The neverending lights of the city faded away as Taro became enveloped in the blackness of the forbidden forest. The thickness of the dark blanketed him as he couldn't see anything in front of him. It was silent, very hauntingly silent. As if one sense was robbed, but the others became heightened. It was very disorienting, scaring the already fearful Taro. Like ears of a wolf, the soft wave of branches and the crackling of dead leaves felt heavy to his eardrum.
His nose was sensitized by the loam of the Earth and its decomposing leaves. Any source of life that made its presence faded away; living life that was. The blackness nurtured a feeling of claustrophobia inside him knowing that the many miles of the forest became endless. One thing was for certain. He was in the forest and he could not leave; unless he retrieved what he was looking for.
When he turned around, he found himself no longer in the woods, but in the main corridor of the abandoned shrine. Unlike the last time where he met the hallway and blacked out, he was alert. Without any mirrors present, he wasn't even sure if he was eight or eighteen. He did know that he had a certain acquaintanceship with these woods and this shrine has an entrapment on him.
The further he went down the hallway, the narrower it became. He saw the unevenness of the foundation, as the knotted roots of the forest returned to reclaim its property. There was no map or any source of guidance to follow. Even if there were, the perpetual darkness created hinderance. Without a lamp or even form of lighting, his sight became a liability.
He wanted to turn around and go home. He no longer wanted to be under this excruciating torment. Then what would his classmates think? Would he remain the coward that they knew he was? Would he be a laughing stock? His parents wanted him so hard to make friends. They desperately wanted Taro to fit in with his peers. He swallowed his pride and ventured on. Now if it wasn't for himself, then it would have been for his parents.
He cautiously walked through the hallway. The only sounds he could hear where the echoing of his footsteps. Creaking loudly like screams from an owl. The lump in his throat wanted to spew over in forms of tears, but he refused to submit himself there; not yet at least. Suddenly, at the corner of the hallway where it looked that it divided, there was a faint light flickering. He carefully edged to the corner; doing his best in not alerting anyone of his being here.
Slowly peeking at the corner, he discovered the flickering light to be a lantern hanging from the wall. The small flame, flickering as if it had a miniscule purpose, danced within the encased glass. Needing it as aid, Taro took the lantern. Now having light, he proceed onto the other hallway which led to a spiral staircase. He sighed as he went down the staircase to parts unknown.
How long was the staircase? How long was he walking? Where there be an end to this? Thoughts like that hit his mind as he continued the never-ending descent down the staircase. He continued until he saw a flickering light ahead. "Finally, a way out!" He said to himself as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He raised his eyebrow when he realized that he had already been here. He recognized the lantern hanging from the wall. He then realized that the lantern he had was gone. The lantern he retrieved earlier was still on the wall.
No longer wanting to deal with this tirade, he decided to head back to the main corridor. When he turned around, the hallway was gone. The only direction he had no choice was to go down the spiral staircase. He ventured down the same stairs from before hoping that we had seen was a figment of his imagination. When he made the descent, he was in the same place where he had started.
Fearing for the worse, he ran down the staircase until he founded himself back at the beginning. He decided to go back up the stairs to see if there was a difference. When he made his ascent towards the beginning, it remained the same. "I am stuck," he said while panicking. "No matter if I go upstairs or downstairs, I keep going to the same spot. Just the damn lantern flickering and hovering over me. It's the only damn light in this God-forsaken place."
"Taro." A eerie voice called his name from somewhere in the distance. The voice was faint and ominous. "Taro," said the now childlike voice followed by a chuckle.
"Who's there," cried Taro. His legs began trembling and his teeth were chattering. "Keep your grip, Taro. I am just fatigued. Yeah, that's right. I am fine. Remember, rationalization over emotions. Keep control."
"Taro," cried the voice. That name sent a chill over Taro as he felt the breath of those words hitting from the back of his neck. He quickly turned around and there was nothing. Nothing, but blackness.
"Taro, dear Taro," cried the voice. "I am glad you have returned, my dear Taro." The voice was hauntingly close. The voice cried in both happiness and laughter. "What kind of game do you want to play? What kind of game do you want to play?"
As he turned again, right in front of him was the source of the voice. It appeared to be a ghost, or a youkai in Japanese mythology. The ghost was dressed in black gown. Her long black hair descended to the floor. Although he couldn't see her face, but she wore a white mask that was covered by a veil. He knew it was the same apparition that he witnessed at the bookstore.
"What do you want to play? What do you want to play?" The voice cracked again in a childlike manner.
Without any hesitation, Taro made a thunderous yell as fear enveloped him in front of this strange creature. He continued until he felt a cool, soft finger touching his life.
