Kokkuri
Kokkuri
“Mama, are you home?” Aina called as she walked through the front door. She stopped just before the first step, gracefully stepping out of her shoes and stepping into a pair of slippers before continuing the rest of the way into the house. “Mama?” Aina called again. The young teen was met once more with a silence, only telling the sixteen year old that her mother was indeed gone. Aina dropped the bag she was holding onto a small end table before making her way into the kitchen. She had hoped her mother had remembered to at least leave a note for her before she had left. Aina knew exactly where to look first if there was a note, her mother always left it in the same spot. Aina headed straight over to the refrigerator and just as she had hoped for, there was a small note taped to it.
Gone for the weekend. Remember to behave.
Aina rolled her eyes, crumpling the note and throwing it away. That was just like her mother. Leaving without even giving a single hint as to where she was going. For the last three years, Aina’s mother had been increasingly busy, always leaving for busy trips at random. Aina had grown accustomed to being alone. But this weekend wasn’t as bad as others, Aina was actually mildly hoping that her mother would be gone. She wanted to try an old game for herself. A game called Kokkuri.
Everyone at Aina’s school would talk about the Kokkuri boards, it was gaining popularity fast among the youth. Aina felt like she was the only one who hadn’t tried it yet. Everyone else was talking about their stories and their experiences with the Kokkuri board, it had made Aina increasingly curious. So she decided to try it. But she knew her mother wouldn’t really allow it. While Aina was not a believer in the spirit realm, her mother was a firm believer. Aina had always believed the idea of ghosts was a bunch of hocus pocus, nothing but fairytales. This is why she had been hoping her mother would be gone, so she could play with a Kokkuri board and never have her mother know about it. Therefore, Aina wouldn’t be lectured for messing with “other beings”. It was a win-win situation for both of them. Aina didn’t have to get in trouble and her mother never had to know.
****
Aina had decided not to mess with the Kokkuri board until after dark, she had always been told you get the best results past dark. So Aina bought her time watching TV until the clock struck 10pm. Aina knelt on the floor in front of the board, sitting back on both of her legs. She looked down at the simple supplies. A wooden board with a piece of paper taped to it and a black ink pen. The paper had various Hiragana symbols drawn around it in a circle, the circle and letters having been said to summon the Kokkuri spirit. It seemed so simple, like there was nothing magical about these supplies. And to Aina, there was nothing magical about them. She didn’t believe the stories but she wanted to test it for herself.
Aina let out a small breath, taking hold of the pen and gently placing the tip at the center of the circle. Her eyes fluttered shut as she opened her mouth to speak.
“Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san, Kokurri-san,” the young girl chanted under her breath. She gave a small pause before continuing, “When will I die? Please answer me, Kokkuri-san.” Just as the last word left her mouth, she felt a coldness take over her. Starting at the tip of her toes and making its way up her body, down her arm, and settling in her hand. Aina’s hand began to move and all she knew was that she wasn’t doing it. It was like Aina was lost in her own world, like her body moving completely on its own. It was almost as if she couldn’t even feel her body. She felt detached from her body. When Aina’s had stopped moving, her eyes shot open and she looked down at the neatly written Hiragana.
Ashita
Aina’s eyes nearly bulged out of her skull as her eyes moved over every curve of the simple letters. Tomorrow. Aina’s breathing was labored as she brought a hand up to her face, swiftly slapping herself as hard as she could, bringing herself back into reality. Aina gave a bitter laugh, tearing the piece of paper off the board and crumpling it up. What a joke. To believe she was even scared for a second, what a joke. Aina got up, leaving the board where she had placed it in the middle of her room.
****
It felt like everything happened at once. The clock chimed midnight and Aina felt that same freezing sensation rip through her body again just as it had struck midnight. The cup of tea she was holding fell from her hands, shattering as it hit the floor. Aina reached out one hand, grasping hold of the counter as the freezing sensation grasped her entire body, running through every single inch of her body, bumps appearing all along her arms and legs. As this sensation took over her, one single word rang clear in her mind, her experience from earlier flooding back into her mind.
Tomorrow.
It was midnight. It was tomorrow. Her breathing labored, her eyes widening. It began to feel to her like someone was watching her. Like there was another presence in the room with her. Slowly, Aina began to turn around, a shriek escaping her as she looked behind her. Standing in kitchen doorway was a figure. The figure was that of a young girl, one who couldn’t have been much older than Aina. She had long black hair and wore a short, white nightgown. The girl’s head looked up, a sickening smirk on her face, her eyes staring straight at Aina. The girl opened her mouth to speak and the voice that came out was low and soft.
