A/N: Sorry for the long in-between updates.
Chapter three
When I walked into the Mishuko there was a surprising showdown going on. Last night two of the henro had agreed that they would be going on up to the bangai. Apparently upon waking up one of the henro had changed his mind…. Much to the disgust of the other…. The situation being that the one who was still going was loudly berating the poor henro who had lost his nerve when he had woken up and seen the fog. The poor innkeeper's wife was wringing her hands and seemed to be hovering over the two men who were yelling at each other.
"Please," she said hand out trying to intercede. "O-henro-san we know for a fact that the fog is the most dangerous time for you to travel up to the bangai! Please reconsider!"
"No! I am here for my pilgrimage and I do not walk alone!" With that the henro left. Leaving us and the rest of the henro left to give each other bewildered and upset glances. A much subdued group sat down for breakfast. We finished filing in and took our own seats.
Thankfully breakfast had just started and we didn't have to have cold rice. I know strange to worry about that after the scene we just witnessed but is especially important considering the simple breakfast of sashimi and rice and egg. How it works is that you crack a raw egg over the hot rice and it is cooked and scrambled into the rice as you stir it with your chopsticks. If you have lukewarm or cold rice then you end up with slimy rice to eat.
Once breakfast was completed we went outside and watched the rest of the henro set out on the main trail to the next temple. All but the last completely avoided looking at the trail that would split up to the bangai (and our campsite). That last man had been the man that had changed his mind over night. Bou-san ran to catch up with him.
"If you don't mind my asking, why HAVE you changed your mind?"
The man looked sadly at Bou-san. "We have all heard that only those who truly don't walk alone have lived on that trail… Sadly I am still searching and praying. I do not feel as confident as that other man. I still have too much prayer and meditation to complete." He shook his head sadly and then straightening up and squaring his shoulders he too set out. Not with a quick sure step but a firm and steady step.
We all watched him and then left ourselves to go back to camp. Thankfully by now the fog had begun to burn away in the sun and I felt nothing ominous in the disappearing wisps of fog. When we got back to camp Lin went to check the equipment while the rest of us sat down around the campfire to drink some tea and finally have Naru explain more about our ghost hunt.
"We are here to discover the cause of the deaths in the fog. As the henro-san had described these circumstances only happen under certain situations. It must be foggy. The fog lasts much longer on the trail as opposed to quickly burning off in the village. Normally I would not take such a case. It has all the earmarking of superstition backed by some back-water villager. However since we were approached by a reputable source we will trust him when he says that the temple has already looked into it from that angle. They have also tried to exercise the ghost. However because they can not pinpoint the ghost down the exorcism has done nothing."
"How do they know it isn't simply that the o-henro have lost their way on the trail and fell off? In the fog and in certain places on the trail it could certainly happen…" John asked.
"Good question, however the monk has assured me that they too have looked into that. They have sent their own onto the trail to test the rumors. The ones who made it back all agreed that something had been their in the fog weighing them. Some of the monks did not make it back…"
Bou-san interceded, "I take it this only happens to the henro when they are alone?"
Naru shook his head. "Actually it has happened to groups as well. Groups being unusual because the pilgrimage itself seems to encourage you to be by yourself, but some of the henro have tried to go up within a group. The surviving henro have said that it was like a great wind lifted the henro up and threw them down the mountain. After that the stories that only those henro who don't "walk alone" or are most holy can walk this part of the pilgrimage and survive. I don't know if that is true but I wouldn't be surprised if that part was made up by the surviving henro as a means of reassurance to themselves."
"Neh Naru, do you suppose that it has something to do with being spiritually aware? Or faithful? Earlier Bou-san, Ayako and John didn't feel the ghost in the fog… You, Lin, Masako and myself however did…" I could help but question that strange occurrence.
He nodded. "Very good Mai, I was wondering if anyone else had noticed it as well."
Going a step further because I had a compliment! "But why wouldn't they feel it at all?"
"Don't know yet, that is the part of the ghost hunt we need to discover."
Suddenly Lin called out "Naru! Come and see this!"
Naru got up swiftly and we all exchanged glances before we too ran after him to the monitors. The few cameras that had been placed yesterday had been put right around the trail that lined up next to a steep drop off into a gorge. It was there that we could see the henro from this morning looking around stalled on the trail. He seemed very nervous there in the fog that swirled lightly around him. He bowed and looked as though he was feverously praying over his walking stick. Suddenly a great wind picked him up and threw him screaming down into the fog that swirled over the gorge. We could hear his scream long past our last visual of him before it suddenly cut off.
I exchanged horrified glances with Masako. With tears in my eyes I turned around and left the tent. I could feel the others watching me. I went and sat next to the fire and poured myself a fresh cup of tea. The others joined me minus Lin and Naru who kept running over and over the footage of the man who had just died. We around the campfire had a moment of silence.
Later that afternoon after the fog had completely burned away from the gorge we went up the trail to place more equipment. Naru insisted that we add heat sensors to the video camera's already set up and then cameras at all intervals that were next to the gorge or low-lying ground. It was the first time I got to go up the trail. The feel of the spring sun was warm in my hair and early birds and insects called through the woods. The hike up the trail with the camera's was a welcome change of exercise from sitting around camp.
When I came around the bend I could see Naru. His black clothing stirring in the wind and he stared down into the gorge. He looked like a dark angel, contemplative and beautiful. Masako bumped into me from behind. "Get moving Mai!" She looked up and saw Naru. "Oh!" blushed and then looked away. I couldn't find it in me to be upset that she noticed him as well, damn him for being so good looking!
"Good you are finally here. Set up the heat camera's here. This is where the man fell off the cliffside. Bou-san and Mai, go further up the trail. I want camera's to be set up at the bangai as well."
I was strangely shocked to realize that this is where the man had fallen off. We had of course informed the local law enforcement of the death. But because this has happened so much in the past they just shrugged and said that they would find his body later down the river if at all. The river at the bottom of this gorge was deep and swift. Often the old farmers of the valley had used this gorge as a way to get rid of trash. It was all swept down and out to sea. And as one man had said they have looked into the deaths many times, but could find no human suspect. They were content to let us conduct our spiritual investigation.
This seemed interesting and strange to me. Perhaps because they still live in the rural country they are more willing to accept that there are somethings that happen outside of their "control" unlike the city officials who always want to have a suspect, preferably human and accountable. But it was nice to know that in a way we had the backing of the law behind us as opposed to them watching us suspiciously.
Bou-san and I continued up the trail with our camera's. Out of the corner of my eye I watched Naru standing like a guardian over the gorge until I could see him no more. Bou-san and I continued up the trail through the deep shadows of the forest. No words were exchange really, we were huffing and puffing, breath being saved for the heavy work of hiking and carrying equipment. The good news is that these cameras were extra special (and expensive as Naru had chided me) the video feeds from these camera's were satellite. So we didn't have to worry about cables, just had to have enough battery power. The video would bounce off of satellites and then come back to our equipment back in base. We only had a few of these camera's and they were for the spots farthest from camp. I think Naru got them especially for this hunt because the distances were so long. The houses we usually worked from not having such a distance issue.
Finally we reached the bangai. Immediately after passing the guardians at the entrance I felt amazing. Like an annoying itch at the back of my neck had been scratched. I immediately understood that something had been watching me! I turned around and looked into the deceptively sunny innocent forest that surrounded the bangai. Fear gelled the sweat that had collected on my body. For some reason this ghost had started to watch me beyond the fog…