"Please, don't make such a stir," said the ghost. "You are a good boy. So please don't make too much noise."
Taro couldn't move. His whole body was stiff by the moment he made contact with the ghost.
"I am so glad that you are back, Taro. I terribly missed you so! I hope that you have come back to stay. It would make me happy. We can be together forever and ever."
Taro tried his muster to speak, but it was interrupted when he felt the cold, dead palms of the ghost stroke his cheek.
"I hate to see my dear Taro in a mess. It seems that you don't recognize me," said the ghost. "We used to have so much fun together back when you are young child. You were so precious to me."
"We have met before," asked Taro.
"Oh, yes we have," said the ghost as she continued stroking his cheek. Taro wanted to flinch, but was unable to. He felt how cold her hand was and the texture of her skin felt like rubber. "Many, many times in the past. But, alas, you are no longer a child, aren't you, dear."
Taro said nothing. He did not know what to say. Here he was stuck in a position with a ghost that claimed that they are familiar with each other. What made it more damning was that he was not the eight year child that ventured into those woods, but at his current age.
"But that is okay," said the ghost as he interrupted his thought. "Since you are an adult. I think it is safe to play an adult game. Would you mind that, my dear Taro."
Taro looked away, but her hand grabbed his chin and made him look at her. "You were such a pretty child to me, Taro. Now you are a pretty boy. Now, follow me this way. It is okay. I won't hurt you. We will play our games. You always did like our games. Right, my spring chicken."
My spring chicken.
My spring chicken.
My spring chicken.
Taro screamed loudly as he woke up from his horrid nightmare. He swinged his fist and gnashed his teeth before falling off of his bed. He should be grateful that the thunderous sound of the rain outside blanketed his scenic tantrum.
He looked up and saw his ceiling. The rain made its shadows as it danced from his window. The cold sweat of his nightmare was shown all over his clothes. When he came to the bed, he felt the cold sweat soaked through his sheets as well. He sat on the bed to reach out for a box of tissue on his nightstand.
Taro wanted to cry as his "attacks" were becoming more frequent. This was the first time in which it had occurred in his sleep. Finding a solution to alleviate the pain, he asked his mother to borrow some medication from his father. One of the pills was an active ingredient for night terrors. His mother knew and her eyes were filled with worry that the "attacks" have returned. She mentioned before he went to bed that he was going to see a doctor. He hasn't been to a doctor for quite some time. He knew how worrisome his mother and now his father were becoming of him, he submitted himself to their will. That was the kind of love he had for his parents.
He took the medication and chased it with a bottle of water he kept by his nightstand. He leaned against the bedpost to collect his thoughts. He whispered a prayer for these "attacks" or standstills. "The devil is hard at work." He said to himself as he pulled up the covers.
Not long after that, he heard a knock at the door. It was a faint knock, followed by three fainter knocks. He knew it was the signal that his younger sister, Honoka, was at the door. He made three quick knocks from his nightstand, allowing her entry into the room.
The door opened slowly, quiet enough to not disturb the other residents of the tiny apartment. Standing before Taro was his younger sister, Hanako. Hanako was a cute young woman. Often nicknamed his twin because on how similar they looked. She shared the same black hair and black eyes. If Taro looked more feminine and had longer hair, then he would be virtually his sister.
Tonight, she was not her usual cheery, upbeat self. Instead, she put on a worrisome face. Her black eyes twinkled from his point of view. She was wearing an overworn pink nightgown. The skirt stopped to her knees. On a normal night, she wore pajamas. Since their mother has not laundried, she wore what she had leftover. She stroked the back of her hair that extended to the top of her shoulder. She even tried to produce a fake smile. Taro knew she was putting on an act. To lessen the awkwardness, Taro broke the silence.
"Hey, sis," said Taro.
"Hi," said Hanako. Hanako remained still at the foot of his bed. Taro wished that she could throw away the worn nightgown. However, she won't. It was because it was the nightgown that Taro picked for her on her 14th birthday. The nightgown featured her favorite anime character, but since then, the character faded out.
"Would you like to keep me company for a while," asked Taro. He opened his blanket and patted the available side of the bed. Without hesitation, Hanako climbed into bed and lied on the pillow beside her older brother. She got herself comfortable and snuggled herself next to him. He quickly felt her warmth and her body, but it did not mattered.
"Comfortable," asked Taro.
"Yes," said Hanako.
Taro did not mind the company, especially after the nightmare that he had. It was not the first time to have nightmares like that. He had suffered from night terrors back when he was a child. As always, his sister would be by his side and comfort him until daybreak. It bought him comfort on how dependable and reliant his younger sister was.
