When I woke up on the second day, Naru had already left. Said he had to do some research. And so, I let Lin-san take care of base while I went to Noriko-san's room.
Lin-san is hard to deal with. When we were alone in base, I almost felt like suffocating.
Ayami-chan was playing House by herself.
"Ayami-chan, can I play with you?" I asked.
Ayami-chan shook her head silently.
Noriko-san was standing on the side, her arms crossed.
Ayami-chan let her doll Minnie drink tea, then eat cake.
"Ayami-chan is really obedient."
Hearing my words, Noriko-san's face had a kind glow. "She wasn't like this before..."
"Really?"
"Yes. She was more extroverted before. She loved to annoy people. But ever since my older brother remarried and moved here, she's been awfully quiet and doesn't smile much anymore."
"...Hey, Noriko-san?" I tried to be courageous. "Is Kana-san... A good person?"
"Huh?" Noriko-san looked at me in surprise, then chuckled, "She and my brother's relationship is really good. I get along with her too. Even though she can be strict, she's a good person. But Ayami-chan still acts nervous around her..."
"So that's how it is..."
We chatted until 3:00 pm, when Kana-san came in to give us snacks.
Handing out snacks was really the maid's job, but today she's not here. After yesterday's incident, she quit.
Kana-san placed the cookie tray onto the table, then turned toward Ayami-chan. "Ayami, are you playing by yourself? Such a good girl. What are you playing?"
Like a doll, Ayami-chan's expression was emotionless. She did not look at Kana-san.
"At least answer me," Kana-san's voice tightened, "they're snacks, after all."
Kana-san roughly placed the cookies right in front of Ayami-chan. Ayami-chan looked unhappy.
"What's wrong? You don't want them?"
Ayami-chan shook her head.
Kana-san glared at Ayami-chan, then left the room.
Noriko-san let out a deep breath, then looked at Ayami-chan, "Ayami, you don't want to eat the snacks?"
She shook her head.
"Then, I'll eat them."
Suddenly Ayami-chan shouted, "Don't!"
"Eh?"
"They're poisoned!"
We couldn't help but stare at the little girl.
Ayami-chan tried her best to explain. "Minnie told me! The snacks are poisoned! That woman is an evil witch!"
...An evil witch. Poison...
I bent down toward Ayami-chan, "Minnie told you this?"
"Yes. That person is an evil witch. Don't trust her. She put Daddy under a spell and made him her slave. She thinks me and my sister are in the way, so she's trying to kill us!"
...What did you say?
Ayami-chan's eyes were serious. Her eyes were earnest.
"That witch is going to kill us one day! Because we're in her way!"
"...So Minnie told you all this? Not someone else?"
Noriko-san and I continued to look at the serious girl.
"Minnie told me. Minnie won't lie. So onee-chan and Mai-san must be careful! The witch wants to kill onee-chan, cut her body into pieces, and then hide them. Then she'll tell Daddy that onee-chan left home. The witch wants to make me drown in the pond and then say it's an accident!"
I softly asked Noriko-san, "...You didn't teach her to say all that, did you?"
"...Why would I!"
...Then, why is this happening?
Strange. This isn't something an eight year old would think of. Witch and magic... It sounds like a fairytale.
Ayami-chan's face was chalk white as she clutched her doll.
I felt scared. Is this Ayami-chan's imagination? Would an eight year old think that way? Ayami-chan didn't speak again; she just clutched her doll tightly. Pale and weak, the little girl could barely stand.
Is Ayami-chan always thinking about this? This lonely, skinny girl thought of all this? Is that why she doesn't talk much or smile anymore?
After that, I went back to my room and took a nap. Bou-san was going to do a prayer again so I wasn't missing out. And so I snatched this opportunity to get some rest. I probably won't be able to sleep well tonight anyway.
I lay down in bed, then fell asleep. The sun rays streaked in, giving the room a rosy tint.
...This must be a dream.
Half-asleep, my body felt light. I wasn't really drifting in air; I was slowly falling down into empty space... It's a hard sensation to describe.
I opened my eyes in surprise.
The room was getting dark.
Someone else is here.
...Who is it?
I slowly turned my head.
A gloomy shadow, a figure clothed in black. Just standing there. A pale face. Naru?
Why would Naru be in my room? When I thought of it that way, I turned to look at him.
Naru smiled slightly, his eyes warm. The corner of his lips were curved into a smile.
...What's wrong? Why are you standing there?
I was about to ask him. Suddenly his face became solemn. He seemed anxious.
What is he saying. I can't hear.
...What? What did you say?
I gazed into Naru's eyes and tried to read his lips.
...Ayami-chan...?
What about Ayami-chan?
I didn't get it. But it looked like Naru said "dangerous."
...Ayami-chan's in danger?
...Ayami-chan?!
Suddenly I woke up.
......
I got up in bed and quickly looked around. The room was kind of dark, but Naru wasn't here. Of course.
He wouldn't be here.
Oh?
...Was I dreaming about him?
—I must be too tired. Yes, that's it. I'm doing too much work for someone my age. And then there's our relationship.
...Ayami-chan...
I started thinking about her again. Frail, little Ayami-chan. Minnie's her only friend, and she plays by herself.
And then, those words she said today.
"Evil witch", "Daddy's her slave" ..."The witch will kill me and onee-chan one day."
What's wrong with this house?
What's wrong with Ayami-chan?
...Ayami-chan's in danger...
I lay flat on the bed.
Ah—I'm so tired.
...Why Naru. Sometimes I really can't believe myself. The Naru in my dreams is kind and smiles warmly. Is that what I want?
Oh— Eh...
"Ha!"
I tried to get my spirits back and sat up. Nothing will happen if I just think about it. Right now, Ayami-chan's problem is the priority.
I climbed out of bed and got ready to work again.
After dark, Naru came back. Base became a meeting place again. As Naru walked in, Bou-san waved at him, "Yo. Did you make any progress from your research?"
"It was okay... Have there been any changes here?" Naru replied absently, his head turned toward Lin-san's direction.
"As of now, nothing changed." Bou-san persisted, "I performed an exorcism today."
"Really."
...Hey, Naru, can't you use a softer tone.
"I think the exorcism was successful."
"Congratulations."
Bou-san wrinkled his face, "...You, how come you're not cute at all?"
"My cute side merged with my capable side. —Lin, give me a layout of Ayami-chan's room."
...Just give up Bou-san. You can't make him cute.
Ayako snickered, "Forget it. You can mess with the handsome guy after you succeed."
"That's right. Otherwise I'll end up ashamed just like Ayako."
"...What did you say?"
"Nothing."
...Can't you guys be quiet?
Naru stood up, his face devoid of emotion. "Mai, come here. We will examine the camera's angle."
"Okay."
...Hey you, do you only think about work?
Naru and I went to Ayami-chan's room to check on the videocam.
On the way back, I spoke to him, "Come to think of it, I have something important to say."
"Do you want me to listen?"
...Why you.
Fine then! Say what you want! I was going to answer like that, but then I held myself back and explained to him in a calm, business-like manner.
"...Don't you think that's kind of scary?" I asked.
Naru thought about it for a moment, then answered, "I want to see the doll first. Where is it?"
* * *
"Over here."
"Oh? So this is Minnie?"
Noriko-san seemed confused, "Yes, it is..."
Naru took the doll, then squinted at it with his deep eyes, "When did you buy it?"
"Before we moved into this house. My brother went to Europe... This is a gift... He said it's from Paris."
"Did Ayami-chan's personality change before or after that?"
Noriko-san thought for a moment, "Afterwards...I think."
"I see..."
I looked at Naru, "Is something wrong?"
"...I'm not sure."
"Give it back!"
Suddenly Ayami-chan's voice shot out into the air. I was so scared I jumped. Ayami-chan pulled at Naru's black clothes.
"Give Minnie back! Don't touch her!"
"Ayami-chan, can you speak with Minnie?" he asked.
Naru didn't get a reply. Ayami-chan persistently stretched out her hand and finally grabbed the doll back from Naru.
"I won't let anyone touch her!"
Ayami-chan clutched onto Minnie, then turned around and ran.
Naru walked out, his face deep in concentration.
I didn't sleep well tonight either because I stared at the TV in base.
"What's that?" I asked.
I pointed to some numbers on the screen.
"Don't point at it. Your finger is too unsteady."
...Oh, come on.
"That indicates the quantity of ozone in the air. On the side is the quantity of static electricity. And on the side of that are the components of the atmosphere... Do you have any other questions?"
...No.
I was about to complain, but then Naru stood up. "It's starting."
"What is?"
It really is. The temperature of Ayami-chan's room decreased dramatically.
I looked at the equipment. Three of the thermography machines whirred. Now it was in temperature mode. The video camera slowly changed its angle until it faced the bed. In the center was Minnie, situated on top of a pillow.
We took the doll from Ayami-chan when she was sleeping.
"Bou-san, they're saying the temperature is dropping," Ayako remarked .
"It's just the wind," Bou-san replied.
Even though he sounded confident, are things really going to go smoothly?
Concentrating on the TV, Naru didn't seem to hear the monk's comment.
Minnie's emotionless face was in the videocam. Glass eyes. Emptiness.
"Dolls sure make me feel uncomfortable," I said.
Behind me, Bou-san replied, "Well, of course." He crossed his arms. "Dolls used to be vessels for human souls. Hitogata resemble humans. In the past, they were used to curse people."
"Huh—?"
Ayako nodded, "It can serve as a channel for curses. Sealing spirits into voodoo dolls. Then you stick needles into the doll. If the voodoo doll is damaged, so is the person it represents. This is a method to hurt people."
...Oh—
...Naru abruptly stood up.
All eyes turned toward him. Naru stared intently at the screen.
I stood up too. Ayako, Bou-san, and Lin-san all leaned forward.
...Minnie's head was facing downwards...
