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“All right. You got the mic?”
“Yeah… Ugh, this place is creepy…”
“Going to creepy places is kind of our thing, isn’t it?”
“I guess, but this place is extra creepy. Like, can’t you feel it? There’s a vibe that I don’t like.”
“You think that means we’ll find something?”
“Jeez, I hope not! You guys are weird for wanting to!”
The trio of young men stood outside the mansion, talking amongst themselves. It was dark, but the full moon lit up the land just enough for them to be visible, outlined in silver against the deep black of the night. Even through the dusty, cracked windows, one could see them moving, hauling equipment up toward the mansion’s front door. The steps up to the porch creaked as they were trod upon, and the tallest of the young men winced.
“Eugh…” he said with a shiver. “Rantaro, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
The young man called Rantaro shook his head and set about setting up a camera facing the front of the house. “We’ve been to worse places, Kaito. Remember the hospital?”
Kaito shuddered. “I guess that one was pretty bad…”
“Broken glass everywhere,” said the third young man. “And syringes… This place at least looks pretty well-kept for an abandoned mansion.”
“Right?” Rantaro finished setting up the camera — such a streamlined looking thing, nothing like the boxy equipment of the past — and looked up at the house. He smiled a little, then turned around, pulling pieces of equipment from a full-to-bursting backpack. “Who knows, maybe the ghosts are taking care of it.”
Kaito shook his head. “Don’t say that, man… Shuichi, aren’t you freaked out by this place’s aura?”
“Mm…” Shuichi looked at the rickety porch, then the large front door. “A little… But I’ve gotten used to it at this point. We’ve been to so many weird places now to investigate…”
“Yeah,” said Rantaro. “Here, you guys ready to film the intro?”
The three young men continued chatting for a moment before they finally turned the camera on. The wind blew, a gentle breeze, one that made Kaito shiver.
“And three, two, one…” Rantaro cleared his throat and rushed to sit on the porch steps next to his companions. “Hello, everybody! Welcome back to another episode of Tales of the Paranormal. We’re your hosts, Rantaro, Kaito, and Shuichi, and today we are at a little-known spot in Edogawa called… drumroll, boys…”
The three men patted their thighs in a sort of drumroll. Shuichi and Rantaro both smiled, while Kaito still looked a bit anxious.
“...Kamukura Manor!” Rantaro grinned and the drumroll stopped. “Kaito, you wanna tell the viewers about the history of this place?”
Kaito bit the inside of his cheek, but let out a sigh and started. “The Kamukura Manor was a bustling mansion back in the 1800s, especially from the 1860s through the 1880s. But in 1889…” He gulped and rubbed the back of his neck. “Come on, man, do I have to be the one to tell it? It’s freaky!”
“I’ll tell it,” Shuichi said. “In 1889, rumors began to swirl that the mansion was haunted. Domestic workers such as maids, butlers and cooks for the Kamukura family started to complain of things like waking up covered in scratches, windows opening on their own, sudden sharp pains, and hearing the voice of a woman telling them to leave.”
“These rumors went on for years,” continued Rantaro, “until in 1902, the manor was completely abandoned. It was never sold and has been left untouched ever since.”
A shiver ran through Kaito. “Ughhh, and for the record, viewers, it gives me the creeps! More than any other place we’ve been!”
“Yeah, I’m surprised more ghost hunters haven’t come through here…” Rantaro turned his head to look up at the imperious mansion before him, its base surrounded by overgrown, thorny rose bushes. “It definitely feels haunted. More so than a lot of other places.”
“Don’t say that, man,” Kaito said, “you’re freaking me out!”
“It is a lesser-known spot,” Shuichi said. “It took me a lot of research to find it.”
“That’s true.” Rantaro hummed, then turned to smile brightly at the camera. “Well, let’s get started, then! Let’s see if we can figure out who or what is haunting Kamukura Manor.”
With that, Rantaro got to his feet and went over to the camera, ending the recording. Kaito looked up at the mansion with a grimace.
“You guys sure about this?” he said. “Nobody even knows about this place, it might not get many views…”
“Well, that’ll just make for an even better episode,” Rantaro replied as he picked up the camera. “Imagine if we’re the first to explore an honest-to-god haunted mansion. Wouldn’t that be cool?”
“No!” Kaito squeaked. “I don’t know how you guys pulled me into this channel to begin with…”
The young men gathered their equipment and, with the help of Rantaro’s lockpicking skills, entered through the front door. The floor creaked under their heavy steps, even as they tried to tiptoe along.
“Kaito, you got the flashlight?”
“Yeah…”
The bright beam of the flashlight — what a fitting word — pierced the darkness, and it found shiny, albeit aged, surfaces. The banisters on the stairs in the foyer appeared freshly polished, and while the floor was old, it looked like it had been well taken care of.
“Weird…” Shuichi murmured. “You’d think a place this old would be a lot more run-down.”
Kaito gritted his teeth. “If you guys are trying to prank me, I swear…”
“We’re not,” Rantaro reassured him. “I’m gonna turn the camera on.”
The camera — heavens, could something so small really be called a camera? — clicked on. The lens shone in the darkness. A tiny red light illuminated the space around it.
Ordinarily, a group like this would be ousted immediately. Boys especially tended to make such a mess of things, to touch things that weren’t theirs, to knock things over and break fragile old furniture. But these three seemed polite, if a bit overly curious. Their technology was unfamiliar but fascinating, their voices not too loud, their steps careful and cautious. They hadn’t hurt anything, not yet.
