Chapter Two: Demon Tag in the Osaka House
The loud moan of the door was enough to shatter the silence completely. I'd entered what seemed to me like an entrance room right before you reach the main room. A large urn sat unused for ages near me along with others of various sizes. The cold musty air breathed against my face from a nearby window. I observed the small space, examining the fallen planks leaned lazily against the wall. I shone my light through the wooden bars off to the left of the room. Inside, a dusty looking kimono was hanging in front of a door. Another hung near the window I tried to look through from the outside. A small desk and box were also present. I scanned over the room but Masumi wasn't in there. I proceeded through the door in front of me.
The air was so cold and held a rank smell of mildew and molded wood. There was another scent underneath it all. Something I couldn't quite get but it was there, faint and discreet. The air gave my skin goose bumps and sent shivers over my body. I was armed with my iron wit and a flashlight. I was determined to find Masumi here in this village, starting here. I rubbed over my bumpy skin to run away the feeling of them, hoping the invisible chill that coated my skin would dissipate with them.
I shone my light over everything that could grab an area of light, even the ceiling. I wanted to become familiar with this place in case I was to get lost. The gray wood made up most of the presentational colors. Pale-yellowed, aged paper partition screens were dotted with holes eaten through them in corners of the room. The looked as if they were once beautiful works, like an aged maiden, striking in her younger years and still held beauty after some time passed. The brown had faded from most of the wooden structures in the house, giving it an even older look. I shone my light down a tight hallway straight down from here. A tattered curtain hung with a sort of symbol on it. Family crest, maybe? It looked like it didn't end there. Should I start here?
I took small steps further into the room, careful not to miss anything. I saw that there was a staircase way over on the wall far to my left. It looked old and rundown; almost too old to be used. An older fireplace, blackened from age and use, sat in the middle of the room and another big screen seemed to make a door to some room almost invisible.
Maybe I should start here? I stepped up and the squeaks of the floorboards were so loud in the dead, for lack of better words, silence of the house. I shone my light around the big room again. Frayed pieces of cloth and ropes hung from the ceiling beams. My eyes wandered over back to the stairs and my eyes caught a glimpse of a door, the color of cinnamon, on the second floor behind a small banister.
I turned to the screen placed against the stairs to my right and stared at the wall for a moment. It was a hidden door, concealed from the eye if you overlooked it. Obvious to a more careful eye. I walked up to it and took its handle. It moved. I slid it to one side. More cold air came from the room, like a long chilly sigh, and this time it felt as if someone was here with me. I turned slightly to each side of me then went into the room.
Light shone through an open door, or large window. It wasn't much light, just a faded light, enough to maneuver in. A door that seemed to lead out to a garden was wide open. I looked closer and saw that the deck was in pretty good shape. I moved and my foot hit something. I gasped slightly and I put my light on it. It was a big box. Colorful cloths hung from it and spilled onto the floor. They looked like traditional kimonos. A shiver ran across my body. I spun to look behind me because it felt as if I were being watched. A big mosquito net divided the other part of the room. A small ranma window was there along with a vase with withered flowers hanging from it. I dared myself to cross the net but something stopped me. I saw something on the floor behind the net that made me think twice.
A figure of some sort was under the sheets of a small futon bed. The figure looked like a human body from how it was curled, on its side. I tried my best to ignore it and continue my search but it raised a vibe through me the closer I got. Some sort of power of force was vibrating from that corner of the room. I couldn't help to think was Masumi under those sheets? Was it even a human body under there or was it my imagination, just a trick of the light. I felt the pumping of my blood in my hands from how hard I was holding the flashlight. I realized my grip and eased down a little. I took the vibrations as a warning and I exited the room without any further hesitation.
The door behind me slid shut and I walked slowly further into the big fireplace room. Small patterings made me turn off to my left as quick as I could, putting me standing directly in front of a little boy. I jumped from his sudden presence and hopped back a few steps from him. He was breathing rather hard, staring with his wide almond-shaped eyes. I didn't think anyone lived in this village anymore. His pale face was locked on mine. I stepped closer and he grinned. It made me pause. "W-what is y-" The boy ran before I could finish the sentence. I could hear his giggle as he disappeared down the hallway. I was making my way after him when I heard something behind me move. Another child was running also. A girl this time. She stopped midway up the stairs and giggled at me. Her round pale face was so bright and happy. Her short black hair was pulled on top of her head, her short hair spouting from the bow like a fountain of black water. She was wearing a purplish-red kimono that stopped short of her pale ankles.
"Can't catch me!" Then she ran up the stairs and down the hall. The laughter of the children made me wonder was there any adults here in this village. Was I just delirious? The laughter stopped. I circled around the fireplace and sat there for a minute, waiting for the children to return. Since I knew there was life here, I felt safe. Pulling out a few contents from my bag, I settled on the floor and began to write...
"I'm over here!" The child's cry was loud against the silence and made me heart pound in my chest. They had to be real...I was going to find one of them, maybe all of them, and ask them if they've seen a wandering man around here. I stood up and packed my bag and began to make my way down the main hall when I saw something. I focused my eyes in the dim light and saw that it was a little boy peeking from a torn partition screen. He looked different from the boy I saw earlier. His eyes were smaller and his hair was darker, cut closer to his head. I slowly walked towards him and he ran off like the first two did. I ran after him, hoping to catch him. He was laughing as I ran after him.
"You can't catch me!" He taunted and turned and disappeared into a small alcove. I dipped into the small alcove and was encountered by a small flight of stairs. The pattering of feet over my head was enough evidence that these children were real. I continued up the steps after the little boy. I rounded the corner to find a little walkway and the door that I saw earlier. Over the banister was the view of the fireplace room. I made my way across and in front of the door. I put my ear on the door and listened. It was nearly silent at first but I heard sounds behind the door. It sounded like someone was talking, someone that might have been Masumi. I listened harder. Or was it the wind? I reached for the doorknob but I hesitated for a moment. What if it isn't Masumi?
"He's gotta be here..." I turned the knob but it didn't open. I turned and pushed but it still didn't budge. The large padlock was evident enough to show that the door was locked shut and that I needed a key to enter. I listened again and the sounds stopped. I turned and walked over to the banister and saw the three children below me, staring with suspecting eyes. Small but noticeable smiles grazed each of their lips as they scattered about again.