This is based on a Japanese legend called "Twelve Dishes". Unfortunately, I could only find numbers one to ten in Japanese. I've been planning on making this legend into a story for sometime. I gave it a couple Mignola-esque tweaks of my own. Things are a little graphic in here violence wise. I had some fun with this piece (not with the violence, but working with characters I normally do not work with). I believe in becoming a better writer, one must work or at least experiment with "templates" they have never used before.
I pictured children have an affinity for HB. Children view animals as equals as well seem to be the ones most like to see ghosts. I believe they see Hellboy as a good guy and have no fear of him.
I do not own Hellboy or any of the Hellboy characters. This is my fourth Hellboy fanfiction and another experimental piece for me. I will be keeping my eyes open for unusual legends for further Hellboy Fanfictions. He didn't become the world's greatest paranormal for nothing. Sorry this took so long to write.
Japanese numbers 1-10 are Ichi Ni San Shi Go Roku Shichi Hachi Kyuu Juu
Ten Dishes
Almost as easy as Ichi, Ni, San…
1971 BPRD Headquarters
"Color photos came out about twenty years ago, why can't we get our photos in color? Or are they in black and white for the dramatic effect?" Hellboy said flipping through a fistful of Polaroids. Like a Black Jack dealer in Vegas, he flipped through the stiff, thick photos, mostly of Shinto Shrines and Samurai armor and springs with koi tossed in. The pictures looked like someone decided to butcher the film to the 1940s Godzilla movies and send in the scenes shortly before Godzilla or some other corky rubbery movie monster reined terror down onto the unsuspecting city of Tokyo.
An African-American woman standing nearby smirked. With the exception of her gray, government suit, she was a dead ringer to Foxy Brown. She tapped a long fingernail on her arm. "Oh, you'll see…"
"JESUS!" Hellboy blanched, coming to the center of the pile. The already viewed photos in his left hand fell to the floor. "What the hell happened?"
The photograph in his right stone hand was that of a man's head in profile. His fingers, curled in rigor mortis as if grasping the air, peeked from the corner of the photo. The man had no eyes, only bloody holes remained, as if the eyes themselves were plucked free. Along the gravel was a black, glistening trail, straight from the victim's eyes. It looked as if they were shot out. The man's opened mouth was coated in blood and there was a pool of blood with lumps forming underneath his head, staining the lightly colored stones. Blood as well poured from his ears. However, there was no sign of trauma to the head; no gashes, no crushed skull, no bullet wounds.
Hellboy flipped through the remaining photos.
"Six victims total in the past eighteen months in the Kyoto Mountain area, there's believed to be about twenty-four to thirty all together. All dead from cerebral detonation, hence, the black and white photos. Personally, I didn't want to see those things in black and white, let alone color," the woman said matter-of-factly sitting on the desk. She faced away from him though and did not even glance at the photos on the desk or in his hands.
"Their brains exploded?" Hellboy winced. He tossed the photos down on the desk.
"Exploded in their skulls, unfortunately it wasn't a quick death. Autopsies believe that the part of the brain affecting motor control and movement was the first to go, and then in a span of less than three minutes, the brain expanded before finally exploding with in the cranium," the woman said, flipping over a photo facedown.
"Why weren't we told about this immediately, Janice? There are twenty-something people dead and we weren't told about this?" Hellboy exclaimed.
"Most of the victims were Japanese villagers or travelers who were stuck at a local hot water springs in the mountains for the night. It wasn't until a German couple were killed almost a year and half ago was the outside world alerted," Janice said. "It was label as an accidental death. Authorities though the couple just drowned in the hot water spring and the blood and cranial damage was from scavengers," Janice said, holding up a stack of papers.
"Ravens and crows love eyeballs, I know," Hellboy said, disgusted.
"Unfortunately, it wasn't until five people died; two tourists, one army official, and a landscaper, did the U.S. and the U.K. realized that something was up, that these weren't accidents, and it wasn't until the last death, that of an American Japanese man getting in touch with his roots, did they contact us," Janice said. "You could probably already tell that these are no ordinary deaths, and they definitely are no accidents. It wasn't until autopsies were performed on all victims were they able to say that these were murders were committed by a specter, or attacker of unknown origin."
