Eduardo's Tales

Story 11: The Sinister Spinning Wheel

Chapter 1

(Rated T for violence, brief nudity, adult content, and mild language)

(DISCLAIMER: No, I do not own Eduardo Rivera and Kylie Griffin from Extreme Ghostbusters, nor do I have the right to copy from the anime series, Mushi-Shi, which has inspired me to bring our favorite slacker and Goth girl into a strange world that exists beyond time. So, enjoy the show!)

The setting in Ryuzaki in the present was more serene than ever as Eduardo and Kylie were busy cleaning the house. It had been almost a month since their marriage had been valid as they were even tending to the garden. After a few days contending with Dr. Naegino's lecture of breeding, along with taking care of Yashakune while helping Valeria with the chores, they were exhausted from their daily work as they saw them leave back to Chagum yesterday. Nowadays, the only visitor these days was the village elder's son, Ryujiro as he was a frequent guest sometimes. Now and then, he popped up and left after talking to them as they even had some time alone for the time being.

"Looks like we're here to stay after all," said Kylie.

"We should find something to do besides tending to the garden," said Eduardo.

"Like what?"

"We should do some odd jobs around here in order to stay here on a temporary basis."

"After staying here in Ryuzaki, I have a feeling that we're most likely to leave this place and get back on the Roads again."

Both of them pondered about how they would miss Ryuzaki as they had a feeling about leaving this calm serene village. They were married here during the Festival of the Spirits as they even had Ryujiro and his family to visit every now and then. They also had Tsuchimaru and Dr. Domyouji to help them in many times of good or bad. They may have stayed there in Ryuzaki, but sometimes, they had to deal not only with the dreaded witchsmeller threat, but the paranormal as well.

"Maybe we need to focus on more than just doing odd jobs," said Kylie.

"I guess that the odd job factor reminds me of something that I experienced from long ago," said Eduardo. "Something really has to catch our eyes sooner or later."

###

"You are working yourself to the bone, Aurelia," said a man with blond hair.

"I must continue to spin thread," said a woman with brown hair.

The man was distraught about the woman's actions as he watched her spin thread without a break or a moment of rest. The spinning wheel that was in his house was glowing with such a terrible aura as it was forcing his wife to spin thread mercilessly. It wasn't long until he decided to take action and yanked his wife away from the spinning wheel. The spirit that was inside it grew angry as it howled in rage against the man.

"You are a fool, Suomi Hakkonin!" it shrieked. "How dare you take away the spinner of threads!"

"She's exhausted!" he cried worriedly. "Look at her! She hasn't slept in days! Why can't you leave her alone?!"

"Bring back the spinner or else you'll suffer the consequences!"

Suomi took the spinning wheel as he threw it out the door. The spirit that resided in the spinning wheel grew angry as it was kept out of its home and away from the exhausted Aurelia. To his shock, he saw that his wife was asleep in his arms as she was exhausted from working at the spinning wheel. When he carried her upstairs to their bedroom, he laid her down as he covered her up in a quilt. He had to get rid of the spinning wheel as it ruled his poor wife to exhaustion. As a farmer in the quiet village of Sakkinoven, he always believed in the praise of hard work as he was working to feed his wife and two daughters. He loved his family dearly as he became worried for his wife's health and safety. He had a bad feeling that the spinning wheel would come back in his house and claim his wife if he wasn't careful.

"Aurelia...," he said worriedly.

###

Eduardo gasped as he sat up in bed in the middle of the night. He was still in the nude as he felt as if he had a nightmare or something. With Kylie still sleeping, he covered her up as he up out of bed. When he went to the bathroom, he walked to the sink as he turned on the cold water. With some cold water splashed to his face, he began to think clearly as he looked into the mirror. Just as he was about to think more clearly, he noticed an image in the mirror as he saw a spinning wheel in a quiet room. To his shock, he saw it glow with such an eerie aura as it was waiting for someone to spin wool and cotton into thread. What was going on? What was happening to him? He was seeing visions that weren't there as he saw the spinning wheel vanish. Mirrors had a thing to trick the eye as Eduardo turned away from it. In the ancient past, he had a terrible experience with mirrors as he left the bathroom and returned to bed.

Slipping back into the covers, he went back to sleep as he began to go back to the dream state. He was well aware of the kodama as they were surrounding a sake bottle full of chrysanthemum wine. There was even a wine cup waiting for him as he stood still. The kodama didn't budge this time as they were guarding the chrysanthemum wine. It wasn't long until he decided to walk away until he was dragged forward by the kodama. They were expecting him as he was offered the cup of wine. With just one sip, he drank it down as he was beginning to see the danger ahead. He saw Suomi worried stiff about Aurelia as he was watching over her with concern. He saw the spinning wheel in the room as he was scared to death of the vision until he woke up.

