Cursed Land Chapter 2 Yukako 1

This house is clearly strange. Suspecting there might be a reason behind my mother-in-law's suicide, I decided to visit Etsuko next door the following morning, bringing along some extra side dishes I had prepared, hoping to probe for any information she might have.

I passed through the gate and rang the doorbell at the entrance. I heard the sound of footsteps pattering toward the door, and the sliding door opened. Etsuko, a plump woman with chubby cheeks, poked her head out.

"Oh, Mrs. Ino, what brings you here?"

"Um... I made too much of this, so I was wondering if you'd like some..."

Etsuko accepted the plastic container Yukako offered without hesitation, but she did not invite Yukako inside. She was still acting somewhat distant. Even so, knowing she had to ask, Yukako gathered her courage and spoke about the strange things happening in the house.

"Mrs. Saga, have you heard anything from my mother-in-law?"

"I haven't heard anything in particular from Mrs. Ino."

"Have you heard anything about the reason for her suicide?"

"I haven't heard a thing. It was so sudden that I'm sure you were shocked, but we were quite surprised as well."

"Could it be that she followed my father-in-law?"

"That's not it. That was over a decade ago, wasn't it? She used to say she didn't feel lonely."

"Then, could there be some kind of curse on the house?"

"On the Ino house? Well... I've never heard of anything like that."

With that, Etsuko tilted her head.

"Um... that house, it makes strange noises all the time. Have you heard anything?"

At that, Etsuko smiled as if troubled.

"Isn't the strange noise you're hearing just the house settling or something?"

"But I hear footsteps. And dolls move on their own."

"It must be rats. It's an old house, have you checked the attic or under the floorboards?"

Now that she mentioned it, Yukako hadn't checked under the floor or in the attic. Out of habit, Yukako couldn't bring herself to argue with Etsuko's words and kept her mouth shut.

I know a good contractor, so I'll introduce you. It's the same place Ino-san used when they did their renovations, so they should be familiar with how things work, don't you think?

Yukako felt as if she had been implicitly warned not to talk about the strange occurrences before she had even investigated anything, so she had no choice but to nod obediently.

Did rats run around the hallway with a sticky sound? Could they drag a doll several times larger than a rat out into the hallway by opening the sliding doors? What were those sounds that resembled a child's footsteps? She only knew that asking Etsuko would get her nowhere.

About three weeks later, Yukako woke up in the middle of the night to a noise. When she glanced over, her husband, who should have been asleep, was gone. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she sat up and noticed that the shoji screen to the bedroom was open. She thought he might have gone to the bathroom and tried to go back to sleep, but he didn't return for a long time. Worried, she slipped out of the futon and went into the hallway. When she stepped out, Yukako stopped in her tracks, startled. The sliding doors to the Buddhist altar room were wide open. She peeked inside and saw her husband standing still in the pitch-black room.

Toshia-san?

She called out to him, worried, but there was no reaction, as if he hadn't heard her.

Toshia-san.

She was scared, but she gathered her courage, entered the room, and took her husband's hand. Then, her husband turned around and looked at Yukako.

Are you okay?

Yeah.

Her husband replied in a dazed tone. He shook his head as if he had finally woken up, looking bewildered and unsure why he was in such a place.

From then on, it became an almost nightly occurrence for her husband to get up in the middle of the night and stand motionless in the center of the Buddhist altar room. She had pulled him back to bed several times, but eventually, she stopped doing even that.

Tonight, her husband was missing from the futon next to her again. As she stared blankly at the pillow, the smartphone sitting by her husband's pillow flashed and vibrated. She picked up the phone without thinking and saw several emails from someone named 'Mi-tan'.

Mi-tan?

Perhaps because she was unfamiliar with her husband's social circle, she had no idea who that was. Since the emails were coming in one after another, she gave in to curiosity and opened them. There was no subject line, and there were several emails to the effect of, 'I don't want to break up. I won't break up with you.'

She understood that her husband had tried to break things off with his affair partner. But the woman didn't seem to have any intention of letting him go. The reason her husband had been coming home earlier since they moved was because he had stopped being so devoted to this woman. She didn't know if that was a good thing, but if they had broken up, she would have to just look the other way. Thinking this, Yukako put the smartphone back by the pillow. Still, the thought that her husband had been with another woman while she was pregnant and feeling so anxious made her feel sad rather than angry, and more than that, she felt as if the value of herself and her unborn child had been diminished. The sorrow that they were not necessary to her husband covered her heart, drowning out any concern for the husband who was likely still standing in the Buddhist altar room.