"From the look of these photos, this is a specter I've never dealt with before. I could say Kappa since they love water and you're saying all the murders happened by a hot water spring. But they just drowned swimmer and occasionally steal hearts, but they're not supernatural, and there was definitely something supernatural involved here," Hellboy said, flipping through the photos again. He held up the photo of the German couple. Janice gagged and looked away, covering her mouth.
Hellboy turned the pictures over. "So what? Do they have a clue what this thing is killing people?"
"I'll fill you in on the plane ride. We're heading out tonight," Janice said. "They're going to be doing some construction work in that area, starting next week and they want whatever that thing is gone."
"Joy," Hellboy said. "They screw around for years letting this thing kill dozens of people then they give us a weeklong deadline. It would figure."
&&&
Aboard a government plane heading eastward…
"Apparently these murders have been happening for the past hundred and something years," Janice said, flipping a pile of mix and match pile of documents. Hellboy could see grey tinged copies of encyclopedia pages streaked with black, newspaper clippings, and genuine articles, some white and crisp as snow, others yellow with age with crinkly, cracked corners.
"I'm guessing there's some legend that goes with this," Hellboy said.
"There is, but unfortunately it doesn't exist in English, and no one at the bureau can read Kanji," Janice said, holding up a paper. It stretched to about three feet long, delicate, black as oil print ran vertically from top to bottom. "We will be meeting our translator after a long train ride down to the village."
"I thought you were the language expert," Hellboy said, smirking. He took the paper and slide on a pair of narrow bifocals. "And I can only read Kana. I don't get any of that new stuff."
"In European, African, and Middle Eastern," Janice snapped. "I've got a doctorate in all of them, and a bachelor degree in world superstitions. And what do you have to show for all your work?"
"Broken bones, scars, several concussions, and enough stories to fill up all those encyclopedias you've got in your office," Hellboy answered, taking a green thermos out from underneath his seat.
Janice covered her nose. "What is that stuff? It smells nasty."
"Chicory coffee mixed in with over two dozen Native American herbs, all secret," Hellboy said, pouring a golden brown liquid into the lid. He held the lid up as in a toast, "energy for the rest of us."
&&&
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Miss Sakai Rumiko, excuse me," Janice said. Janice stood up on a crate, wildly waving the sheets of paper in the air. Hellboy ducked down. Unfortunately, how unobtrusive could a man be with shaved off horns, red skin, and a tail? Hellboy had done services before for Japan, but in the Tokyo area. "Sakai Rumiko! Hello?"
An elderly couple warily approached the dark skinned woman and the red skinned be-horned man.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Miss Sakai Rumiko, perhaps you could help me," Janice said, holding out her hand in a handshake.
Someone pushed the elderly couple aside. A young girl, no older than eight, happily shook Janice's hand in both her hands. "Hi! I'm Rumiko, but you can call me Rumi! You're Janice Bond and Hellboy-San! This is my Grandmama and my Pap-pap. You'll be staying at our house."
"Our translator is an eight-year-old?" Janice said, her face blank.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Rumi-san. And how did you learn such wonderful English?" Hellboy said holding out his left hand. Rumiko instead took his right hand and shook it.
"My sister married an American, and he taught me English," Rumiko said, still violently shaking his hand. Her tiny hands barely could wrap around one tiny stone finger.
"She's quite the friendly one," Hellboy said to her grandparents.
The elderly couple shook their heads, whether it was at him, or Janice, or Rumi still shaking his hand, to this day, Hellboy does not know.
&&&
It was a two hour hike back to the village in the hills. Janice learned the perils of hiking up a hill on a rocky path in high heeled shoes and Hellboy learned the perils hiking up a trail with a girl excitedly examining and plowing through all the charms and pockets on his coat and belt.
Outside the house, Hellboy looked over the narrow mountain tops. Steam rose to the sky as if forming the very clouds in the evening sky.
"That's where the hot spring is, right Rumi?" Hellboy said. The little girl still held onto his stone arm.
"Yes, yes! But you must see my Emperor and Empress dolls from my Hina set! I just got them for my birthday!" she said tugging on his arm.
"Jeez!" Hellboy exclaimed, moving forward, not because the overeager girl may cause him to topple, but to keep her from pulling too hard and hurting herself.
