The Onryo

Key Wins A Victory

"So, Jack thinks she is a ghost." Key said. "It could be possible."

Key remembered the building that she first stayed in when a couple decided to protect her from her pimp. That building responded to their moods. When they were happy the helped them in certain ways. When they had a terrible fight, the building seemed to change into something dark and possibly evil.

When her pimp finally located her and invaded the building with his soldiers, most of his men were never found. Only the pimp escaped the building to find Aunt Sophia pointing a pistol at him. Compared to those events a ghost seemed a possibility. But no one ever believed Key about the building being alive, so she doubted anyone would accept a ghost as real.

"Oh, come on." Paul said. He had a spiritual experience once, recently, but generally Paul didn't believe in such things. "I think that there is someone out there. Maybe a little off, living someplace nearby. Like a cave."

To Key that seemed as far fetched as the girl being a ghost. "Well what if we go down to your place and see if we can find her. If she is out there, she could need help. I mean we can check the cliffs of the valley and maybe even ride to see if there is another old abandoned farm out there."

"I'm thinking maybe she has some sort of mental problem or maybe she ran away from her family. You know how some of the families around here are." Paul said.

Key knew. Paul's cousin had prostituted Paul's sisters. Only recently were both sisters found. As for Paul's cousin he was going to spend ten years in a federal prison for his crimes. Because he operated across the reservation borders in North Dakota. Paul's parents, they were addicted to meth and were in the tribal prison for child neglect. Under conditions like these, it wouldn't be surprising if someone had run away from a similar family and was hiding out in the middle of nowhere.

"A ghost?" Sophia was skeptical. Not as much as she used to be. She had seen some supernatural things when she went to retrieve Keyote a year ago. "Are you sure?"

"I saw the girl disappeared in front of me." Jack said.

Kiona laughed a little. "So, Keyote was right about it being a ghoulie girl."

"Ghosts can be a dangerous thing." Mei was serious. "In Chinese culture there are many types of ghosts. Many of them parasitic. If you have a ghost in your place it could be dangerous."

"It's not inside, it's outside. I purified the cabin after we finished with it, I also used some protective rituals on it. It most likely has to be invited in to be a real danger."

"What about outside?" Kiona was amused by the whole thing, but she tried to keep a straight face as she listened.

"Well, it could convince Paul to let it in. It might even be dangerous if Paul or one of us stumbles on her." Jack said. "I mean it can manifest itself outside the cabin. It could latch onto one of us and drain our life force."

"Oh, come on." Kiona said. "It's all superstition. I mean ghost stories are for kids. Jack we are in the twenty-first century. Ghosts aren't real."

"Girl, you don't know everything. I've seen things and I can tell you ghosts are nothing compared to what I saw in Florida." Sophia replied.

"Your Aunt is right." Mei said. "I've seen a few things I can't explain in my life. An angel for example. I know you never believed the story. But when I was suicidal an angel came to me and told me things would get better. Well, the fact that I'm sitting here alive proves the angel was right."

"You met a woman." Kiona had heard this story for the last seven years or so. "Who realized that you wanted to kill yourself after something terrible had happened to you. She was kind to you and seemed angelic, but she was just a woman."

Mei shakes her head. This had been a typical reaction to her angel story. Not just Kiona, she had encountered doubts before. Mei knew it had been a angel. Just from being near the woman you got that vibe of goodness, that Mei didn't understand until later in life. She confided her beliefs to a few people, but most people merely humored her when she talked about the angel, so she didn't share the story as much as she used to.

There was an amusing discussion concerning Key spending the night with two men in an isolated cabin. Mei had objected to it. Sophia was blunt about it. Kiona was divided. Key was frustrated. Jack and Paul both stayed out of it, but they were also somewhat amused by the four women as they discussed the issue.

"All I'm saying is that we don't know what is happening, unless there is someone to chaperone Key while she is there." Mei was sitting in the living room with everyone involved. "I'm sure that we can agree to that."

"We know what is happening. Key is no innocent." Sophia said. "She took her vow of chastity because she is trying to sort out her life without sex as a complication. She is serious about it. If there was any inappropriate actions going on she would tell me."

"Is this even a point we need to discuss?" Key was pouting over in her chair. "C'mon, if anything was going to happen between me and Paul it either already has happened or it hasn't. In either case this is a useless discussion. Because you can trust me when I say that I haven't. Aunt Sophia is right, I do take my chastity vow seriously."

"All I want is for Kiona or Sophie to go with you." Mei tried to remain calm. That was her way, to act calm, to be logical. It was difficult when people didn't agree with Mei, she was used to getting things her way.

"Miss Mei, I respect Keyote. I also respect her vow of chastity. I wouldn't do anything that would compromise Key or lose that respect I hope she has for me as well." Paul knew he was jumping into a hornet's nest. He was also tired of the distrust of Keyote, Uncle Jack, and himself. "If you don't trust me, or trust Key to keep her vow, you should trust Uncle Jack to supervise us. He is responsible."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Jack said. "Key has already spent the night with us in my cabin. She can testify that nothing happened. I kept my eye on them both. I may not look like a responsible parent, but I am. Paul is as close to a son I will ever get. Key I care for as I would a daughter. I won't let anything happen between them."

"I'd just give up Mama Mei." Kiona used the name she had given Mei years ago when Mei had adopted her. "I hate to say it, but I'm persuaded that Key will be fine."

Mei hated it when she didn't get her way. She felt they gave Keyote far too much freedom. Key had spent years on the street, unsupervised, in a completely immoral environment. Mei felt that Keyote needed more discipline. Sophia, whom one would assume would be strict proved unable to place those restrictions on Key or teach her discipline. Now it was Mei's turn to pout.

Key's victory made her happier then she had been for a while. Mei had been getting her own way for a while, since she came down before Thanksgiving. It was nearly Christmas and Mei would still be here for the rest of the month, leaving some time in January. Key wasn't too sure she could stand having Mei around that long.

As Key rode behind Jack's pick-up on her motorcycle she gloated over her small victory. Paul was happy to be able to ride with her again. He had ridden his dirt bike for a couple of years over the empty plains before he encountered Key one day. Now, he seldom road his bike unless Key was with him. Only on rare occasions did he ride alone anymore.

Jack had been insulted. As if he couldn't handle a couple of horny teenagers. Jack usually didn't have a problem with Mei, but this accusation that something inappropriate could be going on or might happen if Key went to his cabin alone really pissed him off. He didn't want to jump into the conversation, but he was glad when Paul did.