'But, Yoko, I don't really want to go out with him...'
'Well, I don't understand. If you don't want to go out with him, why did you say you would go out with him?'
Emiko sighed, 'Because... Oh I don't know...'
'Well, maybe you need to make up your mind.' Yoko paused at the other end of the phone, and Emiko heard her shift on her bed, 'I'm starting to worry about my cat,' she said, distractedly, 'She never misses a meal.'
'How has she been? Last time I saw her, she--'
'Yuki?' Yoko called again on the other end of the phone. 'I'm gonna' have to call you back...' she said, and hung up.
Emiko yawned and put down the phone. It was hot and airless in the apartment. Outside, her little brother drew chalk pictures on the pavement in the back yard. A pedestrian crossing jingled its theme amidst the buzzing of flies around the garbage.
Emiko went to the window. Their block rose higher than the rest of the houses around here, and she could see over the district from her bedroom window. Windows winked brightly in the glare of the sun, and she squinted.
The old abandoned house stood a couple of blocks away. Emiko peered at it; she was sure a rainbow hung delicately in the air above the broken roof.
She grabbed her lightest jacket from the wardrobe and went downstairs, wheeling her bike out from the garage. 'Where're you going?' called her brother, dropping his chalk and stumbling over.
Emiko swung her leg over the frame of the bike, 'Somewhere.'
'Let me come with you...' he pleaded. Emiko looked at him. His eyes had gone large and brown, like they always did when he wanted something badly. She sighed, 'OK then...'
'Yay!' he whooped, running back over the hot flagstones and yanking his bike from the floor. Emiko shook her head fondly. She doubted he would ever grow up. His black hair flopped like wings under his baseball cap as they pedalled, Emiko in front.
-=-
'Emiko... why are we here?' asked her brother. They had cycled around for a while, but eventually Emiko had led him to the haunted house...
'I... don't know, Satu.' Emiko got off her bike and leant it against the rusted fencing. The abandoned house loomed up in front of them. A chill wind blew suddenly and a crisp packet turned a circle on the pavement.
Satu crept closer to his sister, 'I'm scared, Emi...'
'It's alright, Satu, its not really haunted...' Emiko knelt and gave him a hug. 'It's just a load of stories. Nothing happens in there.'
Satu stiffened suddenly; he pointed, 'Look! Look there!'
'What?'
Emiko looked up and gasped, throwing her hands over her head as a flock of crows lurched into the sky from the house, cawing. Satu cried out softly and buried his face in her chest. Emiko hugged him as the birds filled the blue sky with eerie black shapes.
People from the surrounding houses came out, staring up at the birds. Emiko released her brother, but he clung to her jacket. 'Let's go home, Emi...'
'Wait a bit...' Emiko stood up and went to the fencing, peering up at the framework of the house. Soot marks were sprawled up the walls from a fire. She concentrated, feeling certain she could hear children laughing.
A horn blared from the road. Satu was crouching in the steaming tarmac, looking at something shiny. A red truck with a strange emblem on the front screeched around the corner, accelerating towards the gates where she stood...
'SATU!'
There was only time to scream, only time for a frightened glance upwards. Then there was a sickening noise, the crack of snapping bone.
The little boy flew from the road and landed on the pavement; the truck halted suddenly in the midst of the frightened people, then manoeuvred and rushed onwards.
And the little boy's broken body lay limp as a rag doll's on the sidewalk, an ocean of steely blood tracing the shape of his body with its warm long fingers, the twisted skeleton of a bicycle sprawled nearby...
Fin.
'Well, I don't understand. If you don't want to go out with him, why did you say you would go out with him?'
Emiko sighed, 'Because... Oh I don't know...'
'Well, maybe you need to make up your mind.' Yoko paused at the other end of the phone, and Emiko heard her shift on her bed, 'I'm starting to worry about my cat,' she said, distractedly, 'She never misses a meal.'
'How has she been? Last time I saw her, she--'
'Yuki?' Yoko called again on the other end of the phone. 'I'm gonna' have to call you back...' she said, and hung up.
Emiko yawned and put down the phone. It was hot and airless in the apartment. Outside, her little brother drew chalk pictures on the pavement in the back yard. A pedestrian crossing jingled its theme amidst the buzzing of flies around the garbage.
Emiko went to the window. Their block rose higher than the rest of the houses around here, and she could see over the district from her bedroom window. Windows winked brightly in the glare of the sun, and she squinted.
The old abandoned house stood a couple of blocks away. Emiko peered at it; she was sure a rainbow hung delicately in the air above the broken roof.
She grabbed her lightest jacket from the wardrobe and went downstairs, wheeling her bike out from the garage. 'Where're you going?' called her brother, dropping his chalk and stumbling over.
Emiko swung her leg over the frame of the bike, 'Somewhere.'
'Let me come with you...' he pleaded. Emiko looked at him. His eyes had gone large and brown, like they always did when he wanted something badly. She sighed, 'OK then...'
'Yay!' he whooped, running back over the hot flagstones and yanking his bike from the floor. Emiko shook her head fondly. She doubted he would ever grow up. His black hair flopped like wings under his baseball cap as they pedalled, Emiko in front.
-=-
'Emiko... why are we here?' asked her brother. They had cycled around for a while, but eventually Emiko had led him to the haunted house...
'I... don't know, Satu.' Emiko got off her bike and leant it against the rusted fencing. The abandoned house loomed up in front of them. A chill wind blew suddenly and a crisp packet turned a circle on the pavement.
Satu crept closer to his sister, 'I'm scared, Emi...'
'It's alright, Satu, its not really haunted...' Emiko knelt and gave him a hug. 'It's just a load of stories. Nothing happens in there.'
Satu stiffened suddenly; he pointed, 'Look! Look there!'
'What?'
Emiko looked up and gasped, throwing her hands over her head as a flock of crows lurched into the sky from the house, cawing. Satu cried out softly and buried his face in her chest. Emiko hugged him as the birds filled the blue sky with eerie black shapes.
People from the surrounding houses came out, staring up at the birds. Emiko released her brother, but he clung to her jacket. 'Let's go home, Emi...'
'Wait a bit...' Emiko stood up and went to the fencing, peering up at the framework of the house. Soot marks were sprawled up the walls from a fire. She concentrated, feeling certain she could hear children laughing.
A horn blared from the road. Satu was crouching in the steaming tarmac, looking at something shiny. A red truck with a strange emblem on the front screeched around the corner, accelerating towards the gates where she stood...
'SATU!'
There was only time to scream, only time for a frightened glance upwards. Then there was a sickening noise, the crack of snapping bone.
The little boy flew from the road and landed on the pavement; the truck halted suddenly in the midst of the frightened people, then manoeuvred and rushed onwards.
And the little boy's broken body lay limp as a rag doll's on the sidewalk, an ocean of steely blood tracing the shape of his body with its warm long fingers, the twisted skeleton of a bicycle sprawled nearby...
Fin.