I haven't gone back to my homeland in over two decades.
I miss the food, the culture, the people... Well all except one.
My best and worst childhood memories took place in Okinawa,
an island in Japan famous for its beaches.
Recently, I received a call from my older cousin, Akito telling me my aunt had Alzheimer’s
but randomly remembered and asked to see me. I hadn’t seen my aunt since I was a teenager
when she was still able to travel and visit us in the US.
Enough time had passed and I’m an adult now. I was ready to go back.
Akito picked me up from the airport and on the ride to his mom’s house, we reminisced about
what happened over twenty years ago. When Sora was taken from us and they almost lost me too.
Sora was my cousin and best friend. She was basically a twin sister to me,
being born on the same day. When we were 9,
Sora and I were playing outside her house, at our favorite spot under the trees with perfect shade.
It was a hot afternoon and my aunt left to run some errands but would be back that evening.
Sora brought out a box full of colorful threads
and we spent the afternoon sitting on the grass, making each other bracelets.
I felt something was off. Sora mentioned
she felt the same strange feeling too, like someone was watching us.
We went inside the house to check if her mom had arrived, but she didn’t.
When we went back outside to clean up, we heard a deep masculine voice.
“Po... Po... Po... Po...”
At first we thought it was her older brother, Akito,
messing with us but then remembered that he was accompanying his dad on a business trip.
Sora was brave. She went near the tall trees where the noise came from.
I followed her, holding her hand as we peeked behind them to see who was hiding.
And that’s when we saw a white tall figure quickly shift. The sight brought chills to my bones.
Then we heard the noise again
“Po... Po... Po... Po...”
I followed Sora, tightening my grip and looked up, almost breaking my neck.
A lady about eight-feet tall was smiling down at us. She had long black hair and
wore a white dress with a white sun hat. She was grinning from ear to ear.
The lady quickly vanished when Sora’s mom came home and found us.
Her mom wondered why we looked pale.
But we didn’t bring up what we saw, in fear of her blaming our overactive imaginations.
My mom picked me up, and I still heard the rhythmic deep sounds
"Po... Po... Po... Po..."
Sometimes I’d catch a glimpse of her peeping through the window at night,
making that dreadful sound, then disappearing as if we were playing a game of peek-a-boo.
Whenever I was accompanied by an adult, she’d leave me alone.
Sora also reported hearing the strange sounds too, particularly at night.
She also overheard her mother’s voice calling from outside her window. But,
she was sleeping with her mom due to nightmares. When she turned around, her mom was fast asleep.
Sora and I didn’t see each other again. We both became very ill. My parents wondered why
I had been acting strange. So I told them the truth about what we had witnessed.
I was afraid they wouldn't believe me, but when my father learned that we had
seen an eight-foot tall woman, he demanded I tell him more.
My mother exclaimed that Sora and I had been marked by the Hachishakusama, the
8-foot tall woman of Japan. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she explained how the evil spirit
preys on the children she likes, causing them to perish.
She was once a very tall woman that was bullied because of her height. Children would throw stones
at her, insult her, and laugh. Until one day, she tripped and fell. Her head collided with a
large stone and killed her. Prior to her death, though, she spoke of revenge on the children.
It was at this point, as if on cue, that I heard the noise again
“Po... Po... Po... Po...”
But my parents didn’t hear anything.
I should have told them sooner. I was concerned about Sora, so I urged my
father to inform her mother. He called them right away with a plan to get us out of town,
but my aunt didn’t believe in the legend and wanted to wait for her husband and son’s return.
My father advised me to stay in my room at night and not answer, leave, or let anyone in until
morning. He told me that the Hachishakusama would be able to take on anyone's identity and trick me.
We prayed nonstop to our ancestors for help.
My mother set up an altar, and put bowls of salt all over my room. She gave me an
amulet called an omamori with a prayer inside and warned me that if the silk cover is open,
the protective power would be lost, thus I should not open it under any circumstances.
I was getting weaker, with body aches and a high fever.
So mom left to get some medicine and dad stayed home from work to watch me.
I was so sleep-deprived, so I closed my eyes to take a nap.
A frightening smile greeted me when I opened my eyes.
The fabric covering of the amulet was open and I saw the altar shaking.
I was so scared and unwell that I lost consciousness.
When I woke up again, it was almost morning.
Sora was in my room smiling at me. Her eyes were dark and puffy,
like she hadn't gotten any sleep either. Her lips were pale and parched.
She said she missed me and wanted to play at our favorite spot again.
Since I missed her so much, I got up and hugged her.
But I heard a loud knock on the front door. The knock was so intense that
my father opened it quickly. It was my aunt begging for help. Sora was missing.
I was confused. I told them that Sora was in my room.
But when we looked, she had disappeared.
My mother arrived, carrying a bag of medicine. She noticed that the
altar was moved and its contents were on the floor. The salt had turned black.
She looked at the amulet and saw that it was open.
“Po... Po... Po... Po...”
Instead of being scared, I was determined to look for Sora. I had a feeling that she
would be in their backyard so I asked to go there. My parents were hesitant at first,
but when I persisted, we went together. My father carried me on his back.
The sound was getting louder and louder as we approached their house and indeed
it was coming from the backyard, from the trees where Sora and I saw the eight-foot tall lady.
I slowly looked up, only to see the woman behind a tree again,
looking straight into my eyes as if she were teasing me.
Blood dripped from her lips. She was holding a bloody leg
and without breaking eye contact, bit a huge chunk of the flesh.
I screamed not because of fear but because of anger. I swear if my father was not carrying me I
would have run straight to that giant monstrosity and given her the beating of a lifetime.
It seemed like I was the only one who witnessed all of this because
everyone was still busy looking for Sora. Only I could see the Hachishakusama
Then a sudden gust of wind unveiled something hanging from one of the tree branches.
It was Sora.
Her mother fell on her knees and broke into tears as she saw her lifeless daughter. Her
tongue was out and her skin was already purple. To everyone's horror, one of her legs was missing.
My father quickly removed her from the tree
and wrapped her in a blanket, while my mother called an ambulance.
I sobbed while hugging her. I could feel her blood trickling onto my skin.
I held her hand tight and realized something was there.
She was clinging onto the finished bracelet she made for me.
I felt weak and blacked out.
I was crying now as Akito held my hand. I missed Sora so much
and stared at the bracelet around my wrist. I would do anything to
see her again. I didn’t even get to say goodbye or attend her funeral.
My parents were so worried for me following the incident, so they booked a flight for
my mom and me to stay with family in the US. My dad would eventually follow us.
It was raining heavily now.
I asked Akito how much longer till we arrived. I wanted to stop by Sora’s grave.
He went silent, stopped the car, then faced me.
He was grinning from ear to ear.
His dull eyes started to change into pure hatred.
I tried to get out of the car.
He smiled eerily.
That smile reminded me of something. The feeling of dread.
I gasped.
He opened his mouth.
“Po... Po... Po... Po...”