8 ft. Tall

Grandpa or Hachishakusama

When I woke up, it was just after 1 AM. All of a sudden, I realized that something was tapping on the window.

"Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap..."

I felt the blood draining from my face and my heart skipped a beat. I desperately tried to calm myself down, telling myself it was just the wind playing tricks or maybe the branches of a tree. I turned up the volume on the TV to drown out the tapping noise. Eventually, it stopped altogether.

That was when I heard Grandpa calling me.

"Are you OK in there?" he asked. "If you're scared you don't have to stay in there all alone. I can come in and keep you company."

I smiled and rushed over to open door, but then, I stopped in my tracks. I had goosebumps all over my body. It sounded like Grandpa's voice, but somehow, it was different. I couldn't tell what was, but I just knew...

"What are you doing?" Grandpa asked. "You can open the door now."

I glanced to my left and a chill went down my spine. The salt in the bowls was slowly turning black.

I backed away from the door. My whole body was trembling with fear. I fell to my knees in front of the Buddha statue and clutched the piece of parchment tightly in my hand. I started desperately praying for help.

"Please save me from Hachishakusama," I wailed.

Then, I heard the voice outside the door saying:

"Po... Po... Po... Po... Po... Po... Po..."

The tapping on the window started up again. I was overcome by fear and I crouched there in front of the statue, half-crying and half-praying for the rest of the night. I felt like it would never end, but eventually it was morning. The salt in all 4 bowls was pitch black.

I checked my watch. It was 7:30 AM. I cautiously opened the door. Grandma and K-san were standing outside waiting for me. When she saw my face, Grandma burst into tears.

"I'm so glad you're still alive," she said.