When did it happen? I was just watching the screen a moment ago!
Minnie's golden hair spread across the pillow.
Under our intense gaze, Minnie moved. Sliding and moving, she moved like a stiff puppet. Her head fell off.
...Scary...!
The dismembered head rolled on the bed. Then there was the sound of it hitting something. It was as if the doll was alive.
Afterwards, the temperature in Ayami-chan's room rose until it was back to normal range.
We rushed to her room.
Everything was the same as we left it. The head didn't fall off. Minnie didn't seem any different; she was sitting in her old position.
In addition... The video camera and cameras were working properly. But when we re-winded the tape, it was all blank. There was no sound either. Everything was just blank. All the data recorded was gone. That is to say, we didn't have any evidence of what we saw... It was almost like a nightmare.
We were stuck in quicksand, not sure what we could do even though Naru said this happened often.
But now we know one thing for sure.
Bou-san's exorcism was also unsuccessful.
In the morning of the second day (though it was almost noon), I rushed to base, only to find that Bou-san had beat me there.
"Where's Naru?"
The only people in the room were Lin-san and Bou-san.
"He said he had to do more research."
"Eh—"
What is he looking up anyway. I suddenly remembered yesterday's dream.
"Ayami-chan's in danger."
Naru told me that in my dream.
Danger.
"...Noriko-san? How come I haven't seen her?"
"She and Kana-san went shopping."
After hearing Bou-san's reply, I left the room.
"Hey, where're you going?" Bou-san called out.
"Noriko-san's room."
I can't let Ayami-chan be with Minnie by herself. I just knew that would be a bad idea. Playing with that doll would be dangerous.
I hurried to Noriko-san's room.
What's Ayami-chan doing? Is she playing? Like usual? Right when I was about to knock, I heard a voice talking, "This house is filled with witches" —It was the voice of a little girl.
...Witches?
Who is it? That's not Ayami-chan's voice.
I pressed my ear against the door.
"I'm scared..." Ayami-chan whimpered.
"Don't be. I will chase them away."
"Will onee-chan be gone? Will Mai-san too?"
A dark snicker—"Of course..."
"I like being with my onee-chan."
"No, no. I told you already. Your onee-chan is the witch's underling." —Another snicker— "But don't worry. I'll help you deal with them... So in return, you must listen to me."
"Ayami-chan!" I shouted as I opened the door.
Ayami-chan was the only person in the room. In front of her was the foreign doll, Minnie. No one else was here. Ayami-chan lifted her head and looked at me, her eyes clouded in confusion.
"Ayami-chan, who were you talking to?"
"...Minnie," she replied.
My excited tone must've scared her. I put on a smile and sat down by her, my voice soft and light as I spoke. "Minnie?"
"Yeah, and some other kids too."
Some other kids...
"So there are other kids besides Minnie. Where are they?"
Ayami-chan pointed her finger, "Over there."
I looked at the direction she was pointing at.
No one was there.
Ayami-chan's acting really strange.
"...Can you introduce them to me?"
"Okay... Oh, they left," Ayami-chan said, her gaze shifting toward the door.
I was horrified, but I put on a big smile anyway. "I see. I guess they don't like me much."
Ayami-chan lowered her head.
"Where did you guys meet?"
"I dunno." "You don't know? Are they classmates?"
Ayami-chan shook her head.
Don't know? What's wrong? Or is she just unwilling to tell me? Kids that I can't see...
My voice was trembling slightly, "Ayami-chan's friends... When did they start coming here to play with you?"
"...I don't remember."
"Was it after you moved in?"
"Yes."
"Are you good friends with them?"
Ayami-chan seemed sullen as she nodded her head, "Minnie brought them here..."
Minnie... Brought them?
Naru came back later than yesterday.
"You must be tired," Ayako grumbled as she welcomed Naru back. "Did you find anything? We're still waiting for you to prove yourself."
Her tone was more sarcastic than usual.
—At lunch, we had an argument with Kana-san. And no wonder. The prayers and exorcisms from yesterday didn't work.
Naru ignored Ayako.
"Lin, anything new happen?"
"No. It's the same as yesterday."
"Really... What about Ayami-chan?" Naru asked me.
"She's in Noriko-san's room. She should be with her onee-chan now— is something wrong?"
"No. That's good."
What's wrong?
Naru was deep in thought.
"Did something happen?" he asked.
"No," came a muffled reply.
"Did Ayami-chan have any problems?"
"Not really."
...If nothing was wrong, would you really ask that? What's going on?
How is Ayami-chan related to what Naru was looking up?
"Naru, Ayami-chan's condition seems weird," I said.
The moment I said that, Naru turned swiftly toward me.
I told Naru all the strange things that happened. The weird sounds. And the children that I could not see.
Bou-san and Ayako listened in wonder.
Ayako immediately started to complain, "That's strange. What's up with this family?"
"I keep thinking that this case and that little girl are intertwined... The doll, too," Bou-san muttered.
Hearing Bou-san, Naru looked down at the carpet, his dark pupils intense.
Ayako still did not give up on the earth spirit theory. "Let's see, what can be the cause of all this? ...An earth spirit. Yes. You can find out if there are any rumors about this house from a neighbor."
Naru stopped Ayako before she said anything else. "I investigated that already."
"Huh?"
"There are no rumors about ghosts in this house."
"...Oh, come on..." Ayako sighed as she leaned against her chair.
"The important thing is, Minnie might be possessed," Bou-san stated.
"...Kids that only Ayami-chan can see. Kids that Minnie brought over. Don't you think it's strange?"
Ayako cocked her head. "Ghost children... Minnie brought them here...?"
"Isn't that strange?" Bou-san repeated.
"Kind of..."
"The doll is dangerous," Bou-san sighed.
"Really?" I asked. Man, how come I didn't know that?
"That's right. Dolls are humans without souls. In other words, a soulless body. They're really easy to possess. That's why spirits were sealed in dolls as a way of cursing."
"I just never liked dolls. They always seemed scary. Ah, I always thought dolls were empty and that they could summon spirits. They look like humans too."
...Please don't say anymore... Ayako turned around, "I still think it's an earth spirit. The main root of the problem seems to be that doll. Fine then, I'll exorcise the spirit."
Seeing Ayako all energized, Bou-san interrupted her, "Well, spirit exorcism is my job."
"You don't need to pretend. You should go find that jibakurei of yours."
"...Really. I know already!" Bou-san suddenly started clapping his hands. "A jibakurei bound to Minnie!"
After saying that, he turned to Naru, "Don't you think this is it?"
"Yes, most likely."
Bou-san nodded proudly, "Okay, that's good. Then all I have to do is exorcise the spirit that's bound to this doll."
"Hold on a moment," Ayako called out to Bou-san, "we can't know for sure if the exorcism will work. Why don't we call Masako?"
Silence filled the room.
Masako... Hara Masako? The medium that's about my age. In our last case, Naru was very polite to her.
"If Masako were here, we can find out for sure if that doll is possessed," the priestess stated.
...This could be a good method.
But Naru didn't seem to like it. "That would be unnecessary. Bou-san, how about you perform the exorcism."
Ayako seemed unsatisfied. "But isn't this way more dangerous? If the doll is possessed, then during an exorcism, won't the spirit possess Ayami-chan instead?"
"It's possible... Matsuzaki-san, can you protect Ayami-chan?"
"Ah, yes. This way, if anything bad happens it can be resolved quickly."
"...Oh?" A look of surprise flashed across Miko-san's face. "I never thought you could be so considerate. I didn't expect you to let me do this."
"I thought you might like a chance to redeem yourself."
"Thank you. After this case is solved, would you go on a date with me?"
...What is this crazy priestess thinking!
"Sorry, but I reject," Naru replied coldly before turning toward Bou-san. "Bou-san, can you do the exorcism?"
"Just leave it to me."
It was almost 12 o'clock. After we took the doll from the sleeping girl, Bou-san started the exorcism.
Ayako was sitting beside Ayami-chan.
On one side was a stick figure; in the front were two knives. Ayako's left hand was carrying a bead necklace, while she carried a bell with her other hand. There was a spell paper on Ayami-chan's chest.
"I'm ready."
I went to Ayami-chan's room to tell Bou-san what Ayako just said. "She's ready." I was running around, delivering messages. Naru was in base, looking at the equipment should something happen. Bou-san nodded, signaling that he was ready. I ran back to base.
Once I reached base, I heard Bou-san's voice from the microphone, "Na u ma ku san man da ba za ra dan." Bou-san started the Buddhism chant that I did not understand again. It's supposed to be a Buddhist mantra.
"Sen da ma ka ro sha da so ku ta ya un ta ra ta kan man."
Minnie didn't look any different. After the temperature dropped five degrees, it became stable. It didn't drop dramatically. There weren't any eerie sounds from the microphone either.
"There should be a response..."
Naru cocked his head, deep in thought. Suddenly there was a moaning sound. The sound came from Ayami-chan's room. When we got there, it looked like a small hurricane just went through the room. Everything was messy; the furniture were all pushed and slanted onto the walls.
Ayako held the chalk-faced Ayami-chan. Noriko-san shrank onto the bed.
"Noriko-san, are you alright?" I went to console her.
"Noriko-san?!"
Her pale face was wrought with fear as tears filled her eyes.
"What's wrong? Does something hurt?"
"...My leg..."
"What's wrong with your leg?"
Bou-san ran up to us to look at her foot. "...Her ankle... Is dislocated..."
Noriko-san's right foot was longer than her left foot because her ankle was dislocated.
"Call the ambulance."
Naru rushed out the door.
Noriko-san clutched my hand. I could feel her shaking.
"The person... Who pulled my foot... Was very strong."
"...Who...?"
"I don't know..."
Bou-san pointed at her foot. There was a clear hand print near her ankle.
...A child's hand print.
"Exactly what happened here?!"