With three weeks of sleep deprivation, the anxiety and fear of the strange things happening in the house, and her own pent-up feelings all mixed together, Yukako found it hard to even stay awake. However, if she fell asleep, she would have nightmares, and if she stayed awake, small, strange incidents would occur throughout the house. Even though she didn't want to think about anything, the dissatisfaction with her husband that she had hidden deep in her heart for a long time and her own sense of inferiority swirled within her, and tears began to fall. Her appetite waned, her cheeks became gaunt, and dark circles formed under her eyes as if they had been outlined in black.

And yet, my husband doesn't notice. He seems even happier about becoming a father than before. Or perhaps he is just looking forward to the baby being born.

Normally, I should be happy about that, but to Yukako, her husband's attitude looked like nothing more than a deliberate act of atonement.

“Let's practice bathing the baby now.”

My husband is proactive even at the maternity school; just as the instructor said, he slowly submerges the baby doll into the warm water and gently washes its entire body. He even interrupts me while I am trying my best to bathe it.

“You have to be gentler, you have to hold it like this, don't you?”

I feel ashamed and pathetic that other couples heard those words, and I blame myself, wondering why I am so useless.

When I went to the OB-GYN for my monthly checkup, I tried complaining to the doctor about all my exhaustion.

“I can't sleep at all... Even when I do, I have nightmares and wake up... And I feel terribly sluggish when I'm upright.”

The doctor at the new clinic I switched to after moving said they couldn't prescribe medication, so they suggested I get some moderate exercise and introduced me to a counselor I could talk to about my worries at any time.

“It's possible that the fatigue from moving and such is building up, so try not to overdo it.”

After receiving advice that was neither helpful nor harmful, Yukako left the clinic. Feeling that even the clinic was not on her side, she stared at the ground. She walked along the gravel path of the parking lot, got into her light car, and headed home.

While driving, she thought about the dolls in the Buddhist altar room. She became convinced that they were the cause of the strange occurrences in the house and her husband's bizarre behavior. If all the dolls were gone, wouldn't the nightmares and strange occurrences cease, and wouldn't things return to at least the peaceful days before the move? She didn't think to consult her husband about doing something with the dolls. She felt that if she told him, he would definitely oppose it.

The road from the town with the OB-GYN to Adachino shouldn't have taken that long, but for some reason, there was a traffic jam today, and one-lane traffic continued endlessly. She didn't find out the cause was an accident until it was dusk and the sun was about to set.

It was already 6:00 PM when she finally arrived home. Her husband would be home soon. She wanted to finish disposing of the dolls before he returned, but now she had no choice but to quickly stuff them into trash bags and throw them away. It didn't matter where she threw them away. Since the mountains were nearby, she could leave them in the mountains, or she could hide them in the garden shed to deceive her husband. In any case, she had to get them out of the house. Otherwise, she felt like she was going to lose her mind. She felt that if she disposed of the dolls, everything would go well.

Upon arriving home, Yukako immediately took a trash bag and entered the Buddhist altar room. Though intimidated by the chilly air, she managed to turn on the light and face the dolls.

An eerie sense of intimidation emanated from the dolls. She flinched for a moment, but slowly picked up the doll in front. It had a heavy, vivid feel to it. Parts other than those made of paulownia clay should have been made of cloth, and although she hadn't looked, the inside of the cloth should have been filled with cotton or sawdust, but it felt dense, as if it were packed with flesh. She almost let go, but she held on tight and stuffed one into the trash bag. She thought that once she finished putting one in the trash bag, she could just repeat the same thing mechanically.

Just as she was about to stuff another one into the trash bag, the sliding door was thrown wide open, and her husband shouted in a loud voice.

“What are you doing!”

Yukako was so startled she nearly jumped, and she turned around in a panic. Her husband stood before her with a look of fury on his face. The words 'I didn't make it in time' swirled around in her head. Her heart felt like it was being crushed by the feeling of not knowing what to do.

What are you doing?

Her husband said it quietly this time. It was obvious she was trying to throw it away, yet he asked her, accusing her. Not knowing how to answer, Yukako let go of the bag and, with trembling lips, slowly backed away from the doll and her husband.

Her husband approached, took the trash bag, and pulled the Japanese doll out from inside.

Don't do something so cruel. You don't really intend to throw it away, do you?

It was clear from the trash bag that she had intended to throw it away, but Yukako was intimidated by her husband asking her anyway. She shook her head violently, denying what she had been about to do. She resigned herself to the fact that she would never have the courage to throw the doll away. She opened the sliding door behind her, stepped into the hallway, and fled into the kitchen.

Her husband seemed to still be in the Buddhist altar room. Peeking to see what was happening, she checked the time and saw it was already approaching 8:00 PM. She had thought it had only been about thirty minutes, but that meant over an hour had passed since she put the doll in the trash bag and her husband had returned. Had she really been standing there in front of the doll without moving for such a long time? Had she done nothing until her husband came home? No matter how much she thought about it, her memory was hazy, and she could only remember as far as putting the doll into the trash bag.