However, at seventeen years old, Hanako Yamada was a clingy young woman. A class beauty at her school, she has attracted fans through her high school, her former high school, and the locals in their neighborhood. How could he forget the handful of love letters he received in his locker for his sister. At one point, suitors would stop him to relay messages to Hanako. Rather be a boy or a girl, Hanako was the apple of many's eyes, including her parents.
There were not any favorites in the family, but Hanako was given leniency than Taro. Taro thinks that it is because she is the younger child and more manageable than he was growing up. With his ailments of his childhood, he was more of a handful. Despite his upbringing and "shortcomings," Hanako was always on his side. She was devoted to her brother and her brother, alone. With that, came responsibility and consequences.
"Big brother," asked Hanako. "I heard you scream again. Was it one of your night terrors?"
Taro shook his head in disagreement.
"Was it the standstill again," asked Hanako.
Taro nodded his head. Hanako wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. She pressed her face against his chest before kissing him on his neck. "I am sorry, big brother. Sorry I was not there to stop you from having these bad dreams."
There was nothing that could be done, especially for her sake. However, it felt good to know that he was loved and supported. Even if it came from a ditzy, clingy younger sister.
"I am fine, sis, trust me," said Taro. "It was a nightmare, that's all. I am okay."
"I still don't like when you get them, big brother," said Hanako. "Very scary, for me, and for you."
"Don't you worry," said Taro rubbing his head on his sister. "I am fine. Remember what I told you. If have any of those nightmares, come into my room and stay with me. That's all I want you to do."
"Okay, big brother," said Hanako.
There was silence for a few moments until Hanako broke the silence.
"Taro, have you been having these attacks recently," asked Hanako with a tone of worry.
"Yes," said Taro simply.
"No, no, no," said Hanako as she tugged the comforter. She looked at Taro before looking away. "I wish it would stop. I wish it did."
"Hanako," said Taro. That was all he could say. What more could he say?
"I can't wait until I go to college so I can become a doctor," said Hanako. "I will find what I need to find a cure for you, big brother. I don't want you to die. I need you. I don't want you to end up like Michiko."
"I won't end up like Michiko," said Taro. "Have some faith in me. With yourself." He noticed the red-hearted clip on the left side of her hair. "You remembered the time when we went to the mall back in Osaka on that field trip in middle school."
"How could I forget? We saw so many things. It was awesome!" Hanako jumped with excitement. It was also a great subject changer as Taro didn't want to talk any further about his standstills or night terrors. "We went to that amusement park and I took pictures with their mascot. We sang karaoke. We played video games. You took me everywhere."
"Yes we did," said Taro. "Don't forget when we were fighting for that iPad at that crane machine."
"Dude, we were so close," said Hanako. "But in the end, we got that hairclip."
"That's right," said Taro. "It was the very hairclip that you are rocking now."
"You gave it to me," said Hanako.
"It was a symbol of our undying relationship as brother and sister," said Taro smiling. "No matter what happens to me, I will always be there. It is because I love you, sis."
"I love you, too, big brother," said Hanako. "Please don't get married."
"Such a sudden change of subject," cried Taro. "I am not worried about marriage right now. You can relax. I don't want you to marry right now anyway."
"No worries, big brother. I am the bride to my brother," said Hanako in excitement.
Taro blushed at that. Osana was right about his sister after all. My God, she is such a brocon!
Hanako began yawning. Taro knew she was fighting her sleepiness. He knew she was getting close. "Get some rest, little sis. Talk to you in the morning." He adjusted his blanket to provide Hanako with extra warmth.
"Sweet dreams," said Hanako.
"Night," said Taro.
"Big brother."
"Yeah."
"You forgot something."
"Oh yeah, that's right."
"You always do it so you won't get anymore bad dreams."
"Alright."
Taro intertwined his hands with Hanako. He closed his eyes as he felt his lips in contact with Hanako's lips. Although he has yet to have his first kiss; technically, he has kissed two girls in his life: Osana and Hanako. Unlike the dare he had with Osana in their childhood, the kiss he shared with his sister was mutual love. He did not have any insestous feelings for his sister. Unsure about her, he knew that he was comfortable to share that kind of love with her. Hanako enveloped his for a few seconds before releasing it.
"Bad dreams go away," said Hanako in a sing-song. Hanako turned over and went to sleep.
Taro remained awake so he could gather his thoughts. He turned the night lamp and positioned it so he would not wake his sister. He pulled out a book from his nightstand drawer and began reading it. He continued until he fell asleep, with back in hand, beside his sister.
