Shin Sekai yori

For a little longer, I shall continue talking of my childhood.

In Kamisu 66, children must begin attending elementary school at the age of 6. The one I went to was called Harmony Elementary "Wakien".[1] There were two more identical schools in the town with the names Friendship Elementary "Yuuaien" and Virtue Elementary "Tokuikuen".

At that time, the population of Kamisu 66 was a little over 3000 people. Later, after some investigation, I came to understand that under the education systems of ancient times, the presence of three such schools in a town of this size would have been very unusual. However, this itself is an extremely eloquent indicative characteristic of the true nature of the society I was born and raised in. As another example, I understand that in the same time period, approximately half of the adults who comprised society were, for whatever reason, engaged in some form of education or training.

It seems hard to imagine how this could be practical for a society operating under a monetary economy. However, based on a foundation of cooperation and services rendered free of charge, our town never had any such thing as currency from the very beginning, and an arrangement was established in which, when a field is truly needed, capable people naturally turn to it.

Harmony Elementary was located about 20 minutes walk from my home. It could be reached much more quickly by use of the waterways but, for a child, the only way to propel the boat was to row with large heavy oars, so walking was always easier.

The Elementary Schools were built in quiet locations slightly removed from the city center. Harmony Elementary was located a short distance south of Chinowa village. The school building was an old one-story wooden building with a black l.u.s.ter to it, constructed in the shape of the letter "A". At the entryway, which was located at the horizontal bar of the A, the first thing that grabs the eye is a framed sign hanging on the front wall containing the Chinese Characters "以和為貴"[2] The pa.s.sage, which is the first line of a 17-part const.i.tution written by an ancient prince named Shoutoku Taishi,[3] is said to be properly read as "Harmony is to be valued above all." This seems to be the origin of the name Harmony Elementary , but where the characters for Friendship Elementary "Yuuaien" and Virtue Elementary "Tokuikuen" were taken from is unknown to me. *link to info on the characters used*

The rest of the horizontal bar consisted of staff rooms and cla.s.s rooms and, advancing right along the corridor, one comes to the right vertical rod in which many cla.s.srooms were lined up. If all of the schools" students were a.s.sembled there would probably have been just 500 or so, but I think there were more than 20 cla.s.srooms in all. The left side of the vertical bar was the management building, which students were forbidden to enter.

On the campus at the forward side of the A shaped school building was a sports field, which had horizontal bars and other playground equipment, as well as an enclosure where many different animals were raised. These included Chickens, Ducks, Rabbits, and Hamsters. The looking after of the animals was done by a duty system that the students had come to use. At the corner of the campus, a white painted wooden "stevenson screen"[1] box stood alone. Its purpose remains unknown to me. In all of the six years in which I attended Harmony Elementary, not once did I ever see it used for anything.

The inner yard enclosed by the three school buildings was an extremely mysterious place. Students were strictly forbidden to enter, and there were no tasks that required one to go there.

Aside from in the Administration Building there were no windows facing the courtyard, and, unless one happened to be present by chance at a time when the teaching staff opened the door leading to it, there was no way to catch a glimpse of it.

".....so, what do you think was in the inner courtyard?"
Satoru, a faintly ominous smile appearing on his face, looked around at everyone as we all held our breath.

"Wait a minute. There"s no way Satoru would have seen it, right?"
I said, finally unable to bear the excessive tension Satoru was drawing out.

"Well, I didn"t see it first hand. But, there is a witness who saw it perfectly."
Satoru interrupted, an offended look appearing on his face.

"Who?"

"No one you would know Saki"

"Is it not a student?"

"It"s a student, but one that already graduated"

"What, really?"
I said, openly showing my distrust.

"Hey, that kind of thing doesn"t matter, so hurry up and tell us what he saw."
Said Maria. From all around, noises of agreement were made.

"Yeah. well, people who don"t want to believe me don"t have to listen, but....."
Said Satoru, sarcastically glancing my way. I pretended not to notice. It would have been okay to walk away at this point but I still wanted to hear the rest.

"At times when students are present, the teachers absolutely never open the door leading to the courtyard right? That oak wood door in front of the administration building. But, this one time, it seems by chance they opened the door without making sure that no one was behind them."

"We already heard that part!"
Ken pointed out.

"And what was in there was..... unbelievably, a huge number of, gravestones!"
He was obviously just showing off, but everyone got caught up as though it were interesting.

"Woah....."

"No way."

