Kashima Reiko was walking quickly but apprehensively at the railway station in Hokkaido, Japan.
She was bullied for being the new kid in school.
On that day, she felt like someone was following her in the station even though it was nearly
deserted.
She sped up while looking back to make sure no one was there.
Her heart was racing, and her instincts told her that her life was in danger.
She made the decision to flee.
Not far from where she started running, someone appeared and kicked her left shin which immediately
sent her crashing to the ground.
Reiko cried out in pain while holding her scraped up leg.
When she looked up, she saw her new classmates grinning at her.
“Who says we’ll allow an ugly kid like you into our school?” said a girl.
Reiko bowed her head meekly.
“Please, I don’t want any trouble, just let me be.
I want to go home.”
she pleaded.
The two girls grabbed Reiko by the hair and dragged her near the platform.
All she could do was cry in pain.
Then they grabbed her hands and feet and threw her onto the tracks right when a train was
approaching.
And Reiko lost consciousness upon impact.
The story goes that Reiko was split in half by the train.
Her lower body was shredded to pieces.
The violent nature of her death turned her into an Onryu or vengeful ghost known as the
Teke Teke.
The teke teke took the lives of the two girls who bullied her by splitting their bodies
in half using a scythe.
It is said that the name comes from the sound of her nails clawing on the ground as she
chases her victims.
—----
This is the story of how I know the Teke Teke.
It’s because bad luck follows me wherever I go.
My parents' died in a car accident when I was little and that changed everything.
I survived the accident but was left scarred for life...
I literally have a scar on my face.
No child should ever have to go through that kind of trauma and loss.
Fast forward to several years later, I moved in with distant relatives, which included
my second cousin after constantly moving around.
I hoped this would be more long-term.
At first, my cousin Yuko was welcoming.
We were the same age and in the same classes.
But after her boyfriend Koji introduced himself to me, she instantly became jealous and avoided
me unless it was to remind me that I should be grateful that she took me in.
After school one day, Koji caught up with me to ask how I was adjusting.
He took my heavy bag and told me he would carry it for me since he was coming over to
study.
“You shouldn’t go home by yourself.
It’s dangerous around here at night.
I’ll try to convince Yuko to let you join us.”
Yuko came out of nowhere, grabbed my bag and opened it.
She inspected the contents before emptying it out.
My books fell to the ground, along with a photograph of my parents.
Koji picked it up and asked: “Are they your parents?”
I nodded.
Yuko took the picture, looked at it and tore it to pieces.
”No wonder you’re ugly.”
I got down on my knees and gathered my books as well as the remnants of my parents' photo.
“Stay away from my boyfriend.”
She threw my bag on the ground and stormed away.
Koji helped me pick up my belongings, which were now dirty.
Yuko called him over and after a moment of hesitation, he apologized and left.
I kept my distance from Yuko after that.
We lived in the same house but were complete strangers who didn’t acknowledge one another’s
existence.
Slowly, things became a little better.
I made a few friends and even joined clubs.
I was most excited for the creative writing one.
Ever since I was little, writing stories where I’m the main character has always been how
I cope with life.
But lo and behold, Koji had also joined the club.
As soon as he saw me, he ran over and sat next to me.
I must admit, he was quite handsome and I had developed a tiny crush on him after seeing
him at home so often.
“Hey, I’m sorry about Yuko.” he quietly said.
“We shouldn’t be talking.
Why are you even here?”
“I enjoy writing.
It allows me to escape even for a moment.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you need that.”
When we were done for the day, classmates told me to be careful because supposedly there
was a murderer on the loose, a few girls around my age had gone missing, last seen walking
around the railway station.
“I can accompany you.
I’ll just pretend I had to pick something up at your place.”
For a brief moment I had forgotten that Koji was dating my cousin and stopped by whenever
he wanted.
As enticing as it sounded, to have him walk me home, I couldn’t.
“Please don’t.
Yuko would kill me.”
Koji shrugged his shoulders as I walked away.
I made it to the railway station safely.
For precaution, I quickened my pace during my walk and kept a low profile.
It was late and the station was deserted.
All I could think about was Koji.
How we probably had more things in common than him and Yuko.
How I always catch him glancing at me from the corner of my eye.
After entering the train platform, someone punched the back of my head.
It was then accompanied by the sound of a glass bottle shattering on my head.
Blood gushed out as I fell to the ground.
I was disoriented and about to black out when I heard Yuko’s voice.
“You think you belong here?”
Yuko turned me over to face her, she spat on my face.
I was dizzy.
I wasn’t able to reply.
This made her angry.
“This one deserves to experience at least one fleeting moment of excitement in her life.
Before we end it.
No knife today, hun.”
Koji grabbed me by the hair and started dragging me.
“Goodbye, cous” she uttered then picked up both my feet.
“Too bad no one will miss you.”
I was pleading for them to stop when I heard the train approaching.
I looked at my cousin while tears rolled down my cheeks, trying to find even just a dash
of reluctance or sympathy.
But all I saw was pure evilness in her eyes.
Then in an instant she was split in two.
Her upper half was sliced off from her lower half so effortlessly.
Her blood spilled out.
Her lower body was still standing when her upper body fell.
I just froze.
Koji screamed and finally let go of my hair.
The sudden and gruesome death of Yuko didn’t immediately register in my brain.
I stared at the two halves.
It was horrifying.
I had to look away.
Then it hit me, the killer was still there.
When I looked up.
There was a demon-like creature that was also missing her lower body.
She was wearing old, tattered, soiled clothes and had long, black hair.
In her right hand was a scythe, which she used to split Yuko in half.
I was too stunned to speak and didn’t dare move an inch.
She dropped the scythe on the floor and moved towards me by clawing the floor.
Her movements were odd and unreal.
Her claws were making a unique sound when they hit the floor.
The sound was something like a “teke-teke-teke-teke”
She stopped an inch away from me, grabbed my face, and looked directly into my eyes.
Surprisingly, I found more humanity in hers.
I shivered from the touch of her cold, clammy skin.
Suddenly, she licked the side of my face from my chin up to my forehead and smiled.
She let go of me and looked at Koji.
He took a step back.
The creature grinned and quickly pushed herself from the floor towards him as he ran away.
She landed on his back and clawed open his neck.
Blood gushed from his gaping wound as he fell to the ground.
And she didn’t stop there, she got on top of him and started clawing on his belly until
his upper body was separated from his lower body.
It’s strange because I didn’t feel sorry for them.
Afterwards, the creature took a quick glance at me and smiled.
She took off to the dark corner of the train station and disappeared.
Only after this incident did I learn about the urban legend of the Teke Teke.
And I am forever grateful that the Teke Teke saved my life that day.