out from the bundles. It was so hard to tell them all apart, but his nose picked up a certain scent. The scent of a human. A scent so unmistakable since they were forbidden here. Though, it seemed the smell that rose up to his nose had become less noticeable. She had been here a few days already. Her odor would soon fade after consuming the food of this world for awhile. A grin slid sideways across his thin lips. The workers would surely be glad of that, though he couldn't see why. The smell of this human never caused him to wrinkle and raise his sleeve to cover his nose. For some reason he actually like her smell. It seemed so familiar.but his memories would never recall anything to help him make this hypothesis stable. To get a better look, his body leaned forward away from the wall and he breathed in deeply grinning only slightly. "Chichiro." He whispered above the girl's head. She had such a beautiful name. "I'm sorry." For a moment, he fancied the thought of placing a small kiss on her forehead, but a woman next to the girl stirred and he looked up quickly. "Rin." His eyes narrowed as he hissed out her name. She perhaps liked him least of the bath house workers. There was no telling what would happen if she caught him there hanging up on the wall. The last thing he needed was the name of a peeping tom added to the list of rumors about him. With one last glance at the girl, he sipped in a breath and sunk out to the other side of the thin wall. His bare feet touched on the cool rough surface of the wooden walk that over hung the ocean. The dark straight hair that hung down to his chin was swept up in a sudden gust as he leaned against the railing there. He breathed deeply of the salted air, and wished for one moment to plummet down into the depths of the water with Chichiro with him, but a shiver shook him of this thought. He certainly didn't want to drown her or himself, but.He sighed and turned his back on the water and the sun that would soon be slowly sinking down into its depths casting a fiery red glow across the waves. "Haku." His eyes narrowed as the voice whispered across his mind. "I know. I know.My mission." Solemnly, he marched off and up the stairs to the left. It was time to be Master Haku again.
*****
Sen awakened to the glaring last flash of light as the sun sunk beneath the dreary waters of the strange sea that surrounded this bath house. She squinted and rubbed her tired eyes with the back of her hand as Rin tried to get her to hurry up. She hadn't been able to get used to sleeping during the day and working all night yet. Why couldn't the gods and spirits sleep like normal people? But then again, she was the only human around.As she lamented over this, Rin rudely pulled at her bed roll sending her sprawling off into the wall. "Owe." She lamented more over this and rubbed her head. "Come on Sen." Rin growled narrowing her eyes and peering down with her bed roll clutched tightly in one hand. "We can't be late again, okay?" The older woman's face took a slightly gentler look before she threw the bed roll on top of the young girl. "Get dressed." Sen frowned heavily and flailed her arms around till she found her way out of the sheets. She hurried rather awkwardly to fold up the massive sheets with her small arms and fall into her worker clothes Rin had rummaged up for her on her first day. "Sen!" She flinched and then hurried out the door not wanting to be late again. Quickly she glanced down at the ocean. It was so dark.
*****
"Haku, pay attention. I don't keep you around so you can sit around and daydream." Yu-baba crowed and took a deep sip from the cigarette that hung long and slender from her mouth. The smoke poured out from her overly large nose. Haku held back a grimace. He knew much better than to do that. That old crone could bind him in a minute and throw him out into the ocean. "I'm listening." The old woman looked him over carefully for a moment before she spoke again. "How comes the mission then?" "I have yet to see an opportunity to steal the seal." "Now now, Haku. It's not stealing. I'm just taking what I should have, and I know you want it to. Bring it to me soon, and you can have the power also." She took another sip from her cigarette and exhaled a long stream of smoke and tapping her long red nails on the wooden desk. "Now, what will you do then?" The boy stood rigid in front of the old woman. "I will take the seal from your sister and return in here." A wicked smile spread across her old wrinkled face. "Now, that's a good boy. Hurry off now." She watched as the boy bowed and walked out of the room and the large gold laced doors closed behind him.
