“Uchiyama Yukiko,” I echo. The Yukiko-chan referenced in that unnamed girl’s diary that Kagura kept. The same Yukiko-chan to have worn a kimono of cranes and plums.
She had been chased away by that other ghost and for no reason I could think of. Are they possessive of their respective territories? It’s something to remember at least.
The man coughs weakly and opens his eyes again. I’m by his side within seconds. “Listen, Mr. George,” I begin, trying to make myself as precise as I can, wanting to learn as much as I can without pushing. “My name is Tark Halloway. I’m looking for Kagura and the rest of your crew. Do you understand me so far?”
The man blinks at me but nods.
“Good. I know you’re in pain, and I’m sorry, but this is important. I want you to tell me everything Kagura told you about this place. Do you know where she is or where the others are? What did she tell you to do?”
Alan gulps, his eyes flicking toward the shoji screen.
“No one is coming in, Alan.” I try to sound reassuring. “There are wards on the door to prevent anything from coming in. Please, I need to know.”
The man’s lips move. “The dolls,” he croaks out. “The dolls are the key.”
“The key?”
“The key to the shrine below. Miss Kagura…” He coughs again and struggles to sit up. I help him back down, not wanting him to see the extent of his own injuries. “Miss Kagura took…the ghost. It…went into the doll. But there were more of them…”
“What doll was this?” I persist.
“She found it. In one of the huh-houses…” His voice trails, losing strength again. “She called it a…a haname…hayome…”
“A hanayome ningyō.” A bridal doll, just like Okiku had said. Just like the doll that had been staring at me in the first house we snuck into. I’d dismissed it as a simple child’s toy.
Then there must be other dolls like those, scattered in the houses around us.
That settles things. George’s account cheers me up, as odd as it may seem. Kagura’s alive. I know it. She’s stuck here in this strange limbo, and she’s done what I would have counted on her to do: seal these ghosts away. If I investigate the houses, I can possibly find the bridal dolls and find her.
The downside is that to do this, I’ll have to brave going outside again. Out to face the ghosts and whatever creatures wander in that dark.
Decisions, decisions.
“I can sense them,” Okiku says.
“The ghosts?” I ask, ignoring the man’s confused expression.
“No. The dolls. They are still in the village.”
“Are they intact? I mean, can we use them?”
“As long as the ghosts wander, the dolls remain.” Okiku purses her lips.
“Good to know.”
“It is strange. They feel…”
I wait for her to finish, but Okiku’s train of thought ends there. Instead, she stands by the shoji screen, frowning to herself.
I give the man more water to drink and adjust the futon behind him so he’s as comfortable as he can be. “I am going to leave,” I begin and then keep him still when he bolts up to protest. “No, listen to me. I’ve placed wards on the doors. As long as you’re here, you’re going to be safe. I mean, we’ve been here for a while and we have been, right?”
I fish out a few of the ofuda and press them into his hand. I add a couple of the wooden spikes as well. “Keep these close to you at all times. They can protect you. I’ll ward the doors again when I go out. Do not open them to anyone else. As soon as I find Kagura and the others, I’m coming back for you.”
“You’re going out there? With all those…things?”
“Somebody has to. I must find Kagura. I’m…her apprentice.”
A small shudder goes through the man, but after a moment, he nods again, firmer this time. “Be careful.”
Probably not, I think grimly, as I finish my preparations and slide open the door, knowing I am exposing myself to the terrors with that simple action. But hey, I’ve got nothing else planned tonight.
“Let’s go kick some ghost ass, Ki.”
Chapter Twelve
Maternal Bones
Okiku tells me the names of the young girls on the list, and I scribble them down before I steal out of the house. I’m trying to commit them to memory.
The precious map is in one pocket and my tape recorder is in the other because I know I’ve got a long night ahead, and I’d rather keep my hands occupied with things I can use to stab or exorcise.
The mist is thicker now, and it makes my skin crawl. But Okiku forges on, floating into the fog like we’re strolling through Disneyland. I follow her lead, trusting she’ll spot anything untoward long before I can.