Kana-san called the taxi to take Noriko-san to the hospital. Ayako leaned closer to Bou-san as he explained, "I'm the one who wants to know what happened! It felt like a small earthquake, but then all this happened!"
"Aren't you here so that you can prevent this from happening?!"
"I can't help it either! It came so fast that I couldn't do anything!"
Naru put a stop to their argument. "...The situation is already like this. Even if you argue, nothing will change. Instead..."
Naru looked at Ayami-chan, who shrank back in response.
"Ayami-chan, exactly what happened?"
Ayami-chan shook her head.
"Did Minnie do this?"
Ayami-chan didn't answer. Then she looked like she just remembered something.
"Where's Minnie?!"
"I'm taking care of Minnie for you right now. Can you tell me some things about Minnie?"
"Give Minnie back to me!"
"When did Minnie start talking?"
"Give Minnie back! She's my friend!"
"Ayami-chan!" Naru's imposing voice made the little girl shrink back even more.
"Listen, your onee-chan is injured. Minnie did that, right?"
Ayami-chan's eyes were filled with tears. She looked like an injured animal.
"This is troublesome for everyone. Does Minnie think this is okay?"
Ayami-chan shook her head, unsure of what to say.
"Ayami-chan!" The moment Naru shouted, Ayami-chan started to cry. She rushed off the bed and ran to my side.
"Mai!" she cried out.
"Don't worry. Don't be scared," I soothed her.
Naru's voice was still cold and stern. "Ayami-chan, Minnie, did she..."
I gave Naru a cold stare. "You insensitive jerk! She's already crying so much, but you still won't stop!"
"Mai! Now's not the time for this!"
"Now is the time! You cold-hearted bastard!"
Ayami-chan cried out, and I stroke her hair. "Don't worry, don't worry."
"...Rry!"
"Hm? Don't worry. It's not your fault."
"...I'm...sor...ry!"
"Ayami-chan..."
She held onto my hand. "Minnie told me I can't speak with anyone else! If I do, she'll punish everyone!"
"...Minnie said that?"
Sobbing, Ayami-chan nodded. "Minnie said I can't speak with other people. If I do, she'll hurt everyone else. But I really want to play with onee-chan and Mai-san...!"
Minnie's threatening her. Poor girl.
"When did Minnie start talking?"
Naru was using a softer tone this time.
"...After we moved here."
"What did she say at first?"
"She said my stepmother's a witch, and Daddy's her slave. She said they want to kill me."
"What else?"
"Minnie said onee-chan is also on the witch's side. Minnie said she'll protect me, but then I can't talk to other people..."
...Poor girl... She must've felt so lonely.
"Sometimes I forget what she says, and I play with onee-chan. But then Minnie messes up my room and hides my toys."
"You didn't tell anyone about this?"
Ayami-chan shook her head.
So that's why. I get it now. All the poltergeist activity that happened here: the toppled over furniture, the slanted furniture... it all makes sense now.
All because she threatened Minnie. That day, Ayami-chan smiled at me and introduced me to Minnie. That's why Minnie got angry.
"She said that was my punishment. So..." the girl continued.
"—And then Minnie brought all those kids over?"
"Yes... A lot of kids too. Boys and girls that are about my age. All of them are Minnie's underlings."
"We must quarantine Minnie for a while."
It was a fresh and cool morning today. Noriko-san still didn't return from the hospital. Kana-san is with her now. Last night, Ayami-chan slept in my room.
When we went to base, Bou-san stated his opinion, "Minnie must be the cause of all this."
"She's the reason for all of it?"
"Yes. For example, if a former inhabitant of this house died, it might've been Minnie's fault. I have a friend who specializes in destroying cursed dolls. I can ask for him..."
Naru immediately rejected, "That would be of no use. The problem isn't Minnie."
"What did you say?! Aren't you wrong? What do you mean it's not the doll's fault."
"Why?!" Ayako interjected.
"Intuition."
Ayako retorted coldly, "Your intuition? Why must we follow your intuition?"
Naru ignored her.
"The problem is Minnie is being used as a vessel... The doll, however, is just a toy. A ghost in this house has possessed Minnie..." Naru raised his eyes. "Minnie is dangerous. We must find the real culprit."
She's dangerous? "...Are you kidding?"
"It would be good if that were so..."
Right when I was about to ask Naru to clarify, Noriko-san dashed toward us, "Mai! Mai!"
"Noriko-san! You're back from the hospital? Is your injury healed already?"
"Now's not the time to talk about that," was her swift response.
"What's wrong?"
"Please, come with me. Shibuya-san, you too. Something strange happened."
"What?"
Noriko-san pulled us into the corridor.
Kana-san's face was chalk white as she looked at the wall.
"Come quickly! Look!"
Noriko-san pointed at the wall behind us. After we all turned around, we sucked in a big breath.
Who did this...
Words completely covered the wall.
"This bad child must be punished."
"Bad child, meaning Ayami-chan...?" I asked.
Naru nodded in response.
"Ayami-chan violated her promise with Minnie of speaking with other people. Minnie thinks Ayami-chan betrayed her... Mai."
"Eh?"
"Stay with Ayami-chan and protect her."
"...Hey, Naru, nothing will happen to Ayami-chan, right?"
"I don’t know."
"It can't be!"
Naru blinked, then lifted his head, "I can't back down now. I'll call in a professional."
"A professional?"
"Yes, Minnie is possessed by a spirit so I have to call in a professional."
"Are there people who can take care of it?"
"Of course— Exorcists." ...Ah!
John-san? John-san?!
In the afternoon, I sat in the backyard with Noriko-san as we played House with Ayami-chan.
Meanwhile, Naru and the others were cleaning the message on the wall. They didn't want Ayami-chan to see it.
It was Naru who suggested that. Maybe he's considerate, after all.
...That can't be. Maybe someone secretly suggested this to Naru.
Minnie wasn't with Ayami-chan now. Bou-san sealed the doll in a box with a protective charm on it. Right now he's trying to burn the box. Even though Naru said it won't do any good.
After the writing on the wall, Kana-san was missing. There was a note on the living room table.
"I cannot stay in this creepy house anymore."
It was the only sentence on the paper.
Noriko-san was kind of surprised. The maid had resigned, and now, Kana-san left. Only she and Ayami-chan remained.
"Mai," Ayami-chan handed a paper cup to me. "Have some tea."
"Thank you."
I bowed, and laughter arose from Ayami-chan. It had been so long since I've seen her smile. Before, she was threatened by Minnie so she wouldn't say anything. She must've been so lonely. "Onee-chan, have some tea."
"Thank you."
"Onee-chan, does your foot hurt?" Ayami-chan suddenly asked.
Noriko-san shook her head. "It's fine now. As long as Ayami-chan cares about me, it'll be okay."
An angelic smile lit up Ayami-chan's face.
Thank goodness. I can relax now.
"Onee-chan, do you want flowers?"
"Yes."
And then Ayami-chan stood up to go get flowers. "I'll pick some flowers then."
"Then I'll go with you," Noriko-san offered.
"No, you're hurt so you can't move. I'll go find some flowers."
"It's only a small injury. I can go."
"No! Mai-san, let's go."
"Okay." I let Ayami-chan pull me into the beautiful, purple flower garden.
"Just pick a few, Ayami-chan," Noriko-san shouted to us.
Ayami-chan nodded, her hand reaching toward a flower. Suddenly Ayami-chan screamed.
"Ayami-chan?!"
Ayami-chan turned and twisted in effort to get her hand back. But her hand was stuck. I held onto her hands and pulled, but they just wouldn't budge.
"Ayami-chan!"
Noriko-san limped toward us.
I moved the flowers apart in attempt to see what was holding onto her hand. Ayami-chan's hand was immediately released. Crying, she ran off.
Looking at the purple lavenders, I realized nothing was there.
"Ayami-chan! Wait!" Noriko-san called out to the little girl.
I turned around and saw that Ayami-chan was running deep into the garden.
"Mai-chan! Stop her! There's a pond over there!!"
...A pond? A pond?!
To the south of the house was a big, deep pond. The petals of the lotus tree near the pond often fell into the water.
"Minnie! I'm sorry!" Ayami-chan screamed, as if she was running from something. Then she ran around the lotus tree.
"Ayami-chan!"
She ran around the lotus tree near the pond, her foot slipping in the process.
"Ayami-chan!" Noriko-san yelled.
Ayami-chan reached out her hand, but grabbed nothing but air. Without even having a chance to scream, she fell into the murky water.
"Ayami-chan!"
"Ayami!"
Noriko-san and I ran toward the pond.
The water splashed, while Ayami-chan sank.
We reached the edge of the pond.
Ayami-chan!
The pond was deep. It would go up to my head if I were in it. For Ayami-chan, this was too deep.
"Ayami! Where are you?" Noriko-san yelled.
I saw Ayami-chan.
"Ayami-chan!"
The little girl reached her hand out, screaming something inaudible.
I reached my hand out and grabbed hers. "It's okay! It's okay!"
Water flowed out of Ayami-chan's shirt.
Noriko-san swam to her side. "Ayami!"
"Onee-chan! Onee-chan!"
Ayami-chan finally spoke.
"It's okay, it's okay...! Don't be scared."
Noriko-san hugged Ayami-chan.
Soon after, Naru and the rest came running and pulled Noriko-san and the crying Ayami-chan out. After Ayami-chan took a bath and put on new clothes, Noriko-san and I became relieved.
Noriko constantly rubbed her hair, muttering, "Thank goodness... She's okay."
"Onee-chan, you're drenched too... You might catch a cold," Ayami-chan said.
"Oh, thank you, but I'm okay. Ayami, are you okay? Does everything feel alright?"
"Yes. Mai-san is also...wet."
"It's okay. I'm fine." I smiled to reassure her.
Is this Minnie's retaliation? Is this the revenge that Ayami-chan deserves for her betrayal? "This bad child must be punished"...
