Every ti I turned my head, all I could see was an endless stretch of rice fields.
The sky had already been covered by a cluster of clouds, and together with the descent of mist, it erased the last traces of moonlight.
Only the flashlight from my phone acted as a beacon. Its beam was small, yet enough to keep our steps on the path.
The phone’s battery was running low. Each percentage that dropped felt like a countdown to death, before we were completely swallowed by the darkness.
The silence was suffocating. I opened my mouth, trying to break it, while also testing if my voice still existed.
“Yuri, don’t you think the crickets are pretty loud here?”
The narrow road, just wide enough for a small car, was sared with mud dragged in from the fields. Without looking at , Yuri answered while keeping her eyes downward.
“Yeah …”
“It’s kind of annoying, especially since there’s no other sound to drown them out. Anyway, could you co a bit closer? It’s dangerous if one of us slips.”
At my request, Yuri looked puzzled.
“Why? We’re already holding hands. I’m fine … I can still see clearly.”
“But what if? We’re so close to the fields. What if a snake suddenly slithers by? You might panic and slip too.”
When I ntioned snakes, Yuri seed to think I had a point and pulled out her PSP. Using it as an extra light, she pointed it toward the edge of the field and helped illuminate the path.
“It should be safer now …”
“What about ghosts? You can’t see those.”
I shook my head, and Yuri stopped walking—forcing to stop too. She stared at for a while.
“… There are no such things as ghosts in this world.”
“Not necessarily. Strange things keep happening in our lives that no logic can explain. If not ghosts, then what?”
Maybe I was being too chatty, because after saying that, Yuri began noticing how sweaty my hand had been all along.
“Don’t tell … Ren, are you afraid of ghosts?”
“Heh, as if! What nonsense are you talking about? Forget it, let’s keep going. We won’t get anywhere just standing here.”
“But you were the one who brought it up first …”
I quickly diverted the topic, sothing she clearly noticed. But since we really didn’t have ti to ss around, we continued walking.
Only, the air kept getting colder. It was already four in the morning, and dew chilled my skin. I had given my scarf to Yona. The wind blew across my bare neck, making feel like I was in the middle of winter.
I glanced at Yuri, intending to ask if she wasn’t cold too. From her expression, she seed completely unaffected, even as I was nearly shivering.
But suddenly, I heard a voice.
“Hey …”
Soft, hoarse, and slightly echoing, to the point I couldn’t even tell where it ca from. In an instant, every hair on my body stood on end, and both of us froze, though we had just taken a few steps.
“… Did you hear that, Yuri?”
“Soone … called us?”
For a mont I felt relieved. But it quickly vanished. If she heard it too, then it wasn’t my hallucination. That ans, the thing I secretly feared might actually be real.
… Because I ntioned it, did it co straight away?
“Maybe it’s just the wind.”
Yuri brushed off my worry and looked behind us—honestly, that tiny act alone almost made my heart leap at her bravery.
Unfortunately, my fear proved right when both my phone’s flashlight and Yuri’s PSP light suddenly went out at the sa ti.
She checked her old console.
“… I forgot to charge this since yesterday. What about your phone, Ren?”
Don’t ask ! I had no idea either! I pressed the power button again and again, nothing.
“I swear it still had 20% left …”
“Then why would it die—”
Her words were cut short, and my fear was confird. The sa voice from before called out again, louder this ti.
“Hey … you two …”
I swallowed hard, unable to move. Yuri didn’t dare turn around either. We tightened our grip on each other’s hands.
“At the count of three, we’ll turn around and run straight back to the station. No hesitation, hold hands again as we run. Got it?”
“U-Um.”
She nodded, and I began counting.
“One …”
The wind blew again.
“Two …”
The crickets’ chorus grew louder.
“Three!”
Faint footsteps echoed from behind. Ignoring them, we spun around and bolted—
A figure appeared.
Hunched, shorter than , about Yuri’s height. Long white hair tied back, a wrinkled face glowing with a strange yellow light.
“Where do you think you two are going?”
“—Fuck.”
My legs gave out, and I fell on my butt. My left hand landed in sticky mud, my phone flinging sowhere out of reach.
Was this the end? I’d heard legends of a ghostly old woman who kidnaps children to eat them. But I’m already in high school. Or … maybe in her eyes, I still counted as a child?
Grabbing onto Yuri’s leg, I tried pulling her back.
“Shit, Yuri!”
But she wouldn’t budge. Instead, she spoke.
“W-Wait. She’s not … a ghost …”
“Huh?”
Before I could ask, the figure drew closer, and as I lifted my head slowly, a raspy laugh echoed.
“Hahaha. Seems I managed to scare you both pretty good.”
She was hunched because of old age. Her wrinkled face was ordinary. The yellow glow had disappeared, replaced by the beam of a large flashlight in her hand.
So … she was just an old lady?
… Other than embarrassnt, I had no words to describe what I felt. Without saying anything, I quickly stood up.
Wiping mud off my hand haphazardly and brushing my pants, I bowed my head.
“Sorry. I thought you were …”
“Hahaha. Don’t worry about it. I’m well aware of my age, so it’s natural if I look a little scary. The one who should apologize is , for startling you—sorry.”
She laughed as she waved her flashlight around, bright enough that I had to squint when the beam hit my face.
“By the way, it’s rare to see young folks visiting this village, especially at this hour. And this girl’s face is all bruised. Did you two just have a fight or sothing?”
The old woman aid the flashlight at Yuri; making the girl flinch and raise both arms to shield herself from the harsh light.
But … a village?
“… So there really is a village here?”
“Of course. If not, why else would they bother building a station in such a remote place? Though honestly, hardly anyone ever cos here …”
The old woman answered, then stared at for a while. I grew nervous, but finally, she spoke again.
“… I can more or less guess that you two had a rough ti before ending up here. I won’t ask, but … today’s Sunday, right? If school kids like you have the day off, why not stay at my house for a while? I’ll cook you so eel I caught today.”
She tapped the large basket strapped to her back. Because of the darkness, I couldn’t see inside, but … we both desperately needed a roof over our heads tonight. So before she could take her offer back, I quickly bowed again.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you …”
Yuri also bowed when she realized the kindness of this old woman.
“Hahaha. No need to be so formal. But really, isn’t it nice being young?”
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