"Creepy"

Maria covered her ears with both hands in an exaggerated fashion.

Thinking this was getting quite stupid I asked.
"But, whose graves are they?"

"Eh?"
The horror story being far more effective than expected, a complacent smile on his face, Satoru seemed as though worn hallow.

"I mean, that huge number of graves, who do they all belong to?"

"That kind of thing, I have no idea. At any rate, it was a staggering number of graves that were there."

"Why would anyone ever feel the need to place graves in a school"s courtyard of all places?"

"Like I said, I don"t know such details."
Satoru was being extremely unfair in that he seemed intent on persisting in pa.s.sing off all of the things he could not explain with the reasoning that it was just hearsay so he could not be expected to know more.

".....By any chance, might they be the graves of students?"
At Ken"s words everyone fell silent.

"Students? From when? And how did that many of them die?"
Maria asked in a low voice.

"I don"t know, but I"ve heard there are people who disappear along the way, never graduating from Harmony Elementary....."
In all three of our town"s elementary schools, students were admitted together each year as a group, but, for reasons that will be explained later, was done "early summer rain" style.??? However, feeling for some reason or another that Ken"s words this time were touching on a deep taboo, everyone came to be at a loss for words.

At that time, Shun, who had been a few seats away reading a book, turned towards us. With the light from the window showing through them, one could tell that his eyelashes were very long.

"There was nothing like graves inside."
Everyone felt as though saved by Shun"s words, but, suddenly, serious doubts arose.

"What do you mean, they weren"t there? How do you know that?"
I carelessly asked Shun, expressing what everyone was thinking.

"The time I saw it, there was nothing like that inside."

"Eh?"

"Shun saw it?"

"Really?"

"You"re kidding?"
As though a dam had broken, everyone"s questions poured out. His place in the spotlight having been stolen, Satoru alone seemed to become haggard.

"I didn"t really want to talk about it. Last year, there was a time when hardly anyone had their homework ready on time. The science cla.s.s free observation a.s.signment. I was asked by the teacher to collect the a.s.signments from everyone and bring them to the administration building."
Everyone forgot to breathe as they awaited Shun"s next words, but Shun took his time placing a bookmark between the pages of the book he had been reading.

"It was a room with many books in it and from the windows one could see the courtyard. However, what I saw there, was a somewhat strange thing. In any case, it wasn"t a bunch of graves."

It seemed as though he intended to end the story at that point. About 10 questions came to my mind, but I restrained myself, taking a long slow breath.

"Don"t mess with us."
Satoru blurted out, in a voice more disturbing than I had ever heard from him before.

"What exactly do you mean by Strange? At least try to explain it properly!"
I thought this was arrogant for one who had himself given no explanation, but I wanted to hear Shun"s answer too, so I didn"t meddle.

"Hmm. How best to describe it. Within a s.p.a.cious place, were these brick storage room like things with tiled roofs. About five of them were lined up in a row. Each one had a large wooden door attached to the front."
Shun"s answer had not really explained anything, but it had a strange feeling of truth to it. Satoru clicked his tongue, obviously no longer wanting to go any more deeply into the matter.

"So, Satoru. What did that graduated student say he saw?"
As I continued to rub it in, Satoru seemed to realize his disadvantageous position, and was at a loss for words.

"Like I said, it was hearsay, so I don"t know all the details. That person could have been mistaken or, it"s also possible that, at that time, there might still have been graves there."

If that were the case, the graves would have to have been dug up.
"Then, why were the graves removed?"

"I don"t understand that much..... but, you know? That frightening thing that person saw, wasn"t just graves."
While being perused, Satoru smoothly and skillfully changed the subject.

"What did he see?"
As usual, Maria like a stupid fish clinging by the teeth goes.

"No way, I asked first. I"m not going to wait around to listen to some scary story Satoru makes up."
I was just teasing, but Satoru took it seriously.

"It isn"t a lie. That person definitely saw it. Although it wasn"t actually in the courtyard....."

"Yeah yeah."

"So, the dreadful thing, what did he see?"
Ken, as though at the limit of what he could stand said.

Although he must certainly have felt like smiling complacently inside, Satoru maintained an expressionless face as he declared.
"The shadow of an enormous cat."
I knew it was true.

In this kind of situation, I have to admire Satoru"s cleverness at the art of conversation. If there were an occupation in which one created frightening stories, I have no doubt that Satoru would be able to become the best at it. Of course, whatever kind of society one goes to, I couldn"t imagine such a stupid job being established.