The elderly couple followed Rumiko, dragging Hellboy, into the house. Janice stood outside for a moment longer, looking at the steam and sunset.
"A friendly one indeed," she said with a laugh, lighting a cigarette.
&&&
"Domi Arigato," Hellboy said, bowing his head as an older sister of Rumi's served him herbal green tea. As he held the tea to his lips, he took in the strong herbal smell. "Ahhh…"
The low table surrounded by pillows for seats, was covered in sweets in the shapes of flowers, small biscuits, rice cakes, and the dozen or so highly ornate Hina dolls.
"This is my geisha doll, she's my second favorite next to the empress, but my favorite used to be the princess," Rumi said. "But the empress's robes are much prettier, and the geisha has prettier makeup and she plays the lute, which the princess won't play. The princess just likes to lie around the koi pond fanning herself."
The little girl held up a tiny, toy tea kettle, a perfect replica of the tea set her grandparents owned. "You want some more tea?"
"No thanks, anymore and I'll be up for the night," Hellboy said, patting the young girl's head. "Now, then, will you tell me about the legend?"
"I'll tell you about it," a young woman, wearing bellbottom jeans and a Beatles t-shirt, said as she slid open the screen door. She set her muddy tennis shoes down beside the family's sandals, Janice's high heeled shoes, and Hellboy's "boots". "I hope Rumi-san was not a pain."
"This is my older sister Yoko!" Rumi exclaimed, jumping up from the table and with great eagerness hugged the woman around the hips. Yoko peeled the little girl off of her legs.
"I am Yoko Black, and you are Hellboy-san and Janice-san, I presume," Yoko said, smiling uncertainly. She sat down opposite Janice and Hellboy. "I was running errands over the mountain for the construction company, so I am sorry if I am a bit late."
"Miss Yoko, can you please tell us about this legend?" Hellboy asked. "Unfortunately none of the BPRD could read the script, and we need to get a good idea of what we are dealing with here instead of jumping blindly into this."
Yoko crossed her legs and picked up a cup of tea. She took a sip thoughtfully. "At the turn of the centaury Japan was bombarded with American, British, and Dutch merchants. Unfortunately, the trade was not always a good trade. The outsiders used opium and valuable European goods to gain control of villages and become lords of these villages. This village was once ruled by a man who was the friend of a highly influential Dutch trader. Through deception, he became lord of this village. He built a mansion beside the hot springs and controlled the village with an iron hand. His grip on the village may have been tight, but his grip on his household was even tighter."
Yoko took another sip of tea. "The servants of his household were not technically 'servants' they were more like slaves. He enslaved whole families or whatever person in the village caught his eye. He was notoriously nasty with disciplining his servants. One of his servants was a young, orphan thirteen-year-old maiden. The lord was quite fond of this young girl, who was in charge of washing his ten, beautiful, Dutch dishes; gifts from his merchant friend. Dutch dishes were considered to be worth much more than gold back then. Everyday he would make advances on her, and she would turn him down. He could do no harm to the maiden or her beautiful body, and she had no family he could use as leverage in his favor. So one day, when she went down to the hot spring to wash the plates, he stole one dish and hid it."
"And this is where the cruel and unusual punishment comes in," Hellboy stated.
"Exactly," Yoko said, nodding. "Later that night during supper when the maiden went to get the precious plates, the lord confronted her, and accused her of stealing a plate. She denied it and said there were ten plates in the cupboard. He told her to count them. She did, but came up with nine. She still denied that she stole a plate, and he made her count the plates again, and again, and again. Each time she would deny it, and say that there were ten plates there earlier, and she did not steal one and she did not break one. She cared for the plates like they were her family. The lord became very angry with the girl. So he and two armed guards took her and the nine plates to the hot spring. They tied her to a post in the ground halfway between the hot spring and the mansion. She was just a few feet shy of the hot spring's warmth, and the other servants could not see her, but they could hear her. The lord said if she would become his concubine, she would be free, and she refused since the lord was much older than her, and not exactly attractive, physically or personality wise. The lord was angered and told her she could not leave that spot until she came up with ten dishes. For three days she counted the dishes and only came to nine each time. Each time she came nine, she would screech and recount. The other servants could hear her cries, but not see her pain. She was allowed no food, no water, no visitors, and no blankets. The heat from the hot springs would keep her only so warm, and she began to go insane from overexposure, exhaustion, and starvation. Finally, she died, still counting the dishes during a nightly chill."
