The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco

Author:Rin Chupeco [Chupeco, Rin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Horror & Ghost Stories, Paranormal
ISBN: 9781402292194
Google: 1FniAgAAQBAJ
Amazon: 140229218X
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2014-08-04T22:00:00+00:00

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The tour begins at the break of dawn “to beat the crowds” as Mori-san explains. Nonetheless, when the bus brings them and forty-six other tourists to Himeji Castle, a substantial crowd of people (four

hundred and three) are gathered by its entrance, though Mori-san explains that this is a small number when compared to the weekends.

Even from a distance, the white fortress shines in the sun. Several parts of the castle are heavily under construction, and a large tent stretches out over several of the tower fortifications, much to the other teacher’s disappointment. Mori-san, however, remains optimistic.

The castle tour guide is a thin man named Tomeo. “These are the servants’ quarters,” he explains, as he leads them down a long section with numerous doors leading into seventeen smaller rooms. “Each servant’s rank in the castle was determined by the room they stayed in. The highest-ranked servant had the room closest to the exit, and each preceding room denotes a servant with a similarly decreasing rank. The inhabitants of Himeji Castle were very particular about their social status, their perceived stations in life, and it shows, down to even the domestic help.”

Callie turns her head briefly and catches sight of me drifting into one of the bedrooms farther down the hall. As the guide continues with his monologue, she slips quietly away and enters the room I disappeared into.

It is one of many small quarters in the castle. It is one befitting a humble, unimportant servant.

There is nothing now in the room to indicate its previous owner’s preferences or her idiosyncrasies. The bed is bare, wooden and devoid of design, and the barred windows look out into the great courtyard outside, where soldiers once trained under the lord’s watchful eye.

Callie looks out the window and does not see them, but I do. I can still see the clashing of swords. I can still hear General Shigetoki barking orders as he drills the soldiers again and again, until they perform adequately enough to his satisfaction. I can still see the gleam of silver and the flashing of blades. I can still see the quiet young lord who stands before these men as they practice, watching them train long and hard so they can fulfill their purpose: to defend the castle and protect him from enemies foolish enough to assault Himeji.

I can still remember his dark brown eyes and the way he frowns a certain way when he is deep in thought. I can still remember how he throws his head back and laughs when he is in high spirits, and I can still remember how he sulks for days when queer moods take him, his flaring temper. I remember how, this creature of dark still remembers, how I remember my heart racing, this heart that has not beaten in over three centuries. I remember how my heart raced when he took my hand very gently in both his own and said, in his strange and gentle voice—

Okiku,I will always be in your debt;that strange and gentle voice, as he turned to his retainer and said—

Do with her as you will.

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