So this is her punishment.
Noriko-san let the newly dressed Ayami-chan rest for a while.
Breathing hard, I rushed toward base. Minnie, the doll that was supposed to be burnt to smithereens... Was sitting on the shelf...
I couldn't help but shout, "Wha... What happened!"
Bou-san angrily shook his head. "It didn't burn."
Huh?
"The box burned, but Minnie didn't."
Terror flushed through my body.
"Even though Naru said it would be no use, I still thought it would work with a doll. I've encountered this situation before. The doll-loving girl died and possessed her doll. Every night, the doll would move and spill water everywhere."
Naru still held onto his beliefs. "There's nothing wrong with the doll. The problem lies within the spirit that's possessing Minnie. That's all."
Ayako looked at Naru and Bou-san, then sighed. "Ah... If we had a psychometrist, then everything would be okay."
Psy... What?
Seeing the blank look on my face, Bou-san and Ayako shook their heads.
...Oh, come on.
Naru looked fed up with me, but answered anyway. "Someone who can use psychometry."
What a bad explanation.
"So, this psymetry thing, what is it?"
"Psychometry. It's a type of ESP. The term was coined by an American scientist, Buchanan. In other words, it's token-object reading. After touching the object, all things about the object can be known. Information on the origin of the object, the past owners of the object, and the present owner can all be known after one touch. Gerard Croiset of the Netherlands and Peter Filis of the U.S. are well known for their ability."
Oh...
"This morning, if a psychometrist were here, then we'd be able to know about Minnie's manufacture and her previous owner, right?"
"Yes."
"Wow...amazing. That must be really convenient." I sighed, then noticed everyone was laughing.
"Well, it definitely is convenient," Bou-san laughed sarcastically. "But psychometrists usually end up searching for corpses."
"Cor-, corpses?"
"That's right. If they touch the missing person's belongings, then they can pinpoint the location of the missing person."
Gasp— What a horrible thing to have to do.
"Whether it's Croiset or Peter— or other famous psychometrists, like England's Oliver Davis and America's Alex Tanous, all of them help the police find missing people."
"Oh—So the police there ask them to help?"
"Something like that."
"Well, we can't get a psychometrist," Ayako sighed. "At least call Hara Masako. She might be able to help. What do you think?"
"I said that would be unnecessary," Naru refused, his voice stone hard with certainty. Then he stood up. "I'm going to check up on Ayami-chan."
...Could it be that Naru doesn't like working with Masako?
Ayami-chan was sleeping soundly in Noriko-san's room.
Looking at her sleeping face, Noriko-san spoke, "I want to give my brother a call about moving out of this house."
...Awesome! Ayako and Bou-san won't have this burden on their back anymore. Naru's tone stopped her. "Some poltergeists will follow those who move."
"Then tell me what to do! When will this all end?! Only Ayami-chan and I are left in this house!"
Naru didn't answer. "Noriko-san... Do you know about the history of this house?"
"...History?"
"I've done some research on the past owners of this house."
Noriko-san looked at him uneasily.
Naru's eyes seemed to have a dangerous sparkle in it.
"Ten months before the Morishita family moved here. The owner before this was the Watanabe family, who lived here for three years before selling the house due to work."
"So he didn't sell the house because weird stuff was happening here?" I asked.
Naru nodded. "That's right. The neighbors also said they didn't hear of any ghost rumors. The family before that was the Nogi family. Their nine year old daughter died here."
A nine year old...
"One year older than Ayami-chan. They say it's because of an illness. The family before them was the Onuma family. In half a year, all three of their children died."
"All three?"
"Yes. A ten-year old boy, an eight-year old boy, and a seven-year old girl. All were either because of accidents or illness. And so the Onuma family sold the house."
"......"
I felt sick.
"Before them was the Murakimi family. No one died in that family. They had a fifteen year old daughter, but nothing happened to her. The family before them, the Taniguchi family, had three childen of the ages fourteen, fifteen, and eighteen. Nothing happened to them. However, a child of their relatives came here to play, and he died. He was about ten years old.
The family before them was the Ikedas. Nothing happened to them while they lived here, but after they moved away, their seven year old daughter died. Children that're about fifteen are okay. The family before them, the Tachibanas, had an eight year old daughter who died here."
"Hey..." I said, a bad feeling overcoming my stomach. "So what you're saying is... Children about eight years old are in danger here...?"
"Seems like it."
...Ayami-chan...!
"...Then what should I do!" Noriko-san cried out.
There was a family with a daughter who died after they moved away... It really makes me feel forlorn and hopeless.
"If you want to move away, I won't stop you. But please wait. As of now, you will be in danger even if you move. I've already called a professional so if you want to move out, at least wait for him to come."
Noriko-san nodded her head in consent.
The exorcist had arrived by sunset.
Clothed in priest robes, John came by taxi.
John Brown is a Catholic exorcist. John looked at us with his blue eyes. Although he's nineteen, he looks like he's sixteen or seventeen. He's Australian.
"Long time no see."
He learned Japanese in the Kansai area.
He ran toward us. "Shibuya-san, where's the doll and child?"
We dove into action.
"Ayami-chan's on the second floor, sleeping. The monk is guarding the doll."
"I wanna to see Ayami-chan first. Can one of y'all take me to her?"
...John's the same. He still talks in a strange way.
We went to Noriko-san's room and saw Ayami-chan asleep.
After John was introduced to Noriko-san, he examined Ayami-chan's sleeping face.
"I'm not sure if I can help out, but I'll try my best."
John read the bible, then used holy water to draw a cross on the wall and door. When he drew a cross on Ayami-chan's forehead, she budged slightly. John took out a silver cross, then placed it on Ayami-chan's body.
"I'm not sure if this will help out, but better this than nothing."
"Thank you." Noriko-san bowed to him.
Smiling, John turned around to ask Naru, "Shibuya-san, where's the doll?"
Something surprising was awaiting us.
Naru strictly asked Lin-san, who was watching over the equipment. "Lin! Where's Minnie?!" Lin-san looked at Naru, surprise evident in his face. "If you want to see Minnie, she's right..."
His hand stiffened as he pointed to nothing.
Minnie's not there. She was supposed to be on the shelf.
"...Did it run away?"
"Sorry." Lin-san bowed his head. Naru bit his lip, then reverted back to his stoic mask. "It'll come back... Definitely."
It was 2:00 a.m.
Suddenly the house started to shake. The poltergeist activity started. It was almost as if it was looking for something in its rampage to turn the house upside down.
All the furniture moved, rapping noises started, and stomping sounds could be heard.
"It's so... Strong," John murmered uneasily. "The degree of it is so high."
Bou-san stared at the equipment. "Looks like John's prayer is working."
...Seems like it. Minnie was practically searching everywhere for Ayami-chan.
"In other words... This boundary is effective."
"Boundary?"
"In simpler terms, it means a place that the spirit cannot enter." Bou-san almost went into a laughing fit again.
...Oh.
Not really understanding, I nodded and then looked at the equipment. In the middle was one TV screen, shining bright red. The microphone was transmitting sounds.
"Naru! Machine #6 is receiving sound!"
"Switch it."
"Okay."
Sound overflowed from the speakers.
—It's a child's voice.
There were knocking sounds on the bed and walls. And though unclear, there was definitely a child's voice amidst all this, crying out.
"That's... Ayami-chan's invisible friend..." I whispered.
Naru nodded, "Most likely. It's so noisy. How many children are there?"
The ghostly sounds faded earlier than usual, and soon a dark silence was looming over us. Nothing changed.
"It disappeared... Why?"
"I'm not sure, but..." Naru stopped short.
Because he soon understood.
Ayako, who was supposed to be watching Ayami-chan, ran toward us. "Naru!"
"What's wrong?"
"Minnie came back!"
What did you say? Ayako handed a bundle wrapped in bedsheets to him.
"This. It's too scary."
John came over and unwrapped the bundle, closing the doll's marble eyes.
"When did it appear?"
"Just now. Noriko-san noticed a bundle under the blanket near Ayami's legs... She unfolded it and found Minnie."
"Is Ayami-chan okay?"
"...She's fine..."
Just then the ghostly sounds stopped. Even though the sounds were so loud and serious this time, why did they stop?
—Because Minnie found Ayami-chan.
It's 4:00 a.m.
John had finished preparing an altar. Minnie was placed inside, underneath a silver cross of Christ. John took out a glass bottle, then started to pray.
"In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God..."
Minnie was wearing a blue skirt, her skin pure white. Her marble eyes were closed, and her teeth ivory white. It felt like a nightmare.
Minnie's an empty vessel that's possessed by a spirit.
And also, she wants to hurt Ayami-chan.
Why?
"Please look over us and protect us."
John was speaking softly. The small silver cross had been laid across Minnie's forehead.
And in that moment.
Crack.
The sound of the cross breaking. Minnie's eyes fluttered open.
Behind me, Ayako took in a deep breath.
It couldn't have opened its eyes. Dolls are inanimate objects.
John shifted around slightly, then continued his prayer.
Minnie didn't move again. Its hands were stiff, its marble eyes still.
"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made."
John opened his thick bible and raised the glass bottle.
"In the beginning..."
John read and moved the glass bottle. He sprinkled holy water onto Minnie. Minnie's body rumbled.
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."
John read and sprinkled holy water at the same time.
Finally, a wisp of smoke rose from Minnie's forehead, followed by a cracking sound. The doll's skirt fluttered in the wind.
"The light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not."
Minnie's marble eyes rolled down, and the cross on its forehead slid down. There was a scar of the cross on its forehead.
"The exorcism was successful," John announced as he stopped his prayer. He turned around to look at us. "However, the ghost did not disappear. Just to be safe, I think we should burn it."
Naru nodded and handed the doll to Bou-san.
Bou-san burned Minnie in the backyard.
This time the doll was easily overtaken by the fire as it burned to smithereens.