"Was it, a TricksterCat.....?"
Maria, though not normally wanting to hear of such things, asked, and everyone began speaking simultaneously.

"It seems that TricksterCats, often appear near elementary schools."

"Why would that be?"

"Isn"t that obvious? They"re hunting children!"

"I"ve heard that they often come out on dark evenings in the autumn."

"However, they may also come to homes, usually in the dead of night....."

We had always been both afraid of the darkness, yet also attracted to it at the same time. We were extremely fond of scary stories about evil creatures that come out of the mountains, and among them, TricksterCats were beings that brought a terrible shiver to think of. The stories circulated from child to child, and it was certain that various exaggerations had been included but. The basic form of the TricksterCat was that of a cat as large as an adult human. Its appearance was very much that of a cat, but with bizarrely long limbs. It was said to follow behind targeted children like a shadow. Attacking when no other humans are around, they stretch up on their hind legs, using their forefeet to push one down by the shoulders. As this happens, the child"s entire body becomes numb as though hypnotized. The TricksterCat then crushes the child"s throat with its mouth that opens 180 degrees, before dragging them off somewhere. This would all be done without spilling one drop of blood, and even the bodies of those taken are never found.

"And then? That person, where did he see the TricksterCat?"

"He was never certain whether it was a TricksterCat. All he saw was its shadow."

Satoru, the confusion and such from just before seeming to have been blown away on the wind, with great confidence said.
"But, the shadow that he saw, was at a spot very close to the courtyard."

"What do you mean by close? There aren"t any other ways to get in and out of the courtyard from outside right?

"Not from the outside"

"Eh?"

I never really anything in Satoru"s stories but, for some reason, this time, a chill went down my spine.

"The place where the shadow was seen, was the end of corridor leading to the administration building. And, right in front of the door leading to the courtyard, it disappeared....."
At this, no one could form a single word.

Vexing though it may be, I suppose it was just as well that the situation turned out just as Satoru wanted. In any case, it was no more than one of the foolish ghost stories that children liked to tell together. At that time, I still believed this to be true.

Looking back, I think that the time in which I attended Harmony Elementary was a happy one. Being able to meet my friends every day that I went to school alone was enough for it to be impossible not to have fun.

From the morning, Arithmetic, j.a.panese, and Science, were a long stretch of boring cla.s.s work but, thanks to the fact that there were academic advising teachers who, in addition to the teachers who taught normal lessons in the cla.s.sroom, would individually see to each child’s level of understanding, kindly and thoroughly explaining any points they did not understand, the very idea of leaving anyone behind did not exist.

On the other hand, there was an excessive number of exams. We must have been made to take some kind of test at least once every 3 days. However, these were mostly things that had no connection to education, including short writing a.s.signments such as completing the statement "I am sad, the reason is ....." and other such similar things that never became that much of a burden.

Rather, the thing that was difficult was Self Expression Presentations by far. Picture drawing, clay sculpture making and the like were fun, but the essays we were made to write almost every day were annoying. On the other hand, it may be thanks to the practice I piled up at that time that I am now able to compose this memorandum with a minimum of effort.

When tedious lessons and cla.s.swork came to be too much, we would wait for the fun play time of the afternoon. Furthermore, we had two whole days free on the weekends, so were able to run around in the fields to our hearts" content. In the period just after being admitted to Harmony Elementary, we went exploring along the gently bending waterway, at first looking around at every one of the thatch-roofed houses, but before long we came to be going as far as Kogane Village. With the coming of autumn, the whole surface was covered with water striders, while Loach, Mosquito-Fish, and others swam underwater, with "HelmetLobsters" stirring up the mud and eliminating weeds as they creeped along the river bottom. In the agricultural irrigation channels and reservoirs were insects such as FieldTurtles,DrumBeaters, AquaticPrayingMantises and DivingBeetles[4] along with fish such as Crucian Carp. The older children taught us to fish for crayfish using cuttlefish bait and cotton thread, and there were times when we would pa.s.s an entire day collecting buckets full of them.