"Horrible," Hellboy spat. Janice shook in her seat.
"That lord was a mean man, it was a good thing he died," Rumi said, playing with the samurai doll.
"Shh, Rumi, let me tell the story," Yoko said. "The girl's body was buried and the lord forgot about her. According to legend, he was asleep one night, when he heard counting; Ichi(one) Ni (two) San(three) Shi(four) Go(five) Roku(six) Shichi(seven) Hachi(eight) Kyuu(nine). Then he heard sniffling. Once again, the counting resumed at Ichi, one, and went to Kyuu, nine. Then there was a cry. The lord and his two guards went to investigate the counting. The servants in the mansion heard a horrible scream, and the body of the lord and his two guards were found near the hot spring the next morning. They were covered in blood but there were no wounds on the outside of their bodies. The mansion was abandoned and shortly afterwards it burnt down. Many villagers and travelers who take a midnight swim or get caught in that spot in the middle of the night meet the same horrible fate. The villagers avoid the hot springs at dawn, dusk, and night. Many visitors do not know of the legend and foolishly, they trespass on it."
"So you are saying this girl is killing these people out of revenge?" Hellboy asked.
"Not revenge," Yoko said, "these people were at the wrong place at the wrong time. She counts three times to nine. The first time, it ends with a sob, the second time, it ends with her crying, and the third time it ends with a scream that rips one from the inside out if one is very near to the hot springs. All she could do was scream, and that is what happened to her anger and frustrations, they became a horrible scream. Her voice haunts the village, reminding all of her pain, but unless you are in the vicinity where she died or near the hot springs that warmed and tortured her during her ordeal, you will not feel her pain."
"That would explain a lot," Janice said. "The cerebral trauma started in the auditory region of the brain before working its way outwards. So what, do we just exorcise this ghost, and we're done?"
"Many monks, Buddhist and Shinto, tried to exorcise her, but all with fail. We felt maybe a Christian exorcism would free her, but if that failed, we wanted people who could supply the village with other options immediately after failure," Yoko said.
"Hence, the BPRD," Hellboy said. "We're just full of options."
Yoko nodded.
"Should we go out tonight and exorcise this ghost?" Hellboy said.
"Not tonight," Yoko said. "She does not have a set time when she counts, and I do not want you to head down there in the middle of her counting unprepared. You should get some rest and I will show the spot."
"That sounds good, neither the plane nor the train has decent sleeping spots," Hellboy said, cracking his neck.
&&&
Hellboy was half-asleep on his sleeping mat, his coat spread over him like a blanket. Janice was sound asleep on a mat few feet away under the window. He was awoken when the door slid open. Rumi stood in front of him in her pajamas and bare feet, holding the geisha doll in her hands.
Noticing that his eyes were open, Rumi spoke up, terrified, "She's counting."
The little girl seemed in tears. "I hate it when she counts. She scares me. I can never sleep. Yoko, Suki, and my grandparents keep me locked out of their rooms. I want her to go away."
"That's all right, we'll make her go away," Hellboy said gently. Rumi wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Make her go away!" she bawled. "I hate her!"
Over Janice's snoring and Rumi's cries, Hellboy heard the young girl.
Roku…shichi…hachi…kyuu…kyuu..kyuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
The number became a blood curdling high pitched scream that shook the bamboo curtains. Janice jolted awake. Rumi screeched, her tiny hands clawed at Hellboy's throat as she tried to hide from the sound.
"What the hell! Jesus!" Janice exclaimed. She turned pale. "Marymotherofjesussonofgodtheallmighty!"
The sound dissipated into the night. Janice was shaking, Hellboy's jaw dropped, and Rumi sobbed.
"Damn, Hellboy, how we gonna fight this thing?" Janice murmured, her voice shaking.
"Damn, I wish I knew," Hellboy said.
&&&
"Hellboy-san? Janice-san?" Yoko said, sliding the door open. Hellboy was asleep, his back against the wall, his hands resting on his gun, snoring shallowly. Both Janice and Rumi were curled under the sleeping mats, Hellboy's coat, and blankets. The top of Janice's curly hair, and Rumi's ornate hair buns were visible.
