Short Stories

A Night Among Ancestors

Kai darted straight for the forest without giving it the slightest of a second thought. Her legs moved faster than ever, and nothing could stop her from escaping this time. The closer she got to Aokigahara the stronger the smell of decomposing remains and rotten brush came to. She knew harm stood ahead of her but what lay ahead seemed more exhilarating than the man hunting her down. The cold night air nipped at her face as she gained speed. The instant she hit the first layer of trees in the forest, she heard the howling of his hunting dogs.

She tumbled over the rotting matter underneath her exposed feet and murmured a few sinful words beneath her breath. Realizing what she said she sat motionless for a second, bowing her head in prayer. "Forgive me, God, forgive me for those sinful words. Forgive me for all that I've done," she pleaded. "Please be with me tonight. You know the real truth, Lord, please save me. I'm begging you." She spoke so desperately even the spirits of the Suicide Forest might have shed a tear.

She raised herself up, brushing off what she could from her not-so-elegant jinbei. She looked left of the forest and then eyed the right. She could only move ahead or turn back to escape. Forward, deeper into the sin-filled woods, or backward, straight towards blameless captivity. Kai stole off in an onward sprint, making sure she did not stagger over any unconsumed feasts.

The moon offered an unnerving and sinister glow to the trees around her; the simplest of forms started turning into outstretched arms, craving to grasp her. Her jinbei snagged on the brush of the dead forestry causing her legs to catch from under her and body crumple to the ground. Her face fell inches from a grotesque deteriorating body. The decaying smell was taking over all her senses, burning her eyes, and causing her to gag. She could hear the hollering of her slayer as he chased out to seize her. "He can't be that far now. I have to be quick. I must find the trail" Her voice trembled with distress and anxiety. She knew she was miles away from the main path of the forest. She had to find it before the spirits of the trees discovered her.

The shadows of the full moon illusion her mind. The forest was knowingly not on her side for this battle against life or death. The man would find her soon and, without reluctance, would kill her. It seemed as clear as knowing your own name. She used what little light she could from the night sky and took off again. Naked branches snaked out to grasp her, and the stillness of the forest haunted her. Her doom stood ahead and behind her. Death whispered her name, but God shouted her name.

***

This was the furthest she had ever made it before. This time she would surely break free of the dangers held in the man's home. Kai knew that the Aokigahara Forest held just as many threats, but she had to risk the chance and pray that the spirits would lead her to her justice. This forest was known for the deaths it carried, standing number two on the list of most suicides committed in one place. It is told that family members use to bring their sick and frail elders here to starve to death. These elders now haunt the forest and seem to unnerve people into thoughts of death.

Kai could not hear her captor or his dogs anymore. "He may have been too scared of the forest," she thought aloud. She sat down to take a few breaths before trying to find the trail again. Her mind was racing with the many possibilities of her situation. He could still catch her, but if not, the spirits would get to her. She may be too far from the trail for any forest authorities to locate her. She had to figure out a way to the park trail. She stood back up and headed away from the forest entrance.

It was a very icy night, and she could see the fog from Mount Fuji settling into the forest. The fog would cover the trees, and the moonlight would no longer gleam through. If Kai did not hurry, she would be surrounded by complete darkness.