Kitsune Matsuri: The Open Gateway Read online

  “Yes, don’t worry. I’ll stay by you.”

  “Watashi wa, koko ni mo Tobias-Sensei ni narudeshou!” Chikako piped in.[27]

  I looked at them both, feeling the queasiness in my gut but nodded. “All right, lead the way.”

  As we stepped through together, I was immediately swallowed by the throng. My heart raced a moment as Michiko’s black hair mingled with dozens of others surrounding it. I couldn’t even see Chikako’s pink blazer next to her.

  Looking back, I saw the exit closed in with more people. I started to panic.

  No way out now. The only path is forward.

  Then I felt a hand grip mine. Michiko and Chikako were there right in front of me smiling. “This way, Tobias-san.”

  The crowd moved slowly. Here and there people stopped and lingered at the many shops and stalls that lined either side of the narrow space. I caught glimpses of the wares being offered as we passed by.

  In one, a woman worked a large rotating machine that belched sweet and aromatic smoke of roasting nuts. These were sold in paper bags to customers.

  “Roasted chestnuts,” Michiko explained.

  Just across was a shop with bright, shining knives displayed in the window. I could see the sheen, the craftsmanship of metal like miniature samurai swords. Down the way, I found a completely different shop and a fish monger standing beside his ice box.

  He was an old, forlorn man, with a sad, drooping face. He called out in a soft, sing-song tone. “Shinsen’na sakana, koko ni shinsen’na sakana!”[28]

  I looked at the fish, realizing that freshness was an understatement. Some of the boxes and barrels in front of him were filled with flitting scales or wiggling tails.

  The strangest sight by far was the bright red octopus spiked onto sticks like lollipops. I saw nothing similar at any of the dozens of other stores and stopped to stare for so long that the owner offered me one.

  “Oh, no! I couldn’t,” I insisted, trying to convey my meaning. She frowned with disappointment and Michiko took it instead.

  “Octopus with quail egg stuffed inside,” she explained. “Quite delicious!”

  “I’ll take your word for it, Michiko.”

  She laughed. “Don’t worry, Tobias-san. That’s where we are going, right there!”

  I looked, and the narrow street opened up to a larger one. Just ahead was a small crowd of people gathered around a little rolling cart not unlike those hot dog vendors I saw at ball games back in the states. Instead of hot dogs, this one had a big picture of a steaming bowl of noodles on the front.

  The smell was enough to suspend any suspicions. It was fragrant and inviting, the way Japanese soups always smell with a faint and slightly ambiguous spice I could never place.

  People jockeyed for the next position in line, holding up their money which was grabbed as quickly as soup was ladled out.

  “Here it is, Tobias-san. Super Udon.”

  “Super Udon?”

  “It’s the best noodle stand in the Kansai region of Japan. Wait here. I’ll bring you some.”

  Michiko returned a moment later with a small tray and three steaming bowls of noodles heaped with chopped vegetables and oblong slabs of a malleable substance that looked like tofu. She sat down on a low edged planter with the three bowls out for us. I took the closest bowl and inhaled the wonderful aroma of buckwheat and barley mixed with chopped onions and that unfamiliar spice.

  “This isn’t like ramen I’ve had before.”

  “This is kitsune udon, a buckwheat noodle topped with a sweetened deep fried tofu called aburaage.”

  “Kitsune udon? Why is everything I come across related to foxes?”

  “It’s only called that because legends say the kitsune like it. It happens to be a personal favorite of Chikako and me. Go on, try it. At least have a bite!”

  I glanced at her dubiously. I was starting to get the hang of chopsticks as I gathered a small bunch of noodles, taking a bit of the aburaage with it. I brought it up and slurped the whole portion in my mouth. I didn’t normally like tofu, but this wasn’t half-bad, almost sweet in taste. I looked over at some girls nearby who were giggling with one another as they watched.

  Is this really so funny to them?

  “Well, Tobias-san?” Michiko asked.

  “It’s delicious!” I took a larger mouthful. “Who knew something named after a fox would taste so good?”