Hellboy shook as he woke up. "You could have warned us about that."
"I'm sorry, Hellboy-san," Yoko said. "Many of the villagers are used to it. My family is quite used to it. It is just like the sound of New York City."
"Except with less screaming," Hellboy said in grim humor. "And only one person at least dies at night."
Hellboy picked his coat up. Janice tiredly looked at Hellboy.
"Come on Janice, let's got check out this hot spring," he said, heading out the door.
&&&
"Check this out H.B.," Janice said, kneeling down on a rocky part of ground, about twenty yards away from the hot spring. "I think this might be the spot our girl was tied up."
The paranormal detective was standing a few yards away, staring into some overgrown shrubbery. In his left hand he held a chipped coffee mug that read "I HATE MONDAYS" filled with chicory coffee. The land here was mostly barren, just stones and grainy dirt with small patches of grasses and a few, small twiggy plants. There was a stone path that led down to the hot springs. Hellboy roughly surmised that this spot may have been an ancient parking lot of some sort for visitors of the hot spring, pre-dating the death of the young servant girl. Off in the distance, he believed he may have glimpsed the blacken ribs of a building and a few faded terracotta tiles.
In the center of the lot, was a perfect circle. It appeared that the rocks were blown way, revealing the hard, dry clay ground underneath the stones. The rocks torn from the ground formed a circle around the spot, about three feet in diameter. It looked like someone took a heavy-duty broom and swept the ground.
"Strange, a dirt circle, almost like a crop circle," Janice said. She kneeled down and touched the ground. The ground was so swept clean, that there was no dust on her fingertip. "Fresh too, had to be made last night. You got that holy water?"
"Yes I do," Hellboy said.
He dug through the pockets of his coat. From one large pocket on his side he removed a few pieces of Rumi's tea set. "Rumi," he muttered and kept searching.
"Ah ha!" he shouted, removing a water gun from an inside pocket.
"You keep your holy water in a squirt gun?" Janice asked.
"The gun was blessed by the Pope," Hellboy answered. He removed a vial of water and filled up the gun. He handed it over to Janice. "You try sprinkling water on hyperactive vampire jaguars. This is my second most used gun next to," he patted the worn sheathe at his side. "Trust me, this is easier. You sprinkle the water on the circle, I'll perform the exorcism."
Hellboy dangled his rosette in his right hand over the center of circle. Without hesitation and expertly, he began to chant in Latin. With his left hand he created a series of designs in the air. Janice was able to decipher the names of the Apostles, several powerful saints, and archangels. The rosette in his hand spun and stiffened as if pulled by a magnet or possessed itself. Sweat beaded up on his horns and forehead. The air grew intense and heavy. Pebbles appeared to shift in the dirt; dust rose as if it was suspended in liquid. The circle that was once bare of stone and dust began to fill in with the rocks that were moved earlier. The sounds of the stones scraping on the hard, dry earth scratched the air.
"There," Hellboy said. "Finished."
Everything slackened as Hellboy turned to English. Janice felt the muscles in her shoulders loosen. The air grew soft and easier to breath. Janice sucked in a breath.
"That's it?" Janice asked.
"Yep, that's it," Hellboy said placing the squirt gun in his pocket.
"Isn't the ground suppose hiss or steam or catch on fire?" Janice said. "Like the Exorcist?"
"Only items possessed by evil spirits or evil energy," Hellboy answered. "This is just a little girl, a frightened, crazy little girl, but not an evil little girl."
"Oh," Janice said, "so what do we do now?"
Hellboy slung his coat over his shoulder. With a thick, lit cigar, he directed towards the hot springs. "I say lets go 'exorcise' that hot spring."
&&&
Rumiko brought Janice and Hellboy a picnic dinner down at the hot spring. She carried the lunch, packed in yellow wicker and black wood boxes, in a sheet, slung over her shoulder. As well as lunch, she carried her Geisha Hina doll.
"So she's gone?" Rumiko spoke up. "Gone forever?"
"We're not sure, but I think she might be gone," Hellboy answered. "It feels so calm here, like something's been lifted."
"I think that's the sake kicking in," Janice said, holding an ivory white saucer.
