Japanese Gothic Tales by Izumi Kyoka

Author:Izumi Kyoka [Kyoka, Izumi]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780824817374
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Published: 1996-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

21

"That made sense, as he had noticed what looked like coins scattered among the leaves on the ground. With the curtain open, he could see the shallow cavity carved straight back into the hill. No decorations. No props. And then there was something about the stage that made him want to look away. He felt a chill run through his body. No one else was there except the other man. Still, he couldn't just turn and walk away, so he nestled his hand inside the bosom of his kimono and watched.

"Kotsu, kotsu. Again came the gloomy, wet sound of the clappers knocking against each other. As he suspected, there was a rope running from the man's hand to the cave. Against the hillside, to the left and right of the stage, were more curtains, two strands of white mist that drifted toward the opening, then disappeared like smoke curling up in a whirlwind.

"Next there appeared a number of crudely carved caves, like blackened windows or boxes, forty or fifty in number, all in a row, and each one containing the figure of a woman. Some were sitting, some were upright, others were posed informally with one knee to the ground. Some were wearing only crimson underslips. Some had blood on their faces. Still others looked as if they had been bound. He glanced at them once, and suddenly they disappeared into the distance, becoming smaller and smaller until their faces were lilies blossoming in the valley.

"He shuddered. But before he could run away, the wooden clappers sounded again—kon, kon.

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