  Her eyes sparkled with a coy amusement. We were very close now.

  Close enough to kiss.

  I quickly put that thought right out of my mind and finished the ramen.

  Michiko glanced down at her watch. “Your train should be here soon, Tobias-san.”

  “Thank you, Michiko.”

  “It was my pleasure, Tobias-san. See you tomorrow.”

  I smiled, feeling myself flush. “Yes, tomorrow.”

  I must have looked strange sitting alone on the train, staring off into space, but I didn’t care. I felt on top of the world. I could only hope that little gesture meant something more from Michiko although that might be asking too much.

  I arrived at a very empty station. A couple of floating fireflies and large speckled moths danced through the air toward the siren call of the lights above. I watched them but my thoughts drifted back to Michiko.

  Maybe next time she will actually kiss me!

  Not likely.

  The way home wasn’t easy going. Kyoto is a maze of parked cars and narrow alleyways dimly lit by blue golden lamps. I became aware of every sound and its potential to bring the unexpected.

  Above me, the electric lines buzzed amid the forest of poles that lined even the quaintest of Kyoto’s old fashioned neighborhoods. The noise of a scattered tin can sent me glancing behind. I turned, half expecting a fox, but it was only a cat blinking back with eyes glowing in the dark.

  Get a grip, Tobias. You’re imagining things.

  Even after everything I’d experienced, I still had my doubts. Everyone seemed to think the spirits were real, and I certainly felt the need for a guardian now as I wandered in the dark. Every turn looked the same as the last one, and I started to feel very alone.

  I stopped.

  Where am I?

  All the signs were in kanji and a quick flip through my translation book proved useless. I looked back behind me. Dark and empty streets fanned out in all directions.

  Oh, perfect. I’m lost.

  Sitting down on a curb, I put my head in my palms.

  Well, what do I do now?

  I stared up at the sky. There were only a few stars visible through the glow of the city. A gentle rustle of wind stirred a few pieces of paper at my feet, swirling them away. I felt eyes on me and glanced up. The silhouette of a woman stood there in the street. She was framed by the incandescent glow of a lonely lamp.

  “Hey!” I jumped to my feet. She tilted her head until I could see the outline of her features, a complexion of shadows against the light. She giggled and disappeared around the corner.

  “Hey! Hey, wait!” I scrambled after her, figuring she probably hadn’t understood me. It was a short distance up a little hill before I saw her again waiting in the shadows beneath another streetlight.

  “Thank you!” Swallowing hard, I managed to compose myself. “Please, I am lost. I just need …”

  A twisted, grinning, demonic face revealed itself in the dim light. The skin was red as the blazes of hell. Long horns poked from a thickly pronounced brow, and she had huge elongated ears. A broad nose stretched above a leering mouth full of sharp yellow teeth. Her eyes were hollow pools of crimson surrounded by black sclera like stagnant water.

  God almighty!

  My stomach churned and the light above began to flicker. My breath came in short puffs of steam, and my blood ran cold as ice. I felt the demon’s foul breath as claws lifted me off the ground. I was weightless as a rag doll.

  Its gnarled claw was pressed against my windpipe. My mouth flopped open like a gasping fish. A dark grin spread across t
he creature’s face as I began to choke. Oozing drool dripped from its black jaws.

  Fear is a strange thing. I was looking through a window at something else—detached and unbelieving. I didn’t want to die, but I was helpless, unable to move or even to scream. There was no waking from this nightmare, no chat with Aoki to explain away my fears. This was real, fact not fiction.

  My body was limp in the demon’s grasp as I was lifted into the air. My mind fought against this unwilled surrender, but the energy to fight back was hard to find.

  No, please, Matsuri! Please, God, save me!

  A tense whirr like the shrill of a hawk stung the air. The beast let out a howl. It clutched at its side with those mangy claws. I found myself falling onto the ground like a discarded toy. Looking back up at the creature, I could see the quivering shaft of an arrow sticking from her chest with blood seeping like black-green bile.

  Matsuri!