"For me or for you?" Hellboy jibed.
"Hey, I'm just here for the ride and the support," Janet quipped back.
"Come on," Rumiko exclaimed, grabbing hold of Hellboy's stone right hand, "I've got a present for you back at the house."
"Gah!" Hellboy exclaimed, as the eager child dragged him towards the house.
Janice laughed as she picked up Hellboy's coat.
A breeze picked up, startling her. Janice looked up at the branches shaking in a nearby tree. Petals fell from the blossoms and were swept away in the air. Janice watched them disappear over the bare, brown boulders. Despite the warmth of the sun and earth, and the steam coming from the spring, Janice could not suppress a shiver.
Has something truly been lifted? Or is this nothing more than the calm before the storm?
&&&
Rumiko's surprise was a basket full of triangle shaped rice ball treats. The rice balls were made from sticky rice, shaped into triangles then grilled. Sometimes fish or even a piece of fruit was placed in the center of the rice ball. Rumiko proved to have prowess in the kitchen, if not common sense.
Hellboy bit a rice ball. Something bright red and sticky was exposed with his bite. What ever it was, it was the color and consistency of colligating blood and stained the rice in the center pink. Hellboy winced as the sticky mouthful worked its way down his stomach.
"It's a Swedish fish," Rumiko exclaimed. "I made it myself!"
From the corner of his eye, Hellboy watched Janice spit a half-chewed red mouthful into the round vase of a bonsai tree.
"It's delicious," Hellboy said, "look, Rumi-san, what is that?"
"What is what?" Rumiko said, turning away. Hellboy hid the remains of the rice ball in one of his pockets.
"Never mind," Hellboy said.
Three months later he could not figure out why his coat smelt so bad.
&&&
A storm was brewing over the small town. Every so often a gust of wind would blow over the roof of the house, shaking the rafters. The wind outside howled loudly. Though it did not rain yet, leaves, papers, and light objects were thrown wildly through the air like downpour.
Hellboy sat on the floor of his room, fiddling with a blockish radio transmitter trying to get a hold of one of the American Army bases along the shore, or at least a radio station. The electric had gone out in the house an hour ago. No one was sure if a monsoon was coming in or a squall or a very severe thunderstorm. All electric had gone in the town, and the disturbance effected all radios. The BPRD members were just as lost as the villagers.
"Damn," Hellboy swore as the rusty electric battery finally conked out for the radio. "I don't have crap. The transmitters aren't working with all this disturbance."
There was a flurry outside, as if pebbles were pouring down from the sky and raining down on the roof. Rain fell and hit hard, scraping away the earth on impact. In the darkness of the evening, Hellboy could not tell if it really was pebbles falling from the sky or just plain rain. It was unspeakably dark.
"I don't have anything either," Janice spoke up, from her half warm bowl of ramen noodles.
"Shit," Hellboy said. "We're stuck here until…"
Thunderclap overhead, the building shook.
He continued, "until we get hold of some American outpost, or some transport service to get us out of here."
"Aw, you're going to break your littlest fan's heart," Janice jibed. She looked around the room. "Speaking of which…where is she?"
Hellboy, who had taken the back of the radio off and began to pull the wires out, looked up. "Yeah, where is Rumi-san?"
The door slid open. Yoko, holding a tray covered in dishes, looked in. She was just walking pass when she overheard of Hellboy and Janice's conversation. "What do you mean she is not with you?"
"Honest, she's not in here," Hellboy answered.
Yoko dropped the tray. "Rumi! Rumiko!"
Yoko ran down the hall way, sliding open doors. "Rumiko! Oh no!"
Yoko came to the last room in the hallway, Rumiko's room. She flung open the door with such force the door came off of the hinges. Yoko stood there, staring blankly at the wall, illuminated by a lantern. There was the stand for Rumiko's hina dolls. The emperor and empress seated on the top shelf of the stand. All the dolls appeared to be in their proper place. However, Hellboy noticed a gap between two dolls.
"The Geisha Doll is missing," Hellboy stated. "Rumiko had it down at the hot springs, the last time I saw it."
"But she wouldn't go down to the hot springs, would she?"
"Her slicker is not here," Yoko exclaimed, shining the light in the closet. "Neither is her umbrella."