The area surrounding Kogane Village also contained a great many birds. In spring, the calls of the skylarks soaring through the high heavens would echo. Until the rice-plants finish growing with summer, many Scarlet Herons would arrive to hunt in the fields. During their winter mating season, the Scarlet Herons make nests in the nearby trees, and with the coming of fall, the chicks leave the nests all at once. No one would consider their calls aesthetically pleasing, but the enormous hazy pink colored flocks of Scarlet Herons taking off were a magnificent sight to behold. In addition, although they rarely come to the ground, we often caught sight of Great Kite Birds, Bulbuls, Chickadees, Turtledoves, FatSparrows, 3-winged Crows,[5] and other such birds.

Aside from birds, one would occasionally come across a Minoshiro. They seemed to wander from the forest onto the paths among the ricefields in search of moss and small animals. Minoshiros were not only favored for their ability to improve the soil and kill harmful insects, but were treated with great care by farmers as messengers of G.o.d or lucky omens. In general they range in size from a few tens of cm to one meter, but there are also OniMinoshiro that can exceed two meters in size. The figure of a Minoshiro, its countless tentacles wiggling about and its long body undulating as it advanced, possessed a dignity appropriate for the creature called a G.o.d-beast.[6]

Other living things that collected faith in the same way are the "Albino j.a.panese Rat Snake" [7] and the "Black j.a.panese Striped Snake", also called the "Crow Snake"[8], but Minoshiros regrettably prey on both of these when they happen to meet. How the people of those different beliefs were able to maintain mutual relations in light of that truth is a mystery.

Upon reaching the upper grades, children go on an expedition-like trip starting from the westernmost tip of Kunugibayashi and heading directly south of Shirasuna, past the beautiful white sand* of Hasaki beach, and upstream on the Tone River along which flowers bloom in profusion all year round. At the waterside, spatula kingfishers & herons can be seen, and occasionally red-crested cranes would come flying. Searching among the reeds at the riverside for Great Reed Warbler(ooyotsukiri) nests and heading up the mountain to search for HayThatcher[9] nests was always a fun way to play. The False Eggs of the Haythatchers in particular were a popular toy among prank-loving children.

But, however rich in diversity it may appear to be, the true nature of the inside of the Holy Barrier was, after all, no more than what one might call a miniature garden. What I mean by this is that, in the past, there was a zoo in our town and, it might be said that, essentially, there was no difference between the inside and outside of its fence. The Elephants, Lions and Giraffes that we saw were, as a matter of fact, FalseElephants, NiseLions and TrickGiraffes[10] created by Jyuryoku, and if, by some chance, they did escape from their cages, there wasn"t any possibility of them inflicting harm on people.

The environment within the Holy Barrier was, again, very thoroughly amicable with regard to people. Speaking of which, later on something like coming to hate us and getting even came to be, but, at least at that time, we truly did not even consider it unusual that, however much we might run around in the hills and fields, not once was anyone bitten by a poisonous snake, or even stung by insects. Not one viper or other poisonous snake inhabited the area within the boundary of the Holy Barrier. Those snakes that did were harmless "Rat Snakes", "j.a.panese Striped Snakes", "Shiromadaras", "Jimaguris", "Hibakaris", and RosarySnakes[11] to name some examples.

Also, the Cypress and Spruce trees that grow in the forest, by secreting a substance with an extremely potent scent to it, killed the mold spores, ticks, mites, and bacteria that are harmfull to human health.

When speaking about childhood, one thing that must not be forgotten are annual festivals and events. In our town, there are a great number of festivals and other traditional events handed down for generations, that produced the rhythm of life(one"s daily existence) of the various seasons.

To give some examples, in spring "Tsuina"[12], rice-planting festival, and "Hanashizume"(ancient flower)festival. In summer are the Summer Festival (Monster Festival), the Fire Festival, and the "Spirits of the Dead Meeting". In Fall are the "Ha.s.saku"(8th 1st day of the Month) Festival and the "Ninamesai". Finally, speaking of things that remind me of winter, are the Snow Festival, New Years Festival, and "Sagichou".[13]

When I was young, the event most deeply and thoroughly engraved in my mind was the ceremony of "Tsuina".

While the authenticity of the information is unknown, "Tsuina", which has also been called "Oniyarai", is said to be a traditional ceremony that has been held for 2000 years.

On the morning of the festival, we children too would a.s.semble at the plaza. Wearing "Masks of Purity" painted with chalk made from partially dried clay, we partic.i.p.ated in the ceremony in the role of "Shinshi". From when I was very young, I could not help but be frightened by this ceremony. The reason is the appearance of masks representing two demons, and their unnecessarily grotesque appearance.