  She appeared from the shadows, her body that of a human again. Her eyes were wild, deep feral yellow, dark with anger behind the recesses of her mask. Twin tails swayed behind her back wreathed in blue fire. White fur bristled like the needles of a pine tree. Her steps were slow, deliberate and steady. Fingers clutched around a huge Japanese bow.

  “Modoru, hannya!” She called out. “Kono toshi-nai de kangei sa rete imasen!”[29]

  The monster grimaced and took a step forward. In an instant, the fox woman notched another arrow, taking careful aim.

  “Watashi o tesuto shinaide kudasai. Shōnen kara nukedasu!”[30]

  The demon howled, then turned and fled back into the shadows. Matsuri remained with bow and arrow ready. Her breathing slowed, then the string relaxed and the arrow came loose between her fingers. Finally, the bow came to rest at her side.

  “Are you all right, Gaijin?”

  I gazed up into her eyes. “Matsuri, you saved me!”

  “I told you it’s my job to watch over you hapless mortals.” She whapped my head with the flat of her palm. “You should know better than to get close to someone alone at night! Didn’t that old man teach you anything?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  How did she know what Jomei was talking to me about? Is Matsuri spying on me?

  She sighed. “Can you stand and walk?”

  “I think so.” I felt a bit of strength returning, and with her help I got to my feet. I glanced the way the demon had gone.

  “What was that thing?”

  “That was a hannya, a female demon born from obsession and jealousy. She slipped through the city into my territory. You should be thankful I found you when I did. Hannya are very dangerous.”

  “What was it going to do to me?”

  “She was about to devour you, of course! She’s a demon born of female jealousy. She wanted to eat that which she desired most … a man.”

  “Devour me?” The words came chill from my lips. “I thought she was just some girl …”

  “It’s always some silly girl distracting you mortal men and getting you into trouble!”

  “It’s not a girl!” I lied. Instantly her eyes narrowed, and I saw there was no fooling her. “All right, I was thinking about a girl! Is that a crime?”

  Matsuri stood there silent as a statue. Then she whirled around in a huff, arms folded. “No, I suppose not.”

  I blinked, staring at her when it suddenly dawned on me. “Wait, you care for me too, don’t you, Matsuri?”

  She straightened up and laughed though it sounded a little forced. “Bah, you’re hardly my type, child of the West.”

  “Sorry.” I felt my cheeks flush. “I just thought …”

  “Who are you to think, mortal? Just consider it even between us for the care of my shrine.” She gestured up ahead. “The Yoshida house is up that way.”

  “You’re letting me go alone?”

  “She won’t bother you again, not tonight at least.”

  Matsuri’s tail swept between the two of us like a wall. I reached out to touch her, but she turned sharply with a deep growl. “Don’t tempt my generosity.”

  She fell to all fours, shifting into her fox shape. Then she disappeared into the shadows. I saw her gleaming eyes watching me before they too vanished.

  “I’m sorry, Matsuri.”

  By the time I reached the Yoshida household, the whole ordeal felt like a lingering nightmare that I desperately wanted to forget. I was glad enough to walk inside the house to the warmth of Aoki’s cooking.

  “Tobi, that you?” I heard the familiar voice from a seat by the TV. John was sitting there on the couch. He looked up at me with a grin that quickly vanished. “Wow, you look like hell, man.”

  “I just had a bad encounter with an overturned garbage can. I’m okay though,” I lied.

  “You sure? You look like you got mugged or something.”

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine. Where are Jomei and Aoki?”

  “Oh, they went upstairs a short while ago. There’s chicken left over in the fridge.”

  “Thanks, but I just ate some noodles with Michiko.”

  A sly grin touched his features. “Oh, that’s it then.”

  “What’s it?”

  “That’s why you were out so late.” He got up from his chair crossing the room to clap my shoulder. “You sly dog. You were on a date!”

  I felt my cheeks burn. “Hey! It’s not like that at all. We had noodles and then I headed home. I was lost along the way and had a heck of a time finding my way back.”

  “Whoa. Calm down, man. I’m just joking with you, sheesh. You act like you saw a ghost or something.”

  You don’t know the half of it.