When I woke up on the second day, Naru had already left. Said he had to do some research. And so, I let Lin-san take care of base while I went to Noriko-san's room.
Lin-san is hard to deal with. When we were alone in base, I almost felt like suffocating.
Ayami-chan was playing House by herself.
"Ayami-chan, can I play with you?" I asked.
Ayami-chan shook her head silently.
Noriko-san was standing on the side, her arms crossed.
Ayami-chan let her doll Minnie drink tea, then eat cake.
"Ayami-chan is really obedient."
Hearing my words, Noriko-san's face had a kind glow. "She wasn't like this before..."
"Really?"
"Yes. She was more extroverted before. She loved to annoy people. But ever since my older brother remarried and moved here, she's been awfully quiet and doesn't smile much anymore."
"...Hey, Noriko-san?" I tried to be courageous. "Is Kana-san... A good person?"
"Huh?" Noriko-san looked at me in surprise, then chuckled, "She and my brother's relationship is really good. I get along with her too. Even though she can be strict, she's a good person. But Ayami-chan still acts nervous around her..."
"So that's how it is..."
We chatted until 3:00 pm, when Kana-san came in to give us snacks.
Handing out snacks was really the maid's job, but today she's not here. After yesterday's incident, she quit.
Kana-san placed the cookie tray onto the table, then turned toward Ayami-chan. "Ayami, are you playing by yourself? Such a good girl. What are you playing?"
Like a doll, Ayami-chan's expression was emotionless. She did not look at Kana-san.
"At least answer me," Kana-san's voice tightened, "they're snacks, after all."
Kana-san roughly placed the cookies right in front of Ayami-chan. Ayami-chan looked unhappy.
"What's wrong? You don't want them?"
Ayami-chan shook her head.
Kana-san glared at Ayami-chan, then left the room.
Noriko-san let out a deep breath, then looked at Ayami-chan, "Ayami, you don't want to eat the snacks?"
She shook her head.
"Then, I'll eat them."
Suddenly Ayami-chan shouted, "Don't!"
"Eh?"
"They're poisoned!"
We couldn't help but stare at the little girl.
Ayami-chan tried her best to explain. "Minnie told me! The snacks are poisoned! That woman is an evil witch!"
...An evil witch. Poison...
I bent down toward Ayami-chan, "Minnie told you this?"
"Yes. That person is an evil witch. Don't trust her. She put Daddy under a spell and made him her slave. She thinks me and my sister are in the way, so she's trying to kill us!"
...What did you say?
Ayami-chan's eyes were serious. Her eyes were earnest.
"That witch is going to kill us one day! Because we're in her way!"
"...So Minnie told you all this? Not someone else?"
Noriko-san and I continued to look at the serious girl.
"Minnie told me. Minnie won't lie. So onee-chan and Mai-san must be careful! The witch wants to kill onee-chan, cut her body into pieces, and then hide them. Then she'll tell Daddy that onee-chan left home. The witch wants to make me drown in the pond and then say it's an accident!"
I softly asked Noriko-san, "...You didn't teach her to say all that, did you?"
"...Why would I!"
...Then, why is this happening?
Strange. This isn't something an eight year old would think of. Witch and magic... It sounds like a fairytale.
Ayami-chan's face was chalk white as she clutched her doll.
I felt scared. Is this Ayami-chan's imagination? Would an eight year old think that way? Ayami-chan didn't speak again; she just clutched her doll tightly. Pale and weak, the little girl could barely stand.
Is Ayami-chan always thinking about this? This lonely, skinny girl thought of all this? Is that why she doesn't talk much or smile anymore?
After that, I went back to my room and took a nap. Bou-san was going to do a prayer again so I wasn't missing out. And so I snatched this opportunity to get some rest. I probably won't be able to sleep well tonight anyway.
I lay down in bed, then fell asleep. The sun rays streaked in, giving the room a rosy tint.
...This must be a dream.
Half-asleep, my body felt light. I wasn't really drifting in air; I was slowly falling down into empty space... It's a hard sensation to describe.
I opened my eyes in surprise.
The room was getting dark.
Someone else is here.
...Who is it?
I slowly turned my head.
A gloomy shadow, a figure clothed in black. Just standing there. A pale face. Naru?
Why would Naru be in my room? When I thought of it that way, I turned to look at him.
Naru smiled slightly, his eyes warm. The corner of his lips were curved into a smile.
...What's wrong? Why are you standing there?
I was about to ask him. Suddenly his face became solemn. He seemed anxious.
What is he saying. I can't hear.
...What? What did you say?
I gazed into Naru's eyes and tried to read his lips.
...Ayami-chan...?
What about Ayami-chan?
I didn't get it. But it looked like Naru said "dangerous."
...Ayami-chan's in danger?
...Ayami-chan?!
Suddenly I woke up.
......
I got up in bed and quickly looked around. The room was kind of dark, but Naru wasn't here. Of course.
He wouldn't be here.
Oh?
...Was I dreaming about him?
—I must be too tired. Yes, that's it. I'm doing too much work for someone my age. And then there's our relationship.
...Ayami-chan...
I started thinking about her again. Frail, little Ayami-chan. Minnie's her only friend, and she plays by herself.
And then, those words she said today.
"Evil witch", "Daddy's her slave" ..."The witch will kill me and onee-chan one day."
What's wrong with this house?
What's wrong with Ayami-chan?
...Ayami-chan's in danger...
I lay flat on the bed.
Ah—I'm so tired.
...Why Naru. Sometimes I really can't believe myself. The Naru in my dreams is kind and smiles warmly. Is that what I want?
Oh— Eh...
"Ha!"
I tried to get my spirits back and sat up. Nothing will happen if I just think about it. Right now, Ayami-chan's problem is the priority.
I climbed out of bed and got ready to work again.
After dark, Naru came back. Base became a meeting place again. As Naru walked in, Bou-san waved at him, "Yo. Did you make any progress from your research?"
"It was okay... Have there been any changes here?" Naru replied absently, his head turned toward Lin-san's direction.
"As of now, nothing changed." Bou-san persisted, "I performed an exorcism today."
"Really."
...Hey, Naru, can't you use a softer tone.
"I think the exorcism was successful."
"Congratulations."
Bou-san wrinkled his face, "...You, how come you're not cute at all?"
"My cute side merged with my capable side. —Lin, give me a layout of Ayami-chan's room."
...Just give up Bou-san. You can't make him cute.
Ayako snickered, "Forget it. You can mess with the handsome guy after you succeed."
"That's right. Otherwise I'll end up ashamed just like Ayako."
"...What did you say?"
"Nothing."
...Can't you guys be quiet?
Naru stood up, his face devoid of emotion. "Mai, come here. We will examine the camera's angle."
"Okay."
...Hey you, do you only think about work?
Naru and I went to Ayami-chan's room to check on the videocam.
On the way back, I spoke to him, "Come to think of it, I have something important to say."
"Do you want me to listen?"
...Why you.
Fine then! Say what you want! I was going to answer like that, but then I held myself back and explained to him in a calm, business-like manner.
"...Don't you think that's kind of scary?" I asked.
Naru thought about it for a moment, then answered, "I want to see the doll first. Where is it?"
* * *
"Over here."
"Oh? So this is Minnie?"
Noriko-san seemed confused, "Yes, it is..."
Naru took the doll, then squinted at it with his deep eyes, "When did you buy it?"
"Before we moved into this house. My brother went to Europe... This is a gift... He said it's from Paris."
"Did Ayami-chan's personality change before or after that?"
Noriko-san thought for a moment, "Afterwards...I think."
"I see..."
I looked at Naru, "Is something wrong?"
"...I'm not sure."
"Give it back!"
Suddenly Ayami-chan's voice shot out into the air. I was so scared I jumped. Ayami-chan pulled at Naru's black clothes.
"Give Minnie back! Don't touch her!"
"Ayami-chan, can you speak with Minnie?" he asked.
Naru didn't get a reply. Ayami-chan persistently stretched out her hand and finally grabbed the doll back from Naru.
"I won't let anyone touch her!"
Ayami-chan clutched onto Minnie, then turned around and ran.
Naru walked out, his face deep in concentration.
I didn't sleep well tonight either because I stared at the TV in base.
"What's that?" I asked.
I pointed to some numbers on the screen.
"Don't point at it. Your finger is too unsteady."
...Oh, come on.
"That indicates the quantity of ozone in the air. On the side is the quantity of static electricity. And on the side of that are the components of the atmosphere... Do you have any other questions?"
...No.
I was about to complain, but then Naru stood up. "It's starting."
"What is?"
It really is. The temperature of Ayami-chan's room decreased dramatically.
I looked at the equipment. Three of the thermography machines whirred. Now it was in temperature mode. The video camera slowly changed its angle until it faced the bed. In the center was Minnie, situated on top of a pillow.
We took the doll from Ayami-chan when she was sleeping.
"Bou-san, they're saying the temperature is dropping," Ayako remarked .
"It's just the wind," Bou-san replied.
Even though he sounded confident, are things really going to go smoothly?
Concentrating on the TV, Naru didn't seem to hear the monk's comment.
Minnie's emotionless face was in the videocam. Glass eyes. Emptiness.
"Dolls sure make me feel uncomfortable," I said.
Behind me, Bou-san replied, "Well, of course." He crossed his arms. "Dolls used to be vessels for human souls. Hitogata resemble humans. In the past, they were used to curse people."
"Huh—?"
Ayako nodded, "It can serve as a channel for curses. Sealing spirits into voodoo dolls. Then you stick needles into the doll. If the voodoo doll is damaged, so is the person it represents. This is a method to hurt people."
...Oh—
...Naru abruptly stood up.
All eyes turned toward him. Naru stared intently at the screen.
I stood up too. Ayako, Bou-san, and Lin-san all leaned forward.
...Minnie's head was facing downwards...