"Damn," Hellboy snarled. Thunder crashed outside, alighting the room in an almost unnatural white light.
There was a lull in the tempest outside. The rain fell against the roof lightly, the wind blew softly. It was still black outside, and the sky was the darkest black Hellboy had ever seen. He recalled Bruttenholm, his father, speaking of the night in which Hellboy was called to earth, the unnatural darkness and behavior of the sky. The sight brought a shiver of either remembrance or premonition up Hellboy's spine.
"That was not natural," Hellboy stated at the sudden calmness. It came in on the wind…
Ichi…
Ni…
San…
It echoed through the house, circling the trio.
"Oh no," Janice said, her voice fading as the storm returned to its earlier rage.
"Shit," Hellboy grumbled along with the swelling thunder. He turned to Yoko, "Stay here at all costs! Don't leave this building. This goes for you too Janice!"
Hooves clomping on the wooden floor, Hellboy raced out the door, grabbing his coat off of coat hanger, yanking it down in the process. Rumiko's grandfather came out of the dining room where he and his wife were heating up a pot of tea over a plate warmer. In one hand, he held large spotlight flashlight. Hellboy, one arm in his coat, seized the heavy blockish flashlight from the man's bony hands.
"I'll give it back!" he shouted over the stormy din, attempting to pull his large right hand through the wider sleeve of his coat. "I promise!"
Hellboy flung open the door. The door smacked against the side of the house, the hinges snapped from the combined forces of Hellboy's right hand and the fury of the wind.
It was so dark outside that the wind, glittering with the beads of silver rain, the size of tear drops, was the only thing visible. Hellboy pushed through the storm, holding the heavy light in his left hand and using his right hand as a shield against the stinging rain.
"RUMI! RUMIKO! ARE YOU OUT HERE?"
Lightning crashed. Hellboy could hear the deluge of rain running down the mountain side.
"RUMIKO!"
Hachi…
"RUMI-SAN!"
There was a whimper. "I'm stuck. Help me!"
It was barely audible, but it came in the direction of the hot springs, in the direction of the voice. Hellboy sprinted to the hot springs, throwing all his energy in his legs. His boots left gaping gashes in the thick mud, tearing up the earth.
Kyuu…kyuu…kyuu…
Someone started to cry, a voice much older than Rumiko. Hellboy could hear it as he bounded up the hillside leading to the hot springs. The crying continued for half a minute, then the counting continued, perforated by sobs.
Ichi…
Ni…
San…
Dammit, it was her third time counting, which did not leave much time for Hellboy or Rumiko. Hellboy came to the barren spot before the hot springs. In the center of the flat grounds was a glowing apparitions of a young girl tied to a thick, crude post. The young girl wore an intricate hairstyle, intricate, yet lacking any of the ornaments worn by richer, older women. Her clothing was a simple, light blue and white kimono, fully lit by her ghostly light. In front of her were nine, flat glowing disks, spread out in a half circle around her. She was bound at the feet to the pole and one hand as well was tied. The free hand counted the brightly glowing disks. Hellboy could just barely distinguish the flowers and birds typical of Dutch artwork.
Shi…
Go…
Hellboy spotted movement behind the apparition. Rumiko peered from between two large boulders. She was dressed in a bright yellow slicker, now covered in mud. Her one foot was up, her galosh and foot stuck between the two boulders. The handle of her umbrella stuck out of the mud as did the white hand of her doll.
"Hellboy…" she whimpered, her voice half choked with tears and rain. "I'm scared; please don't let her hurt me. Help me."
"Don't worry kid," Hellboy said. "You're in good hands."
"HELP ME! IT HURTS! MAKE HER GO AWAY!" Rumi screeched, trying to pull her foot out, but it was jammed tight. She cried hysterically, collapsing, covering her ears. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"
Hellboy charged towards Rumi, and then he was thrown back. He felt like he ran into a brick wall…and the brick wall pushed back. Hellboy fell onto his stomach, his face covered in liquid mud. A freaking force field! The apparition kept counting, unaware of Hellboy and Rumi.
Roku…
Shichi…
Hachi..
Between each number was a sniffle, building in strength as the ghostly girl counted. She was almost on nine, she was almost on nine in her countdown, her third countdown.