“Ask and you shall receive.” It was at a volume that one would consider a whisper, but the words seemed like shouting to Aina. Aina knew she had to run, she knew she had to escape but it felt like she was frozen. Her limbs wouldn’t respond to anything. She tried to move her legs and nothing; it was almost as though they were glued to the floor. Aina opened her mouth to scream or even to simply tell it to stay away but nothing came out. The young teen couldn’t even speak. Whatever was in front of her had paralyzed her with fear.
The young girl approached her, moving the fingers that were at her side. With every movement of the fingers, it sounds as though a bone was cracking. With ever small step the girl took, it sounded like the cracking of bones. The girl moved towards Aina at an agonizingly slow speed, torturing the girl with the continuous sound.
“You should not dare to ask such foolish questions,” it spoke again. “You should not dare to mess with what you do not understand.”
The girl got up to Aina, instantly wrapped a hand around her throat, slightly lifting the teen off the ground with ease. The soulless black eyes stared into Aina’s own as she held Aina’s body high above her own figure, watching as the life drained from Aina’s eyes. It was as if all the strength rushed back into Aina’s body at once as she began to try and kick at the thing holding her, clawing at the hand holding her throat, desperately trying to free herself but with no avail. The smirk had since dropped from the girl’s face, a look of emotionlessness replacing the smirk.
Aina’s kicking came to a slow stop as the last bits of life drained from her body, a pale tone taking to her once cheerful complexion. Aina sputtered a bit, being dropped to the floor as the world around her blurred. The girl has disappeared, it was as if no one else had been in the house. It was as if Aina had been alone the entire time. There was not a trace of Kokkuri-san.
You can ask Kokkuri-san anything and she’ll answer well. Maybe just not as you wanted.
Gone for the weekend. Remember to behave.
Aina rolled her eyes, crumpling the note and throwing it away. That was just like her mother. Leaving without even giving a single hint as to where she was going. For the last three years, Aina’s mother had been increasingly busy, always leaving for busy trips at random. Aina had grown accustomed to being alone. But this weekend wasn’t as bad as others, Aina was actually mildly hoping that her mother would be gone. She wanted to try an old game for herself. A game called Kokkuri.
Everyone at Aina’s school would talk about the Kokkuri boards, it was gaining popularity fast among the youth. Aina felt like she was the only one who hadn’t tried it yet. Everyone else was talking about their stories and their experiences with the Kokkuri board, it had made Aina increasingly curious. So she decided to try it. But she knew her mother wouldn’t really allow it. While Aina was not a believer in the spirit realm, her mother was a firm believer. Aina had always believed the idea of ghosts was a bunch of hocus pocus, nothing but fairytales. This is why she had been hoping her mother would be gone, so she could play with a Kokkuri board and never have her mother know about it. Therefore, Aina wouldn’t be lectured for messing with “other beings”. It was a win-win situation for both of them. Aina didn’t have to get in trouble and her mother never had to know.
****
Aina had decided not to mess with the Kokkuri board until after dark, she had always been told you get the best results past dark. So Aina bought her time watching TV until the clock struck 10pm. Aina knelt on the floor in front of the board, sitting back on both of her legs. She looked down at the simple supplies. A wooden board with a piece of paper taped to it and a black ink pen. The paper had various Hiragana symbols drawn around it in a circle, the circle and letters having been said to summon the Kokkuri spirit. It seemed so simple, like there was nothing magical about these supplies. And to Aina, there was nothing magical about them. She didn’t believe the stories but she wanted to test it for herself.
Aina let out a small breath, taking hold of the pen and gently placing the tip at the center of the circle. Her eyes fluttered shut as she opened her mouth to speak.
“Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san, Kokurri-san,” the young girl chanted under her breath. She gave a small pause before continuing, “When will I die? Please answer me, Kokkuri-san.” Just as the last word left her mouth, she felt a coldness take over her. Starting at the tip of her toes and making its way up her body, down her arm, and settling in her hand. Aina’s hand began to move and all she knew was that she wasn’t doing it. It was like Aina was lost in her own world, like her body moving completely on its own. It was almost as if she couldn’t even feel her body. She felt detached from her body. When Aina’s had stopped moving, her eyes shot open and she looked down at the neatly written Hiragana.