Of the masks of the two demons, the "Fiend" and the "Karmic Demon", the sight of the "Fiend" mask gave the impression of loud evil laughter. Later, after the ban on such information was lifted, I researched the origin of the ceremony but, in the end, things were not made clear. The most similar thing I found was the ancient Noh Mask called "Jiya" (The Serpent). This was one of three Noh Masks used to depict the transformation of a human into a demon. It seems this was the last stage in the sequence "Namanari"(Normal?) ==> "Wisdom" ==> "Serpent". On the other hand, the "Karmic Demon" mask, in stark contrast, with an expression of terrifying anguish, was distorted as though melting, yet had not quite ceased to have the appearance of a human face.

The ceremony central to "Tsuina" begins as follows. On ground of packed white sand, everyone gathered at the bonfire burning plaza and, to begin, 20 or 30 "Shinshi" appear, parading around while chanting "Oni Yaarai. Oni Yaarai." in a peculiar tone.

Thereupon, the "Housoushi", who serves in the role of the demon exorcist, skillfully makes his entrance. The "Housoushi", his costume in accordance with ancient rites, carries a large halberd in his hands. However, more than anything else, the thing that draws attention is the 4-eyed golden mask that he wears.

The "Housoushi", along with the "Shinshi"s continues to chant "Oniyaarai". Going round and round in circles, he scatters in every direction beans said to ward off calamity and malice. He may even throw them at the spectators, but the point has come to be to accept this while "pressing their hands together in prayer."

From here, a dreadful scene quickly begins. The "Housoushi" suddenly turns to look in the direction of the "Shinshi", and throws all of the remaining beans at them at once.

The "Housoushi" calls out "Impurity is, Within" in a very loud voice. The "Shinshi" then simultaneously repeat "Impurity is, Within". And with that as a signal, two people previously mixed in with the "Shinshi", in the role of Oni, throw off their "Masks of Purity." Immediately after this, they put on the "Fiend" and "Karmic Demon" masks I mentioned before.

While partic.i.p.ating as one of the "Shinshi", this scene was dreadful enough to leave me breathless. On at least one occasion, a "Shinshi" right next to me was undexpectedly transformed into a "Fiend". While leaving behind the two Oni, the "Shinshi" scatter in all directions as though taking flight, but all of them, I think, were without a doubt driven into a real panic.

The "Housoushi" then drives away the two Demons with his halberd while chanting "Impurity, Out."[14] The Demons put up a manner of opposition appropriate to their type, but, with everyone chanting "Impurity, Out" in unison, are driven away towards some unseen place, and the ceremony finally comes to an end.

Even now I remember the shiver I felt one time upon seeing Satoru"s face as he removed the "Shinshi" mask.

"Your face looks pale as a ghost."

As I said this, Satoru"s lips which had become violet trembled.

"What is it. Saki"

The thing we saw looking into each others eyes was the terror lurking within ourselves.

Satoru, his eyes opening up wide, gestured at something behind me with his chin. Turning back to look, I saw the "Housoushi" remove his golden mask as he returned backstage.

Playing the role of "Housoushi" in this "Tsuina" was none other than the man recognized by both himself and others as possessing the strongest Jyuroku ever known. Furthermore, as far as I know, Kaburagi Shisei had not once even had to consider turning that t.i.tle over to another person.

Kaburagi Shisei smiled as he noticed us looking at him. One thing that was strange, beneath the Housoushi mask, he wore another mask that covered the upper half of his face. It was said in gossip that there was almost no one who had seen his face. One got an ordinary impression from his nose and mouth, but both his eyes were concealed by pitch-black gla.s.s, creating an ominously indimidating feeling.

"Were you frightened?"

Asked Kaburagi Shisei with an easily carrying low voice, and Satoru with a reverent expression nodded in a.s.sent. Kaburagi Shisei"s eyes continued turning towards me, and that moment somehow seemed to last far too long in my mind.

"You seem to be children who love new things."

Not having any idea how best to respond, I froze up.

"Will good luck come? Or will it be bad luck?"

Kaburagi Shisei departed, leaving a strangely frivolous sounding chuckle in his wake. For a while we continued to stand there as though entranced. Before long, Satoru muttered with a sigh.

"That person, if he were seriously determined, has Jyuryoku sufficient to split the Earth itself in half I"ve heard....."

I had never put much stock in Satoru"s nonsense, but what he said that time has always remained in a corner of my heart.

One must accept that times of happiness and good fortune must in due course come to an end.