It was all a nightmare as morning was coming forward. Eduardo was shaking from his dream as he felt a cold sweat jolting his body. Panting worriedly, he buried his face in his hands as he felt his heart pounding in such an alarming panic. The vision that he had was real as he felt shaken from his dream of the dangerous spinning wheel. He didn't have time to worry as he sat up. He even noticed that Kylie wasn't in bed as he got up and dressed himself in some underclothes and a blue kimono. Going downstairs, he went into the kitchen as he saw Kylie cooking breakfast that consisted of bacon and eggs. The smell of breakfast made him forget about the nightmare as he sat down at the table.

"Hey, you're finally up already," she said as she finished up the breakfast.

"I had a bad dream," said Eduardo.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good. Maybe you were working too hard on the chores or something."

"There was a different village where a man was worrying about his wife. There was even an eerie spinning wheel, too,"

"Maybe you should go to Dr. Domyouji."

"I'll see her later, but first, I'm want some breakfast."

Eduardo and Kylie took their breakfast as they went out of the kitchen and into the dining room. They ate their share of bacon and eggs as they were enjoying the start of the day without a worry to startle them. After finishing up their breakfast, they cleaned up and washed the dishes and straighetned up the kitchen as they later went outside to their porch. The day was just as warm as ever as they even stared at the river. It was such a hot day as they decided to strip off their clothes and decided to take a dip in the river. Still in their underclothes, they were playing in the river as they were swimming in the cool water. They forgot all their troubles as they were splashing each other in the river. After a few hours of play, they returned home as they gathered up their clothes and went inside.

Getting some towels from the closet, they dried themselves off as they were dripping wet with a hint of cold discomfort. When they were getting into their clothes from earlier, they saw Suomi standing in the living room as he had a distraught look on his face. The farmer had nobody to turn to in the hour of terrible crisis as he sank to his knees and sobbed tearfully. He had heard of the Muah before as they were such experts on the paranormal. He had to come all this way to Ryuzaki from his village as he was desperate enough to ask for their help.

"Please, sir," he pleaded. "I need your help. My wife has beed possessed by the spirit of the spinning wheel."

"Wait! Did you say spinning wheel?!" cried Eduardo.

"I'm begging you, please help my wife."

"By the way, who are you and where did you come from?" asked Kylie.

"My name is Suomi Hakkonin. I came from the village of Sakkinoven to ask for your help."

"We'll take the job!" cried Eduardo. "By the way, we're scientists and we'll get to the root of the problem."

The call to arms had beckoned Eduardo to help the desperate Suomi as he got out his staff and backpack to bring along some clothes and food for the trip. Kylie also got her own staff and backpack as she was ready to accompany Eduardo. Both of them followed Suomi out the door as they locked the door behind them. It wasn't long until they saw a carriage that went to Sakkinoven as they got in it and went towards where they needed to go. It was the first time in a while since they left Ryuzaki as they were heading up north to where the village of Sakkinoven was. The place itself resembled a typical Scandanavian village as it had a lot of sheep and cattle that was farmed there. There were also some food crops that were growing as everyone was busy weeding the gardens. It was a very beautiful place as it had a strange and magnificent atmosphere to it.

It wasn't long until the carriage stopped at a station as Eduardo, Kylie, and Suomi had gotten off and walked towards the house that had the proplem. The three of them had found the spinning wheel all sealed off as it was encased in an unbreakable glass sphere. Eduardo ran towards it as he examined the handiwork that sealed the spinning wheel. Someone who sealed this was most likely to be a Muah as Eduardo was about to enter Suomi's house. With Kylie and Suomi following him, they all stepped inside as they went upstairs to the bedroom where Aurelia was. She never woke up as she was tossing and turning in her deep sleep. Something was wrong with her as Eduardo and Kylie were busy examining her with such concern.

"How long has she been like this?" asked Kylie.

"She's been like this since I took out the spinning wheel," answered Suomi worriedly.

"Where did you get the spinning wheel?" asked Eduardo.

"I found it in the barn about two weeks ago. I'm a sheep farmer and I always sold wool to provide for my family."

"You made a big mistake in keeping it, didn't you?"

"...Yes..., I did, but I thought that it would do some good to spin wool to make yarn and other thread. Instead, it did more harm than good when it possessed my wife to spin threads without mercy."

Eduardo began to cast an incantation that became useful to his cause as it began to light the entire room. He saw the dreaded aura that was crawling all over the walls as he suspected that something was dreadfully wrong there. Sealing the spinning wheel was a bad mistake for whoever tried to subdue the demon who resided in it as it was still at large. He had to find the demon before it did any more damage.

