“I WANT THAT DOOR OPEN!!!” Screamed Yamada.
“Can’t! can’t! can’t!” chanted a chorus of crows.
“WHY NOT?!?!”
“Can’t touch. Strong barrier. Can’t touch. Can’t! Can’t! Can’t!”
“TEAR THE WHOLE HOUSE DOWN IF YOU HAVE TO, I WANT IN THAT DOOR!!”
With that the Giant Black Beaks started breaking down the walls of the house and pecking their way into the secret tunnel. It was slow work because the tunnel had thick concrete walls, but the birds’ beaks were sharp and powerful so it would only be a matter of time before they punched a hole through.
Misha and the others ran down the long passage to the shed. They heard loud banging noises thundering through the narrow hall as the Black Beaks smashed into the thick walls. The passage was so narrow they had to go single file. Dominique was in front carrying Yuuki and Yoshiro was last. Misha and Nana gave him their wooden swords just in case Yamada broke through the passage. Misha and the other children were having a hard time keeping up with the two adults. Their wounds began to open and bleed through the bandages. Every part of Misha’s body ached, and each step felt like a test of his will to survive. He looked behind him at Makoto. She was breathing heavily and clutching her side. Her face was grim and troubled, but when she noticed Misha was looking back at her she gathered her strength and smiled.
“We can do it Misha,” she said, “we have to believe with all our hearts that we can.”
Misha nodded and continued to run as fast as he could. Suddenly behind them they heard a loud crash. The Black Beaks had breached the tunnel! All the smaller birds quickly rushed in and flew as fast as they could down the passageway. Yamada turned into her black smoke form and followed close behind them.
“I see a ladder!” exclaimed Dominique. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hold on tight Yuuki,” she said as she began to climb the ladder. It wasn’t very tall, but the prospect of climbing anything in their condition was enough to make the children cringe. Dominique got to the top and opened a trap door. The door was covered in old seals to ward off evil spirits. The hinges creaked when she pushed the old door open. It was a bit of a struggle to get in while holding Yuuki, but soon they were safely inside the shed. Misha came up the ladder next in a slow and labored effort. Dominique helped him up and into the storage shed. The sound of flapping wings grew louder as Makoto forced herself up the ladder. Nana was next but she couldn’t grip the rungs on account of her hands being too weak from the injury Yamada had given her earlier in the day.
“They’re here!” exclaimed Yoshiro, and swatted away some birds with the wooden swords.
“I can’t hold on! I’m afraid!” cried Nana.
“I’ll carry you up,” said Yoshiro lifted her up and put her on his shoulders and climbed up the ladder. Some birds landed on him and pecked at his legs and back. Yoshiro was not deterred and quickly climbed up the ladder. Suddenly the crows let out panicked caws and flew off. The the whole corridor was filling up with black smoke. Yoshiro shoved Nana into the shed. The black smoke washed over Yoshiro. It burned when it touched him and he cried out in pain. It felt like getting doused with a vat of boiling water. Yoshiro’s skin blistered and turned red, but he continued to climb the ladder. Dominique reached down and grabbed his arms. Her skin instantly turned red when she reached down for him, but she held on tight and pulled Yoshiro up into the shed with all her strength.
“Quickly pull up the ladder, caw, and shut the door!” said the Crow.
They pulled up on the ladder and felt it was getting heavier and heavier as they pulled. The black smoke was thick so they couldn’t see the end of the ladder until it was almost in the shed. The wooden ladder was hot and smoking like it had been tossed into a fire. Then they saw Yamada’s had was clutching the last rung of the ladder! They all screamed in fright, but Shun bravely jumped to the last rung and plunged it’s beak straight into the hand! There was a loud shriek and the hand let go of the ladder. Once the ladder was inside they closed the trap door and locked it.
The inside of the shed was lit by many large white candles with red and gold holders. Next to each candle was one of the crows that had helped them escape the Giant Black Beaks.