My childhood was no exception to that, but, ironically, my worry at that time was that it was lasting just a little bit too long.

As I said previously, graduation times from Harmony Elementary differed from one person to another. The first of the cla.s.s to graduate was Shun. This boy, who more than anyone else had good grades and intelligent, mature looking eyes, was one day unexpectedly no longer present. Our homeroom teacher Sanada-Sensei, while facing the remaining students, triumphantly informed us of Shun"s graduation.

After that, wanting to quickly graduate and go to the same school as Shun became my sole desire. However, while my cla.s.smates continued to leave one at a time, my turn never seemed to come. Even my close friend Maria went ahead; my feelings when left alone at that time - however long I might spend explaining, I doubt I could possibly confer them sufficiently.

By the time the cherry blossoms had fallen, the cla.s.s of 25 people had become 5, with Satoru and I among those remaining. Even the normally loud mouthed and combative Satoru predictably lost his energy. We fell into a daily routine in which, every morning, we would confirm that the other was still amongst the stragglers, and breathe a sigh of relief. If possible, we wanted to graduate at the same time, and if it were not possible, secretly desired to be the first.

However, my modest desire was completely betrayed. With the coming of May, even Satoru, my final source of moral support, finally graduated ahead of me. It felt almost as though time had frozen for us as at last it came to be that only two of us remained. It may seem strange, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot remember the name of that other person. I"m certain that, whatever he/she might have done, the cla.s.s"s most slow student was not one to stand out, but that fact is not the reason. Regrettably, it seems most likely that I myself unconsciously sealed my memory.

Even after returning home, I had become remarkably taciturn, and I spent the ongoing days secluded in my room. Even my parents seemed to worry about me in that state.

"Saki. There"s no particular need to be in a hurry."

My mother said, while brushing my hair on one of those evenings.

"There"s no significance to an early graduaton. You may be lonely if everyone in the cla.s.s graduates ahead of you, but you"ll be able to see them again soon enough."

"I"m not..... particularly lonely."

I said, as I fell back onto the bed.

"What I mean is, graduating quickly doesn"t mean one will be great. The strength and precision of one"s Jyuryoku are completely unrelated to it. Did you know, that your father and I both didn"t graduate that quickly either."

"But I bet you weren"t the very last ones either, were you?"

"That may be true, but....."

"I, don"t want to become a leftover"[15]

"You should never use that kind of word!"

Said mother in an unusually severe tone.

"Who did you hear such a word from?"

Remaining silent, I buried my face in a pillow.

"One"s time of graduation is a thing decided by G.o.d, so, you need only to wait for your time. Any delay will be made up for in no time."

"If perhaps....."

"Eh?"

"If by some chance, I am unable to graduate then?"

Mother, for an instant, was rendered speechless, but then immediately in a cheerful voice said.

"So that"s what you were worried about? How silly. It"ll be fine. Because, you will definitely be able to graduate. It"s only a question of when."

"But, aren"t there people who are never able to?"

"Yes. But, that kind of thing doesn"t even happen to one in 10,000."

While getting up from the bed, I looked into my mother"s eyes. Somehow, mother looked as though unsettled.

"Say, if one isn"t able to graduate, is it true that a TricksterCat comes to get them?"

"How silly. Things such as TricksterCat and the like do not exist in this world. Very soon now you"ll be an adult, so if you keep saying such things you"ll be laughed at."

"But, I saw one."

In that moment, without a doubt, the color of absolute terror ran through my mothers eyes.

"What are you talking about? You must have been seeing things."

"I definitely saw it"

I pushed again, in order to be certain of mother"s reaction. It wasn"t as if I were actually lying. It was true that I had felt as though I was able to see it. However, It was only for a moment, and even I myself believed that it might well have been my imagination.

"Yesterday evening, before returning home, around 4th street as I glanced back, I saw something like a TricksterCat run past. Although it was gone almost immediately."

Mother let out a sigh.

"Do you know the story of the withered pampas gra.s.s that looks like a ghost? Although you may think it"s very scary, it"s actually nothing. That must be the way it was for you. What you saw was, without a doubt, just a normal sized cat or weasel. Because in the twilight, the sizes of things often become difficult to judge."

Mother"s att.i.tude returned to normal. She told me goodnight, turned out the light and, feeling completely relieved, I fell asleep.

But in the dead of night I opened my eyes, and the peacefull feeling had vanished.