###

The demon was hiding in the shadows as it was angry with Suomi for throwing the spinning wheel out of his house. It needed Aurelia to spin more thread as it was ready to weave enough to control the village of Sakkinoven. It remembered Eduardo with a fierceness as its mother was once trapped by him and the rest of his friends from long ago. The demon's mother once possessed him as it forced him to spin a lot of thread for domination. It wanted revenge against Eduardo for resisting the touch of its mother as it was ready to wreak havoc against him. The possession of Aurelia was just a hint of bait to trap its target as it was waiting for the right moment to strike. To its dismay, the demon saw a familiar face with lavender hair coming towards Suomi's house. It was Dr. Uchihino, who helped Eduardo stop a Rakshasa back in Chagum as she was examining the sphere that contained the spinning wheel.

"That Muah doctor thinks that can save that farmer's wife by sealing the spinning wheel, but she's wrong," it said. "I'm still here and I won't let her revive Aurelia ever!"

###

Dr. Uchihino had examined Aurelia as she was still sleeping. The good doctor was still concerned for the woman's life as she drew out her dousing crystal to check out the aura. The crystal glowed a dark red as it wasn't good for the condition of the farmer's wife. Dr. Uchihino was stumped at the assumptions that the demon that resided in the spinning wheel was still at large as it was still lurking out and about. Eduardo, Kylie, and Suomi watched desperately as they were worried about Aurelia's health and well-being.

"It isn't looking good," said Dr. Uchihino.

"Aurelia's condition hasn't changed, hasn't it?" asked Eduardo.

"Does it look like it changed? You try to figure it out, Goat Boy!"

"He's already shaved the hair off of his chin," said Kylie.

"Now is not the time to sit around. We can't let that demon get away with what it did to the farmer's wife."

"Dr. Uchihino," said Suomi worriedly. "What is going to happen to Aurelia?"

"If the demon isn't caught, then your wife will die."

Suomi buckled down to his knees as he was scared for his wife's health. He loved and cared about her along with his two daughters as he was desperate enough to help Eduardo and Kylie stop the demon that was hiding in the spinning wheel. As for Eduardo, however, he went outside as he saw the demon sitting in a tree as it was carrying a basket full of thread in its arms. He had noticed the danger as he stood back with his staff pointed at the monster. He came face-to-face with a demon similar to the one that has harmed Aurelia as he was keeping his distance away from it.

"Long time, no see," it hissed.

"Release your hold over the farmer's wife," said Eduardo.

"She is under my control, Muah vermin. She'll never be free from me!"

"Let her go! That woman is ill and her husband is worried about her!"

"I know that you didn't remember me, but I surely remember you,...Eduardo!"

The demon set down its basket of thread as it jumped onto Eduardo's back. The monster was strong as it tried to strangle Eduardo as he was trying to break free of it. The demon itself was shaken off as it crashed into a tree. With his staff pointed at the monster, Eduardo began to raise it high as the tip of it had glowed a bright gold and white. With the demon hissing and ready to attack again, it was no match for the power that resonated in Eduardo's staff as it was instantly defeated. The demon was badly weakened by this terrible attack as it began to flee further away from the farmer's house.

"You've never heard the last of me yet, Eduardo!" it shrieked as it ran away.

Eduardo saw the demon run further from the farmhouse as he saw the basket of thread near the tree. The colorful threads and yarns were enticing to the eye, but something evil was waiting for the right time to strike. He didn't want to pick the up the basket up as it began to glow with such an eerie aura from the inside of it. The basket wanted someone to pick it up as Eduardo backed away even further. He had to resist the impulse as he felt the eerie aura resonate all around him. He was dragged towards the basket as he was trying to fight the danger within. It wasn't long until he fought the darkness as he began to cast an incantation that was suitable to stop the danger.

"I call upon the power of Uzume," he said. "Use your happiness and good fortune to repel the malignant danger!"

A bolt of green lightning struck the basket as it set it on fire. The basket of threads was up in flames as it became a pile of ashes. Eduardo was thankful that he stopped the danger before he became trapped into the darkness that resonated in the basket of threads that the demon left behind. When he went back into the farmhouse, he saw that the farmer's wife was still under a deep sleep as she was trying to fight something in her dreams. He even sensed that the demon wasn't ready to give up as it was still crawling in Sakkinoven. It was still at large as it was waiting to bring forth revenge against Eduardo for driving it away from the farmhouse. Very soon, he had to go up against the demon when the time was right, but right now, he had to formulate a plan in order to lure the demon back as he was about to take a very dangerous risk by saving Aurelia's life.

"She's still in a deep sleep," he said.

"You burned the basket of threads, didn't you?" asked Kylie.

"Yes, but the demon will come back with a vengeance."

"We shall be ready when the time comes," said Dr. Uchihino.

To be continued...