When did it happen? I was just watching the screen a moment ago!
Minnie's golden hair spread across the pillow.
Under our intense gaze, Minnie moved. Sliding and moving, she moved like a stiff puppet. Her head fell off.
...Scary...!
The dismembered head rolled on the bed. Then there was the sound of it hitting something. It was as if the doll was alive.
Afterwards, the temperature in Ayami-chan's room rose until it was back to normal range.
We rushed to her room.
Everything was the same as we left it. The head didn't fall off. Minnie didn't seem any different; she was sitting in her old position.
In addition... The video camera and cameras were working properly. But when we re-winded the tape, it was all blank. There was no sound either. Everything was just blank. All the data recorded was gone. That is to say, we didn't have any evidence of what we saw... It was almost like a nightmare.
We were stuck in quicksand, not sure what we could do even though Naru said this happened often.
But now we know one thing for sure.
Bou-san's exorcism was also unsuccessful.
In the morning of the second day (though it was almost noon), I rushed to base, only to find that Bou-san had beat me there.
"Where's Naru?"
The only people in the room were Lin-san and Bou-san.
"He said he had to do more research."
"Eh—"
What is he looking up anyway. I suddenly remembered yesterday's dream.
"Ayami-chan's in danger."
Naru told me that in my dream.
Danger.
"...Noriko-san? How come I haven't seen her?"
"She and Kana-san went shopping."
After hearing Bou-san's reply, I left the room.
"Hey, where're you going?" Bou-san called out.
"Noriko-san's room."
I can't let Ayami-chan be with Minnie by herself. I just knew that would be a bad idea. Playing with that doll would be dangerous.
I hurried to Noriko-san's room.
What's Ayami-chan doing? Is she playing? Like usual? Right when I was about to knock, I heard a voice talking, "This house is filled with witches" —It was the voice of a little girl.
...Witches?
Who is it? That's not Ayami-chan's voice.
I pressed my ear against the door.
"I'm scared..." Ayami-chan whimpered.
"Don't be. I will chase them away."
"Will onee-chan be gone? Will Mai-san too?"
A dark snicker—"Of course..."
"I like being with my onee-chan."
"No, no. I told you already. Your onee-chan is the witch's underling." —Another snicker— "But don't worry. I'll help you deal with them... So in return, you must listen to me."
"Ayami-chan!" I shouted as I opened the door.
Ayami-chan was the only person in the room. In front of her was the foreign doll, Minnie. No one else was here. Ayami-chan lifted her head and looked at me, her eyes clouded in confusion.
"Ayami-chan, who were you talking to?"
"...Minnie," she replied.
My excited tone must've scared her. I put on a smile and sat down by her, my voice soft and light as I spoke. "Minnie?"
"Yeah, and some other kids too."
Some other kids...
"So there are other kids besides Minnie. Where are they?"
Ayami-chan pointed her finger, "Over there."
I looked at the direction she was pointing at.
No one was there.
Ayami-chan's acting really strange.
"...Can you introduce them to me?"
"Okay... Oh, they left," Ayami-chan said, her gaze shifting toward the door.
I was horrified, but I put on a big smile anyway. "I see. I guess they don't like me much."
Ayami-chan lowered her head.
"Where did you guys meet?"
"I dunno." "You don't know? Are they classmates?"
Ayami-chan shook her head.
Don't know? What's wrong? Or is she just unwilling to tell me? Kids that I can't see...
My voice was trembling slightly, "Ayami-chan's friends... When did they start coming here to play with you?"
"...I don't remember."
"Was it after you moved in?"
"Yes."
"Are you good friends with them?"
Ayami-chan seemed sullen as she nodded her head, "Minnie brought them here..."
Minnie... Brought them?
Naru came back later than yesterday.
"You must be tired," Ayako grumbled as she welcomed Naru back. "Did you find anything? We're still waiting for you to prove yourself."
Her tone was more sarcastic than usual.
—At lunch, we had an argument with Kana-san. And no wonder. The prayers and exorcisms from yesterday didn't work.
Naru ignored Ayako.
"Lin, anything new happen?"
"No. It's the same as yesterday."
"Really... What about Ayami-chan?" Naru asked me.
"She's in Noriko-san's room. She should be with her onee-chan now— is something wrong?"
"No. That's good."
What's wrong?
Naru was deep in thought.
"Did something happen?" he asked.
"No," came a muffled reply.
"Did Ayami-chan have any problems?"
"Not really."
...If nothing was wrong, would you really ask that? What's going on?
How is Ayami-chan related to what Naru was looking up?
"Naru, Ayami-chan's condition seems weird," I said.
The moment I said that, Naru turned swiftly toward me.
I told Naru all the strange things that happened. The weird sounds. And the children that I could not see.
Bou-san and Ayako listened in wonder.
Ayako immediately started to complain, "That's strange. What's up with this family?"
"I keep thinking that this case and that little girl are intertwined... The doll, too," Bou-san muttered.
Hearing Bou-san, Naru looked down at the carpet, his dark pupils intense.
Ayako still did not give up on the earth spirit theory. "Let's see, what can be the cause of all this? ...An earth spirit. Yes. You can find out if there are any rumors about this house from a neighbor."
Naru stopped Ayako before she said anything else. "I investigated that already."
"Huh?"
"There are no rumors about ghosts in this house."
"...Oh, come on..." Ayako sighed as she leaned against her chair.
"The important thing is, Minnie might be possessed," Bou-san stated.
"...Kids that only Ayami-chan can see. Kids that Minnie brought over. Don't you think it's strange?"
Ayako cocked her head. "Ghost children... Minnie brought them here...?"
"Isn't that strange?" Bou-san repeated.
"Kind of..."
"The doll is dangerous," Bou-san sighed.
"Really?" I asked. Man, how come I didn't know that?
"That's right. Dolls are humans without souls. In other words, a soulless body. They're really easy to possess. That's why spirits were sealed in dolls as a way of cursing."
"I just never liked dolls. They always seemed scary. Ah, I always thought dolls were empty and that they could summon spirits. They look like humans too."
...Please don't say anymore... Ayako turned around, "I still think it's an earth spirit. The main root of the problem seems to be that doll. Fine then, I'll exorcise the spirit."
Seeing Ayako all energized, Bou-san interrupted her, "Well, spirit exorcism is my job."
"You don't need to pretend. You should go find that jibakurei of yours."
"...Really. I know already!" Bou-san suddenly started clapping his hands. "A jibakurei bound to Minnie!"
After saying that, he turned to Naru, "Don't you think this is it?"
"Yes, most likely."
Bou-san nodded proudly, "Okay, that's good. Then all I have to do is exorcise the spirit that's bound to this doll."
"Hold on a moment," Ayako called out to Bou-san, "we can't know for sure if the exorcism will work. Why don't we call Masako?"
Silence filled the room.
Masako... Hara Masako? The medium that's about my age. In our last case, Naru was very polite to her.
"If Masako were here, we can find out for sure if that doll is possessed," the priestess stated.
...This could be a good method.
But Naru didn't seem to like it. "That would be unnecessary. Bou-san, how about you perform the exorcism."
Ayako seemed unsatisfied. "But isn't this way more dangerous? If the doll is possessed, then during an exorcism, won't the spirit possess Ayami-chan instead?"
"It's possible... Matsuzaki-san, can you protect Ayami-chan?"
"Ah, yes. This way, if anything bad happens it can be resolved quickly."
"...Oh?" A look of surprise flashed across Miko-san's face. "I never thought you could be so considerate. I didn't expect you to let me do this."
"I thought you might like a chance to redeem yourself."
"Thank you. After this case is solved, would you go on a date with me?"
...What is this crazy priestess thinking!
"Sorry, but I reject," Naru replied coldly before turning toward Bou-san. "Bou-san, can you do the exorcism?"
"Just leave it to me."
It was almost 12 o'clock. After we took the doll from the sleeping girl, Bou-san started the exorcism.
Ayako was sitting beside Ayami-chan.
On one side was a stick figure; in the front were two knives. Ayako's left hand was carrying a bead necklace, while she carried a bell with her other hand. There was a spell paper on Ayami-chan's chest.
"I'm ready."
I went to Ayami-chan's room to tell Bou-san what Ayako just said. "She's ready." I was running around, delivering messages. Naru was in base, looking at the equipment should something happen. Bou-san nodded, signaling that he was ready. I ran back to base.
Once I reached base, I heard Bou-san's voice from the microphone, "Na u ma ku san man da ba za ra dan." Bou-san started the Buddhism chant that I did not understand again. It's supposed to be a Buddhist mantra.
"Sen da ma ka ro sha da so ku ta ya un ta ra ta kan man."
Minnie didn't look any different. After the temperature dropped five degrees, it became stable. It didn't drop dramatically. There weren't any eerie sounds from the microphone either.
"There should be a response..."
Naru cocked his head, deep in thought. Suddenly there was a moaning sound. The sound came from Ayami-chan's room. When we got there, it looked like a small hurricane just went through the room. Everything was messy; the furniture were all pushed and slanted onto the walls.
Ayako held the chalk-faced Ayami-chan. Noriko-san shrank onto the bed.
"Noriko-san, are you alright?" I went to console her.
"Noriko-san?!"
Her pale face was wrought with fear as tears filled her eyes.
"What's wrong? Does something hurt?"
"...My leg..."
"What's wrong with your leg?"
Bou-san ran up to us to look at her foot. "...Her ankle... Is dislocated..."
Noriko-san's right foot was longer than her left foot because her ankle was dislocated.
"Call the ambulance."
Naru rushed out the door.
Noriko-san clutched my hand. I could feel her shaking.
"The person... Who pulled my foot... Was very strong."
"...Who...?"
"I don't know..."
Bou-san pointed at her foot. There was a clear hand print near her ankle.
...A child's hand print.
"Exactly what happened here?!"