Ashita
Aina’s eyes nearly bulged out of her skull as her eyes moved over every curve of the simple letters. Tomorrow. Aina’s breathing was labored as she brought a hand up to her face, swiftly slapping herself as hard as she could, bringing herself back into reality. Aina gave a bitter laugh, tearing the piece of paper off the board and crumpling it up. What a joke. To believe she was even scared for a second, what a joke. Aina got up, leaving the board where she had placed it in the middle of her room.
****
It felt like everything happened at once. The clock chimed midnight and Aina felt that same freezing sensation rip through her body again just as it had struck midnight. The cup of tea she was holding fell from her hands, shattering as it hit the floor. Aina reached out one hand, grasping hold of the counter as the freezing sensation grasped her entire body, running through every single inch of her body, bumps appearing all along her arms and legs. As this sensation took over her, one single word rang clear in her mind, her experience from earlier flooding back into her mind.
Tomorrow.
It was midnight. It was tomorrow. Her breathing labored, her eyes widening. It began to feel to her like someone was watching her. Like there was another presence in the room with her. Slowly, Aina began to turn around, a shriek escaping her as she looked behind her. Standing in kitchen doorway was a figure. The figure was that of a young girl, one who couldn’t have been much older than Aina. She had long black hair and wore a short, white nightgown. The girl’s head looked up, a sickening smirk on her face, her eyes staring straight at Aina. The girl opened her mouth to speak and the voice that came out was low and soft.
“Ask and you shall receive.” It was at a volume that one would consider a whisper, but the words seemed like shouting to Aina. Aina knew she had to run, she knew she had to escape but it felt like she was frozen. Her limbs wouldn’t respond to anything. She tried to move her legs and nothing; it was almost as though they were glued to the floor. Aina opened her mouth to scream or even to simply tell it to stay away but nothing came out. The young teen couldn’t even speak. Whatever was in front of her had paralyzed her with fear.
The young girl approached her, moving the fingers that were at her side. With every movement of the fingers, it sounds as though a bone was cracking. With ever small step the girl took, it sounded like the cracking of bones. The girl moved towards Aina at an agonizingly slow speed, torturing the girl with the continuous sound.
“You should not dare to ask such foolish questions,” it spoke again. “You should not dare to mess with what you do not understand.”
The girl got up to Aina, instantly wrapped a hand around her throat, slightly lifting the teen off the ground with ease. The soulless black eyes stared into Aina’s own as she held Aina’s body high above her own figure, watching as the life drained from Aina’s eyes. It was as if all the strength rushed back into Aina’s body at once as she began to try and kick at the thing holding her, clawing at the hand holding her throat, desperately trying to free herself but with no avail. The smirk had since dropped from the girl’s face, a look of emotionlessness replacing the smirk.
Aina’s kicking came to a slow stop as the last bits of life drained from her body, a pale tone taking to her once cheerful complexion. Aina sputtered a bit, being dropped to the floor as the world around her blurred. The girl has disappeared, it was as if no one else had been in the house. It was as if Aina had been alone the entire time. There was not a trace of Kokkuri-san.
You can ask Kokkuri-san anything and she’ll answer well. Maybe just not as you wanted.
♠ ♠ ♠
I didn't use any Hiragana letters in this story for two reasons. One, I don't actually know what ashita is in Hiragana. I'm currently learning Japanese but all I know is basic Romaji. For two, I don't know if mibba supports Hiragana letters. I know the journals will not show the symbols so I didn't want to risk it in the story.A Kokkuri board is the Japanese version of an Ouija board. It's played by having a board and taping a piece of paper to it. On the paper, the players draw a circle outlined with certain phrases in Hiragana, I don't know what these phrases are. The player who wants to ask the Kokkuri board must place the tip of a pen to the paper and hold it tightly. They must chant "Kokkuri-san" three times and ask their question. Their question will then be answered by the pen moving on it's "own" and answering the player's question as simply as possible in Hiragana. Like Ouija boards, most experiences are indeed fake and people don't really take Kokkuri boards seriously, but it made for a good horror story.
There is not really a spirit of the Kokkuri board as far as a lot of people are concerned, I just used the basic Japanese ghost. Which is long black hair and a nightgown-like clothing.