My heart was beating like an alarm bell, my hands and feet completely chilled, and my entire body soaked with sweat. It was an extremely unpleasant sweat.

Above the ceiling paneling, it was as though a somehow evil being were moving about. A sound that is heard, but cannot be heard. As though pointed claws were digging into wood.

It seemed a TricksterCat had arrived.

For a short amount of time, as though paralysed, I was unable to move.

After a short period of waiting, as though a curse had been lifted, my freedom of movement returned. I quietly slid out of the bed, and without making a sound opened the door. By the moonlight shining in from the window, I made my way down the corridor. The season was well into summer, but the wood floor was still sticky and cold under my bare feet. Very soon, just a little more. My parents" bedroom was just past the bend in the corridor.

I was relieved to notice the phosph.o.r.escent light shining through the gap beneath the bedroom door. As I raised my hand to open the sliding door, I heard a voice speaking inside. It was my mother"s voice. She spoke in a seriously worried yet still thoughtful tone the likes of which I had never heard from her. My hand stopped mid-motion.

"I"m worried. As things are, it"s possible....."

"If you let it bother you so much, all the more, it"ll have a negative influence on Saki."

Father"s voice, too, seemed terribly depressed.

"But, at this rate. .....Say, I wonder if the Board of Education is moving already?"

"I don"t know."

"It"s difficult to influence the Board of Education from the Library. You have oversight authority so, if need be, you should be able to do something about it right?"

"The Committee is independent. I shouldn"t even investigate such things from my office, to say nothing of my position as Saki"s father."

"I... I couldn"t stand to lose another child!"

"You"re being too loud"

"But Saki, she said that she saw an ImpureCat!"

"Maybe it was just her imagination."

"And if it was real! What should we do?"

I quietly stepped back. The details of my parents" conversation were beyond my understanding, but, the fact that I had heard something that should not be heard, I understood perfectly.

In exactly the same way that I came, I noiselessly returned to my bedroom. Just beyond the window gla.s.s, an "Oomizuao" had stopped. A light blue moth about the size of my palm, like a messenger from the land of the dead come to deliver ominous news. Although it wasn"t cold, I had been unable to stop the shivering across my entire body since earlier.

What was I to do.

Like a newborn thrown out naked into the world, I felt I had nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

What on earth was I going to do...

The ceiling paneling made a terrible creaking sound.

Something was moving around....

I felt as though some terrifyingly enormous being had already come right up to my side.

Ahh. Very soon, it will be right here.

In a flash, the "oomizuao" jumped away from the window gla.s.s, vanishing into the darkness.

In the next moment, despite there being no wind, the window frame began shaking and rattling. The shaking persistantly continued and, rather than settling down, grew steadily stronger. It was as if something outside were trying to tear the window out of its frame.

The sliding screen seemed to open of its own will and, with a particularly furious sound, closed again. I gasped. Breathing became painful, as I attempted to pull air into my lungs. Ahh. It"s no good. It"s coming. It"s coming. It"s coming.....

Abruptly, all of the objects within the room began moving about with tremendous energy. The chair and desk like a restive horse jumping, pens and pencils like arrows flew embedding themselves in the sliding door. The bed slowly began floating up into the air.

I screamed.

The sound of footsteps running this way in the corridor. The sound of my parents" voices calling my name. The sliding door opened as though being snapped apart.

In the next instant, my parents lept into the room as though falling into a pile.

"Saki! Everything is alright now!"

Mother said as she embraced me.

"This..... What is this?"

I shouted.

"It"s nothing to worry about. A "Blessing Spirit"! Finally, one has come along for you."

"This?"

The phenomenon that seemed like an invisible monster rampaging through the room slowly subsided towards tranquility after my parents came running.

"With this, it means that Saki, too, has become an adult."

Father said, with a relieved smile on his face.

"Then, I.....?"

"I"ve graduated from Harmony Elementary today. Starting tomorrow I can enter the general school?"

The books that had been lightly floating about the room, as though their lives had ended fell to the floor. The bed, while hanging at an angle, fell to the ground with a thud as though the strings from which it hung had been cut.

Mother embraced me so tightly that it hurt.

"Ahh, I"m so happy! There"s nothing to worry about any more!"

With the feeling of warm tears landing on the back of my neck, and relief engulfing me from the very bottom of my heart, I closed my eyes.

But, within my mind, the sound of my mother bitterly screaming "I couldn"t stand to lose another child!" continued to echo.