And, besides… It had been so long since I’d served anyone.
“All right,” said Rantaro, “here we are. It’s dark in here, but we’ve got our trusty flashlight with Kaito… And Shuichi’s got the spirit box, but it’s not time for that just yet. We’re gonna explore a bit first.” He smiled and turned toward the inside of the house. “If you’re in there, we just want to look around! We won’t break anything, promise!”
Hopefully it was a promise he intended to keep. I idled where I stood, watching, waiting, admittedly just as curious about them as they seemed to be about my empty home. I’d seen strange things before with other visitors — things called phones despite being small enough to fit in one’s pocket — but none who spoke to cameras, none who carried strange boxes like Shuichi did.
Kaito waved the flashlight in a slow arc until he found an open doorway. “There’s something over here…”
“Hm.” Shuichi took a step forward, into the flashlight’s beam. “Looks like a kitchen. You guys wanna take a look?”
“Yeah,” said Rantaro. “Man, I should’ve eaten before we came here, I’m hungry…”
Something inside me brightened. As the boys entered the kitchen, I rushed down the stairs and followed after them, breezing past their backs in a way that made them all jump. I would have apologized if they could have heard me, but no, no, I had to find them something, I had to…
“What was that?” Kaito said, his voice tight. “What the hell was that? You guys felt that, right?”
“I felt it,” murmured Rantaro. “You felt it too, Shuichi?”
“Yeah…” Shuichi shivered. “Cold and fast. Um… Viewers, we just felt a breeze, and I’m sure I closed the front door…”
“Ugh, I hate this place,” said Kaito.
They said a few more things, all directed toward the camera, but I was too focused on my mission to hear them. I opened a cabinet, then another, but of course I knew there would be nothing; there was never anything anymore, just dishes, no food.
I realized then that the young men had gone silent. The flashlight’s beam pierced directly through where my body would have been had I still had one.
“...Holy shit,” Kaito whispered.
“Uh… All right,” Rantaro said. “I don’t know if I caught that on camera, but those cabinets just opened on their own…”
Oh. I’d been so focused on finding them something to eat that I’d forgotten they’d find it strange. A maid’s instinct never dies, I suppose. I stood still, in the light of the flashlight, gazing at the trio, before slowly closing both cabinets.
“...Shit,” whispered Shuichi.
“Yeah. Wow, I think that’s the fastest we’ve ever found activity…” Rantaro cleared his throat. “Let’s keep exploring and see what else we find. I don’t want to rush into communication and make them angry.”
Kaito grimaced. “You say them like there’s definitely someone here…”
“Well, there’s definitely something, even if it’s just a weird draft,” Rantaro said calmly. “Let’s see… Here, let’s go this way, I think I saw a dining room through here.”
“You want me to run out to the car and get us some granola bars?” Shuichi asked. “I brought some.”
“Nah, it’s okay. Thanks.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what a granola bar was, but it sounded like some kind of food. I felt myself lighten — yes, yes! As soon as the group was in the dining room, I grabbed a serving tray and put it on the counter, then rushed out to where they’d parked their vehicle, not even bothering to open the door; going through walls was so much more convenient.
The car was a bit of a mess… I’d have to clean it for them if they decided to stay a while. I took some trash and piled it up in one of the seats so it was all in one place; I’d throw it away later if I had the time. Next to the trash pile was a black satchel, which, upon opening, I found to contain the fabled ‘granola bars’.
Yes… these certainly seemed to be some sort of packaged food. I picked them up and headed back inside, this time through the door so the solid food could come with me. I heard a squeak of terror from Kaito at the sound of the door opening — they must still be in the dining room, judging on where the sound had come from.
“What the fuck was that? What the fuck was that?”
“Kaito, calm down, it was probably the wind…”
I picked up the serving tray and put the granola bars on top. Quickly, I made my way to the dining room, none of my steps making a sound, and placed the serving tray on the table beside the three young men before taking a step back.
Silence fell. The trio stared at the serving tray, then looked around, as if searching for me.
“...Thank you,” Rantaro said.
Kaito let out a shriek. He jumped back from the table and held his arms in front of him, like a shield.
“No, no, no, no, NO!” he shouted. “Fuck this place! We’ve barely explored and already there’s a ghost trying to bring us snacks! I’m — I’m gonna—”
“Hey, hey, calm down,” said Shuichi. “Look… If the ghost wanted to hurt us, wouldn’t they have done that already?”
“I don’t care if it wants to hurt us, I care that it’s here,” said Kaito. “I really don’t like the vibes of this place — Rantaro, what the hell are you doing?!”
Rantaro was calmly unwrapping one of the granola bars. He took a bite and, with a smile, swallowed. I felt relief wash over me; my service had been appreciated, and that was all that mattered.
“Seems like a very polite ghost,” he said. “I think… Maybe it’s time for the spirit box.”
Kaito stared at him like he had grown a second head. I held back a soft giggle; laughing was unprofessional.
“Okay,” Shuichi said. He placed the box on the table and pressed a button to turn it on. The box began to make a strange assortment of humming noises, and Shuichi turned to his friends. “Rantaro, it seems to like you… You wanna ask the first question?”
It was true, I did like Rantaro. He was polite and seemed to be in this for pure curiosity’s sake, and he hadn’t touched anything that looked like it might break. I stood by, patient, ready for them to do whatever they would, ready to serve them in any way they desired.
“Let’s see… Hello, ghost,” Rantaro