her."
"I will return for you as soon as I can," said Riko, and he sped in the direction Sotoko's horse had gone.
The cawing laughter and the shouts of the men dwindled into the distance. I began to feel uncomfortable sprawled in the bushes, and so I stood. Or tried to, as my kimonos were caught in the tangle. I'm sure I ruined at least two of them getting myself unstuck.
By the time I was free of the brambles, the forest was silent, save for the wind in the pines. I felt silly just standing there, so I stepped out of the bushes and peered around. I found myself on an overgrown path, and I followed it a little ways. Just past a pair of very large pines, I stopped and gasped.
There was the kami shrine! I ran up to it, certain it had to be the same one: It looked just like a miniature house, about as high as I am tall. But it was in even worse shape than when Amaiko and I had taken refuge there. The thatched roof had fallen in on one side, and the walls leaned, and one of the sliding doors had broken off. Bits of broken pottery from old offerings crunched beneath my feet. It was a sad sight. And Dento had been right, there was nothing impressive about the trees or view to indicate what the shrine might be dedicated to. Only a small, overgrown hummock behind it.
Still , I thought, it should be no hard work for Riko and his men to repair the roof and those walls.
" Fujiwara no Mitsuko ," said a voice cold as death behind me.
"Y-yes?" I shuddered, pulling my kimonos tighter around me, but I dared not move.
" So. You have returned ."
Timidly, I glanced over my shoulder. A man dressed all in gray stood there, his hair long and unbound. I should say he floated there, for when I glanced down, I saw he had no feet. A ghost. "Are… are you the kami of this shrine?"
The apparition nodded once, his expression hard and unfriendly. " I am. And you are late ."
"Forgive me," I said, turning at last and bowing deeply to him. "I had not remembered my promise until recently. But… but I am here now, and it will be easy for my sister's husband to repair your shrine and make all well again."
" You did not understand me ," the ghost said. " You are too late ." He raised his arm and, with a sweeping gesture, brought a great gust of wind that blew my hair over my eyes and nearly blew the kimonos off my back. When the wind subsided, the little shrine was in pieces-the thatch of the roof scattered over the forest floor, the walls flat on the ground.
"What did you do that for?" I exclaimed before I could stop myself. Then I bowed again and said, "Begging your pardon, Most Ancient One, but now it will be much more difficult to repair."
" I do not want it repaired ," he growled. " Look there. " He pointed at the small hummock that rose behind where the shrine had stood. More of it was revealed now that the shrine had collapsed. On the side of the hummock, in the center of a slab of stone, was a square block of wood with an iron ring in the middle. " Open it ," he commanded.
"But… but I-"
" Open it! And see what an error you have made by disrespectfully forgetting your promise to me ."
I looked around, hoping that Riko and the others would return, but I saw no one. Not even the tengu. I walked up to the stone, grasped the iron ring, and tugged on it. It took several tugs, using all of my body's weight to pull the wood free. This revealed a dark opening in the stone. By the dim sunlight, I could discern, beyond the opening, stone steps descending into the hillside. Faintly foul air drifted out.
"It is a tomb," I whispered. "That is what the shrine was dedicated to."
" Yes ," said the ghost. He pointed at the opening. " Enter, and learn who I am ."
"But I cannot! I must not! I-"
" ENTER !"
I should have stood my ground and chanted the Lotus Sutra to drive him
"I will return for you as soon as I can," said Riko, and he sped in the direction Sotoko's horse had gone.
The cawing laughter and the shouts of the men dwindled into the distance. I began to feel uncomfortable sprawled in the bushes, and so I stood. Or tried to, as my kimonos were caught in the tangle. I'm sure I ruined at least two of them getting myself unstuck.
By the time I was free of the brambles, the forest was silent, save for the wind in the pines. I felt silly just standing there, so I stepped out of the bushes and peered around. I found myself on an overgrown path, and I followed it a little ways. Just past a pair of very large pines, I stopped and gasped.
There was the kami shrine! I ran up to it, certain it had to be the same one: It looked just like a miniature house, about as high as I am tall. But it was in even worse shape than when Amaiko and I had taken refuge there. The thatched roof had fallen in on one side, and the walls leaned, and one of the sliding doors had broken off. Bits of broken pottery from old offerings crunched beneath my feet. It was a sad sight. And Dento had been right, there was nothing impressive about the trees or view to indicate what the shrine might be dedicated to. Only a small, overgrown hummock behind it.
Still , I thought, it should be no hard work for Riko and his men to repair the roof and those walls.
" Fujiwara no Mitsuko ," said a voice cold as death behind me.
"Y-yes?" I shuddered, pulling my kimonos tighter around me, but I dared not move.
" So. You have returned ."
Timidly, I glanced over my shoulder. A man dressed all in gray stood there, his hair long and unbound. I should say he floated there, for when I glanced down, I saw he had no feet. A ghost. "Are… are you the kami of this shrine?"
The apparition nodded once, his expression hard and unfriendly. " I am. And you are late ."
"Forgive me," I said, turning at last and bowing deeply to him. "I had not remembered my promise until recently. But… but I am here now, and it will be easy for my sister's husband to repair your shrine and make all well again."
" You did not understand me ," the ghost said. " You are too late ." He raised his arm and, with a sweeping gesture, brought a great gust of wind that blew my hair over my eyes and nearly blew the kimonos off my back. When the wind subsided, the little shrine was in pieces-the thatch of the roof scattered over the forest floor, the walls flat on the ground.
"What did you do that for?" I exclaimed before I could stop myself. Then I bowed again and said, "Begging your pardon, Most Ancient One, but now it will be much more difficult to repair."
" I do not want it repaired ," he growled. " Look there. " He pointed at the small hummock that rose behind where the shrine had stood. More of it was revealed now that the shrine had collapsed. On the side of the hummock, in the center of a slab of stone, was a square block of wood with an iron ring in the middle. " Open it ," he commanded.
"But… but I-"
" Open it! And see what an error you have made by disrespectfully forgetting your promise to me ."
I looked around, hoping that Riko and the others would return, but I saw no one. Not even the tengu. I walked up to the stone, grasped the iron ring, and tugged on it. It took several tugs, using all of my body's weight to pull the wood free. This revealed a dark opening in the stone. By the dim sunlight, I could discern, beyond the opening, stone steps descending into the hillside. Faintly foul air drifted out.
"It is a tomb," I whispered. "That is what the shrine was dedicated to."
" Yes ," said the ghost. He pointed at the opening. " Enter, and learn who I am ."
"But I cannot! I must not! I-"
" ENTER !"
I should have stood my ground and chanted the Lotus Sutra to drive him
Similar Books
