The Onryo

Surprise Gift

Key was in town. Sally had gone somewhere for the holidays. Millie Red Deer had introduced Keyote to Donna Long Grass. Her new therapist until Sally came back. She had a similar personality to Sally, with an easy going style. She listened and advised. Key was nervous at first, but gradually began to get used to the new counselor."

"How was your week, Keyote?" Both Sally and Donna tended to start the session with the same question.

For as long as Keyote had been in counseling in the White Raven's Women's Society Sally had started with the same question. Donna repeated it. If for some reason Key wasn't in a communicative mood, then other questions would follow in a certain order. Usually the same questions to prompt Key into talking.

"I spent most of the time fighting with Mei and the weekend chasing ghosts with Paul." Key went on to explain the girl that Paul and Jack had seen.

"Let's concentrate on Mei and yourself. I thought you two were getting along since you took a visit to Lake Lakota Lodge. What happened between then that you two were fighting again?" Donna asked.

"Mei is just too pushy and always wants things her way. Even the others admit it, but they don't take my side most of the time. It's not fair." Keyote said. "They know Mei is that way, they take her side anyway."

"Mei is the adult. She is the Mother who adopted you." Donna said. "The other adults feel that they need to support her decisions concerning you because they are your guardians. I think that you may agree that Mei simply has your best interests in mind."

"Yeah, but she is wrong sometimes, and the other adults support her anyway." Keyote said.

"In front of you, yes, they will. Otherwise you would play them against each other." Before Key could get a word in Donna continued. "You are very smart Key. You would take advantage of that if you had the chance. You know you would."

"Well, I won one. A couple of days back. Mei had to back down." Key gloated. "I got to do what I wanted."

"It isn't an actual battle you know. Mei isn't trying to start some sort of war. She genuinely cares about you. If she is to enforce any discipline on you she needs the support of the other adults around you. You know that without discipline you may get careless and do something foolish." Donna hoped Key would understand. "Mei is trying to protect you as your guardian."

"I still won." Key said.

"What is this about ghoulie girls and ghosts?" Donna was now talking to the adults. All three of them were there today.

"Paul has been seeing a girl around their place. It's either his imagination or as Jack says a ghost." Sophia explained. "Key calls her a ghoulie girl. They actually searched the property around the cabin where Jack and Paul live. Because Paul was concerned that the girl was real."

"Key told me they didn't find anything." Donna had them in a the same interview Key was in before. Key waited in the lounge. "I imagine being isolated out there may cause a few imaginative exaggerations or the mind might play tricks."

"Jack and Paul are pretty basic. They both saw the girl. Jack swears it is a ghost." Sophia took the lead as usual.

"I know they may seem sensible, but being that isolated could cause the mind to wander. Maybe they are seeing things that aren't really there. I'm not saying they are going crazy. I'm just saying it's part of human nature to imagine things in isolation and during boring or tedious tasks." Donna added.