Yukako went to the living room, took her smartphone out of her bag, and then returned to the kitchen to call Ami.

Ami answered after a few rings, so Yukako breathlessly blurted out that the doll was scary and that there was something wrong with this house. She kept glancing at the Buddhist altar room, praying that her husband wouldn't hear her voice.

Calm down. Are you okay?

I'm not okay. What should I do? I'm so scared. Toshimasa is acting strange, too.

What do you mean, strange?

You know the doll, right? He's possessed by that doll.

Possessed? That's a bit of an exaggeration.

It's not an exaggeration at all. There really is something wrong with this house. I want to move out, but Toshimasa won't listen to me.

Isn't that just because you just moved in? What do you mean by strange?

I told you before, didn't I? The doll would be out in the hallway when I woke up in the morning, someone would tap on the paper sliding doors when I was all alone, I see strange shadows, and I hear footsteps...

Like ghosts or something?

Maybe... It might even be related to my mother-in-law committing suicide.

Calm down, Yuka. If you're that worried, I know someone who is very sensitive to spirits, should I introduce you? His name is Ichio.

“Psychic? You mean a medium?”

“Not exactly a medium, but... apparently they can see all sorts of things. Why don't you have them take a look at your house?”

What kind of person was this Ichio that Ami mentioned? Was he the type to boast about having psychic powers? If so, that would make him a highly suspicious character. He might just be a pathetic person who convinced himself he had a special talent. She didn't want to be pushed around by someone like that. Besides, there was no telling if he actually had any psychic ability at all. Sensing her hesitation, Ami spoke up.

“I'm not saying you have to. If you decide you want to ask them after all, just give me a call.”

“Yeah, okay. I'll call you if I do.”

In the end, Yukako hung up the phone without being able to say anything.

“I have to make dinner...”

She placed her smartphone on the table, opened the refrigerator, and took out some vegetables and meat. She had decided what to make that morning. So, she moved her body mechanically to cook. A laugh welled up inside her at the thought that her body could move so smoothly even though her mind was a complete blank.

After setting the dinner on the low table in the living room, she timidly peeked into the Buddhist altar room. Her husband was sitting formally facing the alcove, clutching a doll while muttering to himself. Yukako shuddered at the words she could faintly hear.

“The doll is a god of fortune... It's the same as a child... Must take good care of it...”

He kept repeating those words. She couldn't bring herself to speak to him for a while, but she gathered her courage and called out to her husband.

“Toshia-san... dinner is ready.”

Her husband suddenly looked up. He gently returned the doll to the alcove, picked up a trash bag that had been tossed onto the tatami, crumpled it up, and turned around.

“What is it? Is dinner ready?”

“Yes...”

Yukako felt flustered as she stared at her husband, who had suddenly returned to his senses. She felt a sense of unease at how he was smiling as if nothing had happened.

The dialogue between her husband and the doll continued for five more days. Watching her husband shut himself in the Buddhist altar room every night and keep muttering made her feel like she was truly going to lose her mind. After her husband left the house, she would always hear footsteps whenever she turned her back to the hallway. Her shoulders would tremble at the sound of a child running around. She felt like she might even start hearing voices soon. She couldn't even bring herself to turn around, so she would wait for the footsteps to fade before moving to another room. How long had it been since she stopped offering incense and food to the altar? She was too terrified to enter the room and couldn't do anything. She hadn't even cleaned it, so she didn't know what state the mold was in. If she wasn't careful, she hadn't been cleaning the whole house at all. She was too scared to go out into the hallway, so she couldn't do it.

When she went out to the veranda and exposed herself to the daylight, turning her back on the dimness of the house, her fear eased just a little. As she sat on the veranda, distractedly tracing the words in a book, she heard a voice calling from the entrance. Since it was a house without an intercom, which was rare these days, visitors had no choice but to call out from the entrance.

“Ino-san, delivery.”

"Coming!"

Looking around, I stepped out into the hallway, grabbed the seal kept on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, and slid the door open. The bright outdoor air rushed into the dim entryway, causing the stagnant air to swirl away with a gust. I accepted the delivery and stamped the receipt.

"Oh? Is that a neighborhood kid?"

"Huh?"

The delivery man looked curiously toward the back of the house as he spoke to me.

"There was a girl in a yukata standing there. Is she a neighborhood kid?"

It was the first time anyone had ever said such a thing to me. I turned around in a panic, but there was no one there. He didn't look like he was joking. Yukako blurted out in a trembling voice,

"There is no such child here."

With a puzzled look on his face, the delivery man tilted his head and drove off in his van.

Left behind, Yukako broke into a cold sweat, feeling an overwhelming sense of pressure from behind her. The skin on the back of her neck prickled. She could feel her body temperature dropping rapidly. She had reached her limit.

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