Kana-san called the taxi to take Noriko-san to the hospital. Ayako leaned closer to Bou-san as he explained, "I'm the one who wants to know what happened! It felt like a small earthquake, but then all this happened!"
"Aren't you here so that you can prevent this from happening?!"
"I can't help it either! It came so fast that I couldn't do anything!"
Naru put a stop to their argument. "...The situation is already like this. Even if you argue, nothing will change. Instead..."
Naru looked at Ayami-chan, who shrank back in response.
"Ayami-chan, exactly what happened?"
Ayami-chan shook her head.
"Did Minnie do this?"
Ayami-chan didn't answer. Then she looked like she just remembered something.
"Where's Minnie?!"
"I'm taking care of Minnie for you right now. Can you tell me some things about Minnie?"
"Give Minnie back to me!"
"When did Minnie start talking?"
"Give Minnie back! She's my friend!"
"Ayami-chan!" Naru's imposing voice made the little girl shrink back even more.
"Listen, your onee-chan is injured. Minnie did that, right?"
Ayami-chan's eyes were filled with tears. She looked like an injured animal.
"This is troublesome for everyone. Does Minnie think this is okay?"
Ayami-chan shook her head, unsure of what to say.
"Ayami-chan!" The moment Naru shouted, Ayami-chan started to cry. She rushed off the bed and ran to my side.
"Mai!" she cried out.
"Don't worry. Don't be scared," I soothed her.
Naru's voice was still cold and stern. "Ayami-chan, Minnie, did she..."
I gave Naru a cold stare. "You insensitive jerk! She's already crying so much, but you still won't stop!"
"Mai! Now's not the time for this!"
"Now is the time! You cold-hearted bastard!"
Ayami-chan cried out, and I stroke her hair. "Don't worry, don't worry."
"...Rry!"
"Hm? Don't worry. It's not your fault."
"...I'm...sor...ry!"
"Ayami-chan..."
She held onto my hand. "Minnie told me I can't speak with anyone else! If I do, she'll punish everyone!"
"...Minnie said that?"
Sobbing, Ayami-chan nodded. "Minnie said I can't speak with other people. If I do, she'll hurt everyone else. But I really want to play with onee-chan and Mai-san...!"
Minnie's threatening her. Poor girl.
"When did Minnie start talking?"
Naru was using a softer tone this time.
"...After we moved here."
"What did she say at first?"
"She said my stepmother's a witch, and Daddy's her slave. She said they want to kill me."
"What else?"
"Minnie said onee-chan is also on the witch's side. Minnie said she'll protect me, but then I can't talk to other people..."
...Poor girl... She must've felt so lonely.
"Sometimes I forget what she says, and I play with onee-chan. But then Minnie messes up my room and hides my toys."
"You didn't tell anyone about this?"
Ayami-chan shook her head.
So that's why. I get it now. All the poltergeist activity that happened here: the toppled over furniture, the slanted furniture... it all makes sense now.
All because she threatened Minnie. That day, Ayami-chan smiled at me and introduced me to Minnie. That's why Minnie got angry.
"She said that was my punishment. So..." the girl continued.
"—And then Minnie brought all those kids over?"
"Yes... A lot of kids too. Boys and girls that are about my age. All of them are Minnie's underlings."
"We must quarantine Minnie for a while."
It was a fresh and cool morning today. Noriko-san still didn't return from the hospital. Kana-san is with her now. Last night, Ayami-chan slept in my room.
When we went to base, Bou-san stated his opinion, "Minnie must be the cause of all this."
"She's the reason for all of it?"
"Yes. For example, if a former inhabitant of this house died, it might've been Minnie's fault. I have a friend who specializes in destroying cursed dolls. I can ask for him..."
Naru immediately rejected, "That would be of no use. The problem isn't Minnie."
"What did you say?! Aren't you wrong? What do you mean it's not the doll's fault."
"Why?!" Ayako interjected.
"Intuition."
Ayako retorted coldly, "Your intuition? Why must we follow your intuition?"
Naru ignored her.
"The problem is Minnie is being used as a vessel... The doll, however, is just a toy. A ghost in this house has possessed Minnie..." Naru raised his eyes. "Minnie is dangerous. We must find the real culprit."
She's dangerous? "...Are you kidding?"
"It would be good if that were so..."
Right when I was about to ask Naru to clarify, Noriko-san dashed toward us, "Mai! Mai!"
"Noriko-san! You're back from the hospital? Is your injury healed already?"
"Now's not the time to talk about that," was her swift response.
"What's wrong?"
"Please, come with me. Shibuya-san, you too. Something strange happened."
"What?"
Noriko-san pulled us into the corridor.
Kana-san's face was chalk white as she looked at the wall.
"Come quickly! Look!"
Noriko-san pointed at the wall behind us. After we all turned around, we sucked in a big breath.
Who did this...
Words completely covered the wall.
"This bad child must be punished."
"Bad child, meaning Ayami-chan...?" I asked.
Naru nodded in response.
"Ayami-chan violated her promise with Minnie of speaking with other people. Minnie thinks Ayami-chan betrayed her... Mai."
"Eh?"
"Stay with Ayami-chan and protect her."
"...Hey, Naru, nothing will happen to Ayami-chan, right?"
"I don’t know."
"It can't be!"
Naru blinked, then lifted his head, "I can't back down now. I'll call in a professional."
"A professional?"
"Yes, Minnie is possessed by a spirit so I have to call in a professional."
"Are there people who can take care of it?"
"Of course— Exorcists." ...Ah!
John-san? John-san?!
In the afternoon, I sat in the backyard with Noriko-san as we played House with Ayami-chan.
Meanwhile, Naru and the others were cleaning the message on the wall. They didn't want Ayami-chan to see it.
It was Naru who suggested that. Maybe he's considerate, after all.
...That can't be. Maybe someone secretly suggested this to Naru.
Minnie wasn't with Ayami-chan now. Bou-san sealed the doll in a box with a protective charm on it. Right now he's trying to burn the box. Even though Naru said it won't do any good.
After the writing on the wall, Kana-san was missing. There was a note on the living room table.
"I cannot stay in this creepy house anymore."
It was the only sentence on the paper.
Noriko-san was kind of surprised. The maid had resigned, and now, Kana-san left. Only she and Ayami-chan remained.
"Mai," Ayami-chan handed a paper cup to me. "Have some tea."
"Thank you."
I bowed, and laughter arose from Ayami-chan. It had been so long since I've seen her smile. Before, she was threatened by Minnie so she wouldn't say anything. She must've been so lonely. "Onee-chan, have some tea."
"Thank you."
"Onee-chan, does your foot hurt?" Ayami-chan suddenly asked.
Noriko-san shook her head. "It's fine now. As long as Ayami-chan cares about me, it'll be okay."
An angelic smile lit up Ayami-chan's face.
Thank goodness. I can relax now.
"Onee-chan, do you want flowers?"
"Yes."
And then Ayami-chan stood up to go get flowers. "I'll pick some flowers then."
"Then I'll go with you," Noriko-san offered.
"No, you're hurt so you can't move. I'll go find some flowers."
"It's only a small injury. I can go."
"No! Mai-san, let's go."
"Okay." I let Ayami-chan pull me into the beautiful, purple flower garden.
"Just pick a few, Ayami-chan," Noriko-san shouted to us.
Ayami-chan nodded, her hand reaching toward a flower. Suddenly Ayami-chan screamed.
"Ayami-chan?!"
Ayami-chan turned and twisted in effort to get her hand back. But her hand was stuck. I held onto her hands and pulled, but they just wouldn't budge.
"Ayami-chan!"
Noriko-san limped toward us.
I moved the flowers apart in attempt to see what was holding onto her hand. Ayami-chan's hand was immediately released. Crying, she ran off.
Looking at the purple lavenders, I realized nothing was there.
"Ayami-chan! Wait!" Noriko-san called out to the little girl.
I turned around and saw that Ayami-chan was running deep into the garden.
"Mai-chan! Stop her! There's a pond over there!!"
...A pond? A pond?!
To the south of the house was a big, deep pond. The petals of the lotus tree near the pond often fell into the water.
"Minnie! I'm sorry!" Ayami-chan screamed, as if she was running from something. Then she ran around the lotus tree.
"Ayami-chan!"
She ran around the lotus tree near the pond, her foot slipping in the process.
"Ayami-chan!" Noriko-san yelled.
Ayami-chan reached out her hand, but grabbed nothing but air. Without even having a chance to scream, she fell into the murky water.
"Ayami-chan!"
"Ayami!"
Noriko-san and I ran toward the pond.
The water splashed, while Ayami-chan sank.
We reached the edge of the pond.
Ayami-chan!
The pond was deep. It would go up to my head if I were in it. For Ayami-chan, this was too deep.
"Ayami! Where are you?" Noriko-san yelled.
I saw Ayami-chan.
"Ayami-chan!"
The little girl reached her hand out, screaming something inaudible.
I reached my hand out and grabbed hers. "It's okay! It's okay!"
Water flowed out of Ayami-chan's shirt.
Noriko-san swam to her side. "Ayami!"
"Onee-chan! Onee-chan!"
Ayami-chan finally spoke.
"It's okay, it's okay...! Don't be scared."
Noriko-san hugged Ayami-chan.
Soon after, Naru and the rest came running and pulled Noriko-san and the crying Ayami-chan out. After Ayami-chan took a bath and put on new clothes, Noriko-san and I became relieved.
Noriko constantly rubbed her hair, muttering, "Thank goodness... She's okay."
"Onee-chan, you're drenched too... You might catch a cold," Ayami-chan said.
"Oh, thank you, but I'm okay. Ayami, are you okay? Does everything feel alright?"
"Yes. Mai-san is also...wet."
"It's okay. I'm fine." I smiled to reassure her.
Is this Minnie's retaliation? Is this the revenge that Ayami-chan deserves for her betrayal? "This bad child must be punished"...