  I eased myself into an empty chair. “How was your meeting?”

  “Well, I can ask for a transfer, but it is their choice on where they send me. I could end up in Tokyo or Osaka again.” He gestured out the window. “You and Michiko should go to the big cities together sometime. You two seem to get along quite well.”

  “Yeah, she took me to the neatest little noodle joint. We sat and talked, enjoying the evening and the food.” I felt the burn of my cheeks deepen.

  He grinned. “Well, thatta boy! I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later.”

  “I should go take a shower and throw my clothes in the wash. I’m a mess.”

  “See you in the morning, Tobi.”

  The warm water felt good, but I kept replaying the events of the night in my mind.

  Could I have done anything differently? No. That demon could have easily followed me even if I’d run.

  I stopped, realizing that I was thinking as if this was something I understood, like demons attacked me every day.

  Maybe I need to keep that white statue nearby.

  I entered my room and switched on the light. I found it, but the newer black statue was not where I last remembered it. I searched through my pockets but found no trace. I felt my stomach drop.

  I hope I left it at work.

  I tossed around in bed for about two hours, shifting back and forth, pounding my pillow, trying to find a more comfortable position. I couldn’t get the whole situation out of my mind.

  I could’ve been killed.

  Just the thought of that was enough of a horror—the notion of being all alone in the cold, dark ground forever. I’d worried about death before, but never like this, never been this close to it myself.

  Maybe I should go home. Go back to Mom and Dad. Get away from all this. But can I get away from something like that … that demon?

  My parents would like to have me back, but Mom could never know. She’d think I was crazy. Heck, I thought I was crazy. But then another thought came to mind.

  What about Michiko?

  I’d lose her, John, Aoki and Jomei. I’d lose the kids, I’d lose Japan … forever, and I would lose Matsuri.

  I found myself wishing for another chance to see and learn about her. How often was it that someone like me, a “gaijin” from Matsuri’s own description, got a chance to meet a living myth? It was like
going into a cave and finding a dragon sitting there. It just didn’t happen.

  Tap-tap-Tap.

  The sudden sound brought me out of my thoughts. I looked around. No sign of anything, and the sound had ceased the moment I moved. Frowning, I lay down and closed my eyes again.

  Tap-tap-tap.

  I jumped out of bed wide awake. The sound was coming from outside on the balcony. I edged my way to the desk where my remaining white statue stood.

  Jomei said there’s a charm inside to protect me from harm. I may as well put it to good use.

  I had no idea if the white fox could really protect me, but I didn’t want to take a chance. I peeked outside.

  Nothing.

  I was just about to close the blinds when the same tapping came again. This time it was right at my feet. I looked down and almost jumped back. A strange creature sat there on its haunches looking up at me with dark, inquisitive eyes. It looked like a raccoon crossed with a badger, broad face centered on a darkened mask around the eyes.

  A furry body with a round belly gave him a comical appearance. His fluffy, ringed tail lay on the concrete of the balcony. Small paws tapped again as he peered up at me from behind the glass door with those same sad eyes.

  “What in the blazes are you?”

  “Sanji,” he said, staring at me as if the word should explain everything.

  “Sanji?”

  He nodded, pointing to himself. He then reached for a small leather pouch that lay on the floor. Tiny fingers grasped inside and brought out a familiar black object.

  “My missing statue!” I peered at the weird little creature.

  “All right, Sanji. How do I know this isn’t a trick?”

  It’s a strange thing to see an animal shrug. It then pointed toward the white statue in my hand and then itself.

  “Matsuri sent you?” He nodded, holding out the black statue once again. I slid the door open a crack. “Well, hand it over.”

  He shook his head and brought out what looked like a small porcelain jug from his bag. He lifted the object and shook it upside down with the cork hanging from the end. “Sake,” he said in a mixture of growling and Japanese.

  Sake?

  The thing wanted liquor? Sighing, I took the little porcelain jug. “Fine, I’ll be right back, but you’d better be here.” “I didn’t exactly know my way around Aoki’s kitchen, and I felt like a thief as I quietly tried to open each cupboard.