The wind seemed to slam into her as if it meant to hit her and swept her ribbon right out of her hair. She chased it along as it danced on the wind, stumbling over an upturned root of one of her grandmothers many cherry blossom trees. Her sandal was caught and she had to remove it to get her foot free, so she left it there and caught up with her ribbon once more. She followed it deep into the garden, almost catching it a few times but it was always just out of reach. After another gust of wind almost brought her to her knees, she lost sight of it and sighed. She noticed however, that she'd already wandered too far.
The ground around her wasn't the rich brown soil of the garden, but instead was dull gray. The land was so dry and crackled that it looked as if no amount of water or care could bring it back to life. The trees bore not even a single leaf and their bark was peeling away from their trunks. Spider webs were weaved between each branch like silvery nets but even those looked long abandoned. The bushes where flowers would grow were hanging as if in misery and what leaves there were, looked gray and moth-eaten and were just barely hanging onto their stems.
In the center of this cove of barren land was a large, elaborate shrine, which like the land, looked like it hadn't been kept up for years. She wasn't supposed to be here and she knew it. Her grandparents forbid her to even take a second look at this place. Minako remembered an instance as a child when she had to chase a ball into this area of the garden.
(A brand new, shiny red ball bounced along the stone walkway as an excited golden Welsh Corgie bounded along after it. He snapped at it every so often, trying to catch it as his little legs carried him along.
"Hugo! Hugo wait for me!" Shouted an equally excited little girl, who was chasing just as diligently. Her pigtails bobbed as she ran hard to catch up, and she giggled gleefully.
By the time she made it over the small hill, she saw that the Corgie had stopped and was growling at the ball, which had bounced into an area of the garden which her grandmother had warned her was off limits. An area of the garden where not even a weed would grow. Minako slowly stepped towards the little dog and reached out, smoothing his pointy ears back as she pet him.
"What's the matter Hugo? Go get it! No? Fine. Dumb dog." Mina passed the growling dog and approached the ball, which had settled right next to an old shrine. She stared up at it, oblivious to Hugo's barking and stepped closer. A soft breeze swept through her hair and cleared away some dead leaves. Minako stepped ever closer and bent to lift the ball, never taking her eyes off the shrine, even as she backed away from it. Finally she broke her gaze and took to running back up and over the hill, followed closely by the Corgie.
Mariha was out by the backside of the house, hanging clothes on the lines to dry. She just finished pinning up a sheet when Minako, quite out of breath, ran up to her.
"Mimi! Mimi, what's that dark place? At the edge of the garden? Hugo chased the ball there and I had to go get it." The elderly woman looked as if someone had just dropped a jellyfish down her shirt and started to answer when her grandfather spoke first. He had his rake in his hand and was about to go touch up their Zen garden.
"That is a place you must never go again, Minako. Inside that shrine, there is a horrible demon that will eat you given the chance. He was sealed there by our ancestors. That is why nothing grows around it. Now go put your ball away and you can help me rake." He smiled warmly and winked at her and she mimicked him and took off into the house to stow the toy.)
She was six when she retrieved the ball from the shrine. It was twelve years ago, and for some reason that answer had satisfied her for so long. Minako caught sight of her ribbon, caught on one of the thorns of ivy that clung to the doors of the shrine and she moved closer so she could take it back. It took her two hesitations to reach out and reclaim the ribbon but she finally was able to pull her hair back and tie it again. It seemed like a simple enough task and she was ready to turn and leave in no time, but she didn't. Instead she found her hands reaching out again, and gliding over the cold metal of the door handle.
The instant she touched it, a strong gust of wind again rose from out of nowhere, clearing dead leaves. She closed her eyes as her hands grasped the handles firmly and she could have sworn she heard the wind whisper her name.
"Mina..."
It was a sharp, hissing whisper; so cold yet so inviting. She opened her eyes and to her astonishment, a very red rose had bloomed on the door right in front of her. It was the only thing besides herself that was alive in this place. Letting go of the handle, one arm dropped back to her side, the other had risen and her fingertips touched the soft velvety red petals. The whisper of her name echoed in the back of her mind. 'Mina...'
It was all getting too weird. Minako took a step back from the shrine, then another, and another until she has taken to a jog to get away from the garden of death.
'Oh Mimi would kill me if she found out I was here.' Her thoughts raced as she untangled her sandal from the cherry tree root and slid it back onto her foot. After walking back to the Dawn Lily bush, she picked up the watering can and started her trudge back to the house.