hyakumonogatari kaidankai

Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai
By
Susan Waterflower Bell

A loud scream filled the narrow hallway that connected the four bedrooms and small bathroom of the upper part of the house the bell family lived in. Going by the tone of the scream and the pitch of it. One could tell the scream belonged to a young female possible thirteen or fourteen.

The scream itself held the qualities of one in great pain and was followed by a loud thumping that seemed to suggest that something heavy had fallen. It was the mixture of these two that caused the slightly middle age mother to quickly throw away the warm covers and wrap around her body her house coat.

Quickly she slipped on her pink and fuzzy slipper and made her way down from the masters bedroom to her youngest daughters room. She wore both a crossed look and a look of concern upon her face as she quickly turned the brass door knob.  And within a second the bright blue door was pushed open.

Another second passed before a bright yellowish light bathed the area revealing several scatted books upon the bedroom floor and a young women sitting upright in the bed. Her shoulder length coco brown hair was tied back in a neat ponytail and she was clucking to her developing chest a stuffed rag doll.

“Mommy!” The young women cried shifting her eyes toward the women standing now in the doorway that connected the room with the hallway. The young women seemed near tears as her chest slowly raised and fell and her hold upon the doll seemed not to loosen and only to tighten.

Quickly the middle aged women made her way toward the bed picking her way over the scatted books that seemed to dot the floor. Quickly she sat down upon the cushions of the bed and then without giving it a second thought she reached over and drew the shaking little girl into a hug.

“Its okay, its okay Susie. Mommy is here mommy is here.” Said whispered softy into her ears as he wrapped her arms around her trembling frame. All of this came to her as if it was her second nature.  She had learned from her first one that the bridge between tween and teen years was one hardest times in there life.

“I was there once more, once more I was there in that room, and in that village and in that train station.  But this time, this time I did not make it out.. They finally caught up with me and they took me to the shadows.” Cried Susan into her mother shoulders.  Salty tears where know streaming down her cheeks. Soon it seemed like two rivulets had formed upon her cheeks.

“Its okay mommy is here and your still here.” She said running her hand over the child’s head. She took a deep breath as she leaned in and kissed her forehead.  Slowly as he lips left her daughters forehead she took a deep breath and signed.

“No mommy.. I tried that,” She took a deep breath. “I tried to play the game Gathering of one hundred tales of the supernatural.” The game was had once been a popular parlor game played among the Samurai class.

Elizabeth blinked and blinked again as those words slowly flittered into her mind. She felt her face drain of color and quickly her eyes shifted around the room. The game had been invited first as a way to cool one down during the summer months and second as folklore would tell you was the summon a demon or spirit from the great void.

“Did you completed all of the tales.” Whispered her mother into her ear. A frightful look appeared upon her face. Her daughter had shown that she possessed a keen insight for spirits and seeing them, they seemed to be drawn to her like a vessel lost at sea would be to the powerful beam of a lighthouse.

“No mommy I did not.” She said still not ready to leave the comfort of her mothers arms and the warm safety presented in her hug.  If she could she would choose to every stay in this position never moving forward nor moving backwards just staying here safe and sound.

“Susie,” Scolded her mother. “I think we have talked about this have we not, your not suppose to be reading ghost stories on a school night” She removing her arms from the shaking girls shoulder. She drew in a deep breath and peered around the room. To dark for her taste, something was here too. She’ll have Isabella look into it once she comes in from her shift.

“Yes mommy..” Sniffed Susan looking down at her feet.

Elizabeth tried to force down her smile, Her youngest one was so much like her it was a crying shame. From her long oak brown locks to her sapphire pink eyes.  That included her odd habit of sneaking around to old haunted localities and seeking out troubled spirit.

“Come along now, your going to sleep with me tonight.” She said placing her hand upon the small of her daughters back and gently easing her down from the bed.

Susan nodded her head as she slide her feet into her warm fuzzy bedroom slippers. And then like most children freshly waken from a nightmare she drew close to her mothers side. She felt safe by her mothers side. The feeling could only be compared to a warm blanketed being draped around her shoulders.

Elizabeth allowed her daughter a few more minutes of warming embrace before she slowly removed her arms from her shoulders. Once here arm was removed she helped her daughter down from her bed and gently guided her toward the masters bedroom.

Not a word left Susan’s mouth as she felt her mothers loving hand guide her toward the masters bedroom.  A sudden cloud of fear and dread seemed to pass over and shadow her heart. She knew all too well the fate that waited her behind that door.  For every rule broken in the Bell household there was a price to pay and often or not ones bottom would be the check used to pay said price.

“Susan. Your about to be entering your final year of school. I mean sure the summer months are the perfect time to play around with ghost stories and go off exploring haunted places.  But you gotta see where I’m coming from dear. Soon your going to be almost buried under a massive pile of homework as the teachers try to force feed you information and facts and stats.” Lectured her mother as she lead Susan over to her bed and quickly pulled the young one over her lap.

Susan blinked as she felt the solos of her feet leaving the wooden floorboards of the living room. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her wildly bounding heart.  But once she felt her self being placed over the lap of her mother her last pence of self control was cast away.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and reached down and pulled up the helm of her daughters nightgown. She took a deep breath and  as placed her thumps into the waistline of the cute blue panties she wore under the gown and with a easy hand of a mother she pulled them down. Exposing to the cool air the nice round bottom of her daughter.  She made a note to watch out for any boys.