“The Tengu are channeling their spirit energy into the flames,” explained Shun, “and the light from the candles will create a barrier in which no one with intention to harm can penetrate. This is a very powerful spell but it will only last as long as the candles do, so we only have a few hours to get to the underworld and defeat Yama.”
“Wait a minute these crows or Tengu on our side?” questioned Yoshiro.
“Yes papa they helped us save you,” said Makoto.
“It makes sense that not all the crows would follow Yamada,” said Dominique, “they do seem to have minds of their own after all.”
“Yes caw, you can never really rule over a crow,” said Shun
All was silent for a moment while the crows reflected on what had just been said.
“It’s time now Misha,” said Shun, “are you ready?”
“Yes but let me say goodbye,” answered Misha.
“No,” said Dominique, “I don’t accept this! Does he have to go alone? Can I go with him?”
“We should all go!” declared Yoshiro, “There are plenty of birds to take us.”
Shun looked around at its brothers and sisters. A crow with a plume of white feathers on it’s chest flew over. The two of them had a chat in crow language, which made the humans feel out of place. The two seemed to reach an agreement after a while and they turned to address the humans.
“The little girl may go,” said Shun, “as a representative of the Sato clan. Sorry the little girl who is covered in blood and is called Makoto.”
“No!” Yoshiro yelled, “Why not take me? They’re just children! Why put them is such danger?!”
“In the spirit world they are the adults and you are the children,” said Shun, “Your body may be strong, caw, but your spirit is feeble. You would be like an old stick. You wouldn’t help them you would be in their way.”
“An old stick!” exclaimed Yoshiro.
“Yes. Caw. These two are special. The boy’s soul is a warrior, and the girl’s is a shining beacon. They should do well together,” replied Shun.
“What is my spirit like?” asked Yuuki.
“Your spirit is a white hare. It is quick and clever but it could lead you down the wrong path sometimes so be careful,” replied Shun. Yuuki smiled relieved that he wasn’t an old stick, but he didn’t really pay attention to the wrong path bit.
“Dominique caw. Your soul is strong and like a Tengu. If the boy was not here you might have been a good replacement, but only Hayashi and Sato have the authority to bring this case to Izanami. She would kill you instantly and then where would we be? Nana…”
“I didn’t ask!” said Nana and folded her arms.
“I was going to tell you my brothers and sisters have fresh bandages for you. You need them judging by the state of your hands,” replied Shun.
“Oh you didn’t want to tell me about my soul?”
“Tell you about your soul, caw, if you insist. Your soul is a blowfish. When you are afraid it puffs up really big, but in reality it is still just a little fish. The good news is no one will try to eat you because you are poison. Caw.”
“Hey!”
“I think blowfish are cute,” said Dominique and started to rewrap Nana’s hands with the new bandages. Nana smiled.
“We should get started,” said Shun.
Makoto grabbed the vials of liquid that were in the safe. One was blue and the other was red. The blue one had sleep written on it and the red one had wake on it. Tears rolled down Makoto’s face. She wasn’t sure about what was going to happen next but she knew what she had to do. “I’ll drink half, and you drink the other half,” Makoto said to Misha and drank half of the Blue vial and passed it to Misha. “If I don’t come back Papa, I want you to know that I love you,” she said. Then she lay down and fell asleep. Misha held on tight to the box with the sacrifice and the vial. He drank the remaining blue liquid. Dominique began to cry and she held his head in her hands. “I love you Mama,” he said, and drifted off into slumber.
“Hoshi and I will lead the children to the land of the dead. When we wake up again give them the red liquid. If we don’t wake up before the candles burn out then we are lost. Do whatever you can to save yourself, and don’t let Yama have your eyes. Caw.” said Shun.
Hoshi, the crow with a white plume, landed on top on Makoto chest and fell asleep, then Shun did the same to Misha. Dominique and the others waited nervously while Makoto and Misha begin their journey to the land of the dead.
No comments:
Post a Comment