Hellboy gritted his teeth and reached into his coat pocket. He won't make it to Rumi in time. Life didn't flash before Hellboy's eyes. What did flash was, is this really the end? After dealing with Viking beserkers, Bigfoot, werewolves, bunyip, ghosts, possessions, lake monsters, vampires, this is his end…to have his brain explode? To die failing to protect a child that he promised to keep safe. In his mind, the bones of children eaten by Baba Yaga, those he could not save, blurred his vision. In his mind, children did not deserve to die, especially like this.
Hellboy's hand closed on something hard. He clenched it so hard that it hurt his palm.
The young girl's head lowered as she came to the last dish. She threw her head to the sky, where a rift opened up to reveal the clear night sky, tears streaming like the rain down her pale neck, as white as porcelain tinged blue with hypothermia. Her shoulders and torso grew limp as her head and neck stiffened with the cry. Rumi, her face wrinkled in fear
Kyuu…kyuu…ky—
"JUU!" Hellboy screamed over the din.
The ghost now seemed aware of her companions. She looked up, dark eyes registering the mud coated hanyou before her. The ninth dish rested between tiny hands, just a little bigger than Rumiko's hands. The storm began to dissipate above them.
Juu?
The voice was soft, like a lark or sparrow, sweet and light, disappearing in the weakening wind. Her eyes blinked as her fingers played along the edge of the dish. The dishes stopped glowing. Hellboy could clearly see the Dutch designs, tulips in bright orange, birds in bold yellow and reds, and intricate woven borders.
"JUU! DAMMIT, JUU!" Hellboy, still laying on his stomach exclaimed.
Hellboy sat up, smiling, as best and clearly he could with his teeth coated in the viscous mud. He held up what he found in his pocket, it wasn't his gun though. It was Rumi's plate, the white, tiny dish painted in blue with birds.
"Juu," Hellboy said, flipping the plate over like a Frisbee. "Juu."
The ghost smiled as she picked up the dish, significantly smaller than the massive Dutch plates. She smiled, ear to ear as the land clear up and the sun broke through the storm clouds. Juu…
The dishes floated into her hands. The sunlight fell onto her and she was gone. From the calmness of the land a voice called out.
Juu…juu…juu…
&&&
Ni (two) months later…
Janice was standing by the Coca-Cola machine drinking a can of Coca-Cola through a straw when Hellboy walked passed with a huge brown paper wrapped box in his arms.
"Fan mail?" Janice asked with a smirk.
"No, this is going out," Hellboy said.
"Some relics?" Janice asked, naturally curious. Her own office was filled relics and statues as well as her encyclopedias. "Sending them to the British museum?"
"No, this is for a small village around Kyoto Japan," Hellboy said.
"Japan? What are you sending there?"
"There's a little girl in Japan with a broken, messy Geisha doll and tea set with a missing dish and a broken ankle," Hellboy answered. "She needs some cheering up."
"So what did you get her?"
"A Raggedy Ann and Andy Doll with a Loony Tunes tin tea set," Hellboy answered.
"You got her those?"
"You should have seen me in the store," Hellboy answered dryly.
Janice's jaw dropped. "Well that's one adventure with you I'd rather not be on."
Hellboy shook his head and set the box down on the mail counter. Written on the top of the box was To Rumiko Sakai, my biggest fan. Not quite as easy as Ichi, Ni, San…
The Legend behind the Story: The original legend is called "Twelve Dishes" a few years ago I came across it in my high school's library. The story follows the basics of the legend. A lord wants a young slave girl, and she turns down his advances. In the legend, he hides a dish, and when she cannot come up with the missing dish, he takes her to a clearing and has her beheaded. The hot spring was my completely my own making. The next night after her beheading the ghost of the murdered girl appears and cries, and cries, and cries as she tries to count to twelve, but can't. This goes on for many months, and no one can get any sleep. No priest can exorcise her restless spirit. She keeps crying and counting, denying the village of a decent night's sleep. One day a local wise man is passing through as the girl is counting. When she gets to eleven, he screams "TWELVE!" The girl disappears. The hot spring, the brain exploding screams, and the tea set dish all are products of my warped mind.
A special thanks to Epalladino for pointing out the mistakes in the story.