Big Tiger watches as his students gather their writing utensils and books to rush home. He informs me that the boys love learning, but they must return to their huts before the moon rises to take the sky. When I asked him for the reason, he shook his head. "I cannot tell such frightening stories to a woman."
"I am sure I can handle ghosts and demons." I catch a young boy who tripped over the threshold and I kneel to help him collect his dropped items. I wave my hand, feeling Big Tiger has been staring holes into my head. "It is related to evil spirits, am I correct?"
"Well, I'm not sure, but the next village over has been hunting the creature or spirit. Every few days a group of children would disappear and none have returned." Big Tiger closes the door after the last boy leaves his house. Then, he pinches all the candlewicks to snuff out dimming flames. He navigates through the house to drag a string of bells.
He starts to whisper, urging me to do the same when I speak. "Perhaps it is a ghoul, or a ghost, or a beast. No one knows and on days children are heavily guarded, their parents fall asleep. Then, the children vanish, showing no signs of struggle."
"How many children have disappeared? How long has this phenomenon been occurring?" I am not interested in helping these mortals defeat the evil being, but I am slightly curious. I have heard the village's inhabitants gush about their brave chief, yet Big Tiger does not know what he is afraid of. "No one has seen the children thief."
"From our village, eight boys have disappeared thus far. I have heard the other village is targetted more often so I figured the evildoer resides on the other side of the river. No one has seen the person and it has been happening for as long as I can remember." Bells jingle as Big Tiger places the string on hooks above doors and windows. "Strange events have been documented since the last century."
"Why are you using bells? To ward off the evil soul?" I hide a grin in the dark, knowing that bells will not deter spirits. Most herbs will not keep spirits away unless complex hexes and spells are placed on them. Talismans are the most effective for mortals. "Bells are used to summon spirits, not keep them away."
"I did not know that," Big Tiger continues his work anyway. "I am using the string of bells to detect spirits, not summon them. If an evil spirit is nearby, the bells will ring without rest. It has not happened yet."
I struggle to keep my laugh inside my throat. Although humans are quite foolish, they are entertaining. "I guess what you said is reasonable. If there is truly something out there, spirits would be attracted to this place even without the bells. If you manage to catch good-natured spirits, they will protect you."
"How does a woman know so much about spirits? No sane woman would speak about the supernatural without trembling." Big Tiger is suddenly standing before me, leaning over. He was so close I can hear his breathing.
I step back, grimacing when my ankles touch a table one of the boys must have used for writing lessons. I gasp when a large hand reached out to hold my back and I force myself to stop breathing. In the dark, I see his outline. The only sound I can hear is his breathing.
"Do not make a sound. We never know when the being is around and we do not know if it targets children and weaker people. Do not worry though, I have been training with a monk." He says proudly. Of course, he needs to tell me unnecessary information to feel more manly.
"While we are here, should we find you new clothes? I have been planning to distribute fresh clothing to my people, but I forget my plans. Now that you are here, someone can claim the female clothes." He chuckles softly, still alert and careful as he leaves me to creep into his bedroom. "I cannot see anything!"
"Where are the clothes? My vision at night is better than the average human's." I hide my grin with a sleeve as I walk across his house. I am starting to enjoy fooling humans because they always astound me with their stupidity. "We cannot light one candle?"
"Absolutely not!" He says quickly. He steps aside to show me a trunk overflowing with articles of clothing. Colourful fabrics have been neatly folded. Big Tiger holds out a hand, "If you can see well, pick the dress you like. Most have been worn by princesses and noblewomen, so you will feel powerful in all of them."
I bite my cheek, thinking that I have been feeling powerful in my rags because clothes will not affect a goddess' power. I then realize I am living on Earth -with humans. Do they believe clothes can change a person? I will still be powerful without clothes, but I will not walk around nude in a village filled with males.
I brush my fingers along the smooth silk ribbons and sleeves spilling from the chest of clothes. Suddenly, my throat constricts as if a rope had been wrapped around and pulled by a mule. Beside me, Big Tiger falls to the floor, fast asleep. "So much for training with a monk!"
I leave his bedroom and walk on the tip of my toes, leaning out the window to look up at a purple moon. This is definitely not a normal occurrence in nature, one that I must investigate. I hear chimes slice through the air from a dozen different locations in the village. I hold my breath as the hairs on my neck went rigid.
I tug the string of bells moving above the windows, wrapping most of its length around my wrist while holding the rest in my free hand. I amplify my senses by sending energy to each of my sensory organs, carefully listening to the deep hum of negative energy. We are not alone in Big Tiger's house.
I do not wish to place the mortal chief in the middle of a battlefield, so I shook the bells and jump through the window to land outside. I regain my balance, still moving the string. "Keep following me, don't mind the mortals. Focus on me if you want my energy."
"You have come to this village? You will not take over my villages!" A deep voice thunders from every direction. It is a male and he wishes he can be as strong as me. "Children are too weak, I was hoping to catch one of those men but you are interfering!"
"You are not going to take any mortals for your own gain. What are you, a ghoul or a soul?" I start to unravel the bells to use as a whip, using my third eye to see the spirits around me. I slowly filter out harmless spirits.
Glowing leopards vanish from my sight. A group of small children running around a circle and holding wooden butterflies slowly vanish. I see a walking rose and then, it is gone. One by one, benign souls vanish from my sight but I know they are still there. The last spirit is the one I need to see.
"You found me," said the evil spirit. "Do you recognize me, Goddess of Marriage?"
I drop my weapon to gawk at the soul standing atop Big Tiger's home. I see dark hair flutter in the wind, like a long tail and this soul does have a tail. Well, multiple tails. I recognize this spirit's stature and I would never think I will encounter him here.
The spirit was a nine-tailed fox who became immortal when a goddess fell in love with him and granted him an immortal form once he reached a certain stage in his life. He had lived peacefully with the goddess for a century until I helped them tie the knot. On their wedding night, the goddess died suddenly.
Stricken by grief, the man standing on the roof was a rare kumiho who decided to end his bloodline to follow the goddess into the next life. He jumps from the housetops to walk toward me. Once his chest touches mine, he grabs my neck. "She said I will meet her on Earth. I have been searching for seven thousand years. Where did you hide her?"
"I do not know what you are talking about!" I claw at his hands, wondering how a spirit could have so much strength. It is as if he had never died! "Who told you I hid her?"
"The Heavens," he notices my expression and pauses. He slowly raised an eyebrow. "You do not know? You truly do not know!"
I chuckle, "You were a fool to believe those gods."
As soon as I said those words, the kumiho releases my neck and I know he did not do it willingly. How did I know? I look down to see him twitch before falling unconscious. "Oh, the scrolls have arrived! Where is my guide?"