His palm pressed up against the wall speaking to the thin paper and air so that he might stay safely suspended in the room so his cold green eyes could look down onto the matted floor. Bundles of women slept wrapped in blankets of purple, red, green, and yellow with dots and patterns of numerous kinds. Parts of feminine faces, long brown, and black hair highlighted from the golden sunlight seeping through the paper walls peeked out from the bundles. It was so hard to tell them all apart, but his nose picked up a certain scent. The scent of a human. A scent so unmistakable since they were forbidden here. Though, it seemed the smell that rose up to his nose had become less noticeable. She had been here a few days already. Her odor would soon fade after consuming the food of this world for awhile. A grin slid sideways across his thin lips. The workers would surely be glad of that, though he couldn't see why. The smell of this human never caused him to wrinkle and raise his sleeve to cover his nose. For some reason he actually like her smell. It seemed so familiar.but his memories would never recall anything to help him make this hypothesis stable. To get a better look, his body leaned forward away from the wall and he breathed in deeply grinning only slightly. "Chichiro." He whispered above the girl's head. She had such a beautiful name. "I'm sorry." For a moment, he fancied the thought of placing a small kiss on her forehead, but a woman next to the girl stirred and he looked up quickly. "Rin." His eyes narrowed as he hissed out her name. She perhaps liked him least of the bath house workers. There was no telling what would happen if she caught him there hanging up on the wall. The last thing he needed was the name of a peeping tom added to the list of rumors about him. With one last glance at the girl, he sipped in a breath and sunk out to the other side of the thin wall. His bare feet touched on the cool rough surface of the wooden walk that over hung the ocean. The dark straight hair that hung down to his chin was swept up in a sudden gust as he leaned against the railing there. He breathed deeply of the salted air, and wished for one moment to plummet down into the depths of the water with Chichiro with him, but a shiver shook him of this thought. He certainly didn't want to drown her or himself, but.He sighed and turned his back on the water and the sun that would soon be slowly sinking down into its depths casting a fiery red glow across the waves. "Haku." His eyes narrowed as the voice whispered across his mind. "I know. I know.My mission." Solemnly, he marched off and up the stairs to the left. It was time to be Master Haku again.
*****
Sen awakened to the glaring last flash of light as the sun sunk beneath the dreary waters of the strange sea that surrounded this bath house. She squinted and rubbed her tired eyes with the back of her hand as Rin tried to get her to hurry up. She hadn't been able to get used to sleeping during the day and working all night yet. Why couldn't the gods and spirits sleep like normal people? But then again, she was the only human around.As she lamented over this, Rin rudely pulled at her bed roll sending her sprawling off into the wall. "Owe." She lamented more over this and rubbed her head. "Come on Sen." Rin growled narrowing her eyes and peering down with her bed roll clutched tightly in one hand. "We can't be late again, okay?" The older woman's face took a slightly gentler look before she threw the bed roll on top of the young girl. "Get dressed." Sen frowned heavily and flailed her arms around till she found her way out of the sheets. She hurried rather awkwardly to fold up the massive sheets with her small arms and fall into her worker clothes Rin had rummaged up for her on her first day. "Sen!" She flinched and then hurried out the door not wanting to be late again. Quickly she glanced down at the ocean. It was so dark.
*****
"Haku, pay attention. I don't keep you around so you can sit around and daydream." Yu-baba crowed and took a deep sip from the cigarette that hung long and slender from her mouth. The smoke poured out from her overly large nose. Haku held back a grimace. He knew much better than to do that. That old crone could bind him in a minute and throw him out into the ocean. "I'm listening." The old woman looked him over carefully for a moment before she spoke again. "How comes the mission then?" "I have yet to see an opportunity to steal the seal." "Now now, Haku. It's not stealing. I'm just taking what I should have, and I know you want it to. Bring it to me soon, and you can have the power also." She took another sip from her cigarette and exhaled a long stream of smoke and tapping her long red nails on the wooden desk. "Now, what will you do then?" The boy stood rigid in front of the old woman. "I will take the seal from your sister and return in here." A wicked smile spread across her old wrinkled face. "Now, that's a good boy. Hurry off now." She watched as the boy bowed and walked out of the room and the large gold laced doors closed behind him.