So this is her punishment.
Noriko-san let the newly dressed Ayami-chan rest for a while.
Breathing hard, I rushed toward base. Minnie, the doll that was supposed to be burnt to smithereens... Was sitting on the shelf...
I couldn't help but shout, "Wha... What happened!"
Bou-san angrily shook his head. "It didn't burn."
Huh?
"The box burned, but Minnie didn't."
Terror flushed through my body.
"Even though Naru said it would be no use, I still thought it would work with a doll. I've encountered this situation before. The doll-loving girl died and possessed her doll. Every night, the doll would move and spill water everywhere."
Naru still held onto his beliefs. "There's nothing wrong with the doll. The problem lies within the spirit that's possessing Minnie. That's all."
Ayako looked at Naru and Bou-san, then sighed. "Ah... If we had a psychometrist, then everything would be okay."
Psy... What?
Seeing the blank look on my face, Bou-san and Ayako shook their heads.
...Oh, come on.
Naru looked fed up with me, but answered anyway. "Someone who can use psychometry."
What a bad explanation.
"So, this psymetry thing, what is it?"
"Psychometry. It's a type of ESP. The term was coined by an American scientist, Buchanan. In other words, it's token-object reading. After touching the object, all things about the object can be known. Information on the origin of the object, the past owners of the object, and the present owner can all be known after one touch. Gerard Croiset of the Netherlands and Peter Filis of the U.S. are well known for their ability."
Oh...
"This morning, if a psychometrist were here, then we'd be able to know about Minnie's manufacture and her previous owner, right?"
"Yes."
"Wow...amazing. That must be really convenient." I sighed, then noticed everyone was laughing.
"Well, it definitely is convenient," Bou-san laughed sarcastically. "But psychometrists usually end up searching for corpses."
"Cor-, corpses?"
"That's right. If they touch the missing person's belongings, then they can pinpoint the location of the missing person."
Gasp— What a horrible thing to have to do.
"Whether it's Croiset or Peter— or other famous psychometrists, like England's Oliver Davis and America's Alex Tanous, all of them help the police find missing people."
"Oh—So the police there ask them to help?"
"Something like that."
"Well, we can't get a psychometrist," Ayako sighed. "At least call Hara Masako. She might be able to help. What do you think?"
"I said that would be unnecessary," Naru refused, his voice stone hard with certainty. Then he stood up. "I'm going to check up on Ayami-chan."
...Could it be that Naru doesn't like working with Masako?
Ayami-chan was sleeping soundly in Noriko-san's room.
Looking at her sleeping face, Noriko-san spoke, "I want to give my brother a call about moving out of this house."
...Awesome! Ayako and Bou-san won't have this burden on their back anymore. Naru's tone stopped her. "Some poltergeists will follow those who move."
"Then tell me what to do! When will this all end?! Only Ayami-chan and I are left in this house!"
Naru didn't answer. "Noriko-san... Do you know about the history of this house?"
"...History?"
"I've done some research on the past owners of this house."
Noriko-san looked at him uneasily.
Naru's eyes seemed to have a dangerous sparkle in it.
"Ten months before the Morishita family moved here. The owner before this was the Watanabe family, who lived here for three years before selling the house due to work."
"So he didn't sell the house because weird stuff was happening here?" I asked.
Naru nodded. "That's right. The neighbors also said they didn't hear of any ghost rumors. The family before that was the Nogi family. Their nine year old daughter died here."
A nine year old...
"One year older than Ayami-chan. They say it's because of an illness. The family before them was the Onuma family. In half a year, all three of their children died."
"All three?"
"Yes. A ten-year old boy, an eight-year old boy, and a seven-year old girl. All were either because of accidents or illness. And so the Onuma family sold the house."
"......"
I felt sick.
"Before them was the Murakimi family. No one died in that family. They had a fifteen year old daughter, but nothing happened to her. The family before them, the Taniguchi family, had three childen of the ages fourteen, fifteen, and eighteen. Nothing happened to them. However, a child of their relatives came here to play, and he died. He was about ten years old.
The family before them was the Ikedas. Nothing happened to them while they lived here, but after they moved away, their seven year old daughter died. Children that're about fifteen are okay. The family before them, the Tachibanas, had an eight year old daughter who died here."
"Hey..." I said, a bad feeling overcoming my stomach. "So what you're saying is... Children about eight years old are in danger here...?"
"Seems like it."
...Ayami-chan...!
"...Then what should I do!" Noriko-san cried out.
There was a family with a daughter who died after they moved away... It really makes me feel forlorn and hopeless.
"If you want to move away, I won't stop you. But please wait. As of now, you will be in danger even if you move. I've already called a professional so if you want to move out, at least wait for him to come."
Noriko-san nodded her head in consent.
The exorcist had arrived by sunset.
Clothed in priest robes, John came by taxi.
John Brown is a Catholic exorcist. John looked at us with his blue eyes. Although he's nineteen, he looks like he's sixteen or seventeen. He's Australian.
"Long time no see."
He learned Japanese in the Kansai area.
He ran toward us. "Shibuya-san, where's the doll and child?"
We dove into action.
"Ayami-chan's on the second floor, sleeping. The monk is guarding the doll."
"I wanna to see Ayami-chan first. Can one of y'all take me to her?"
...John's the same. He still talks in a strange way.
We went to Noriko-san's room and saw Ayami-chan asleep.
After John was introduced to Noriko-san, he examined Ayami-chan's sleeping face.
"I'm not sure if I can help out, but I'll try my best."
John read the bible, then used holy water to draw a cross on the wall and door. When he drew a cross on Ayami-chan's forehead, she budged slightly. John took out a silver cross, then placed it on Ayami-chan's body.
"I'm not sure if this will help out, but better this than nothing."
"Thank you." Noriko-san bowed to him.
Smiling, John turned around to ask Naru, "Shibuya-san, where's the doll?"
Something surprising was awaiting us.
Naru strictly asked Lin-san, who was watching over the equipment. "Lin! Where's Minnie?!" Lin-san looked at Naru, surprise evident in his face. "If you want to see Minnie, she's right..."
His hand stiffened as he pointed to nothing.
Minnie's not there. She was supposed to be on the shelf.
"...Did it run away?"
"Sorry." Lin-san bowed his head. Naru bit his lip, then reverted back to his stoic mask. "It'll come back... Definitely."
It was 2:00 a.m.
Suddenly the house started to shake. The poltergeist activity started. It was almost as if it was looking for something in its rampage to turn the house upside down.
All the furniture moved, rapping noises started, and stomping sounds could be heard.
"It's so... Strong," John murmered uneasily. "The degree of it is so high."
Bou-san stared at the equipment. "Looks like John's prayer is working."
...Seems like it. Minnie was practically searching everywhere for Ayami-chan.
"In other words... This boundary is effective."
"Boundary?"
"In simpler terms, it means a place that the spirit cannot enter." Bou-san almost went into a laughing fit again.
...Oh.
Not really understanding, I nodded and then looked at the equipment. In the middle was one TV screen, shining bright red. The microphone was transmitting sounds.
"Naru! Machine #6 is receiving sound!"
"Switch it."
"Okay."
Sound overflowed from the speakers.
—It's a child's voice.
There were knocking sounds on the bed and walls. And though unclear, there was definitely a child's voice amidst all this, crying out.
"That's... Ayami-chan's invisible friend..." I whispered.
Naru nodded, "Most likely. It's so noisy. How many children are there?"
The ghostly sounds faded earlier than usual, and soon a dark silence was looming over us. Nothing changed.
"It disappeared... Why?"
"I'm not sure, but..." Naru stopped short.
Because he soon understood.
Ayako, who was supposed to be watching Ayami-chan, ran toward us. "Naru!"
"What's wrong?"
"Minnie came back!"
What did you say? Ayako handed a bundle wrapped in bedsheets to him.
"This. It's too scary."
John came over and unwrapped the bundle, closing the doll's marble eyes.
"When did it appear?"
"Just now. Noriko-san noticed a bundle under the blanket near Ayami's legs... She unfolded it and found Minnie."
"Is Ayami-chan okay?"
"...She's fine..."
Just then the ghostly sounds stopped. Even though the sounds were so loud and serious this time, why did they stop?
—Because Minnie found Ayami-chan.
It's 4:00 a.m.
John had finished preparing an altar. Minnie was placed inside, underneath a silver cross of Christ. John took out a glass bottle, then started to pray.
"In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God..."
Minnie was wearing a blue skirt, her skin pure white. Her marble eyes were closed, and her teeth ivory white. It felt like a nightmare.
Minnie's an empty vessel that's possessed by a spirit.
And also, she wants to hurt Ayami-chan.
Why?
"Please look over us and protect us."
John was speaking softly. The small silver cross had been laid across Minnie's forehead.
And in that moment.
Crack.
The sound of the cross breaking. Minnie's eyes fluttered open.
Behind me, Ayako took in a deep breath.
It couldn't have opened its eyes. Dolls are inanimate objects.
John shifted around slightly, then continued his prayer.
Minnie didn't move again. Its hands were stiff, its marble eyes still.
"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made."
John opened his thick bible and raised the glass bottle.
"In the beginning..."
John read and moved the glass bottle. He sprinkled holy water onto Minnie. Minnie's body rumbled.
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."
John read and sprinkled holy water at the same time.
Finally, a wisp of smoke rose from Minnie's forehead, followed by a cracking sound. The doll's skirt fluttered in the wind.
"The light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not."
Minnie's marble eyes rolled down, and the cross on its forehead slid down. There was a scar of the cross on its forehead.
"The exorcism was successful," John announced as he stopped his prayer. He turned around to look at us. "However, the ghost did not disappear. Just to be safe, I think we should burn it."
Naru nodded and handed the doll to Bou-san.
Bou-san burned Minnie in the backyard.
This time the doll was easily overtaken by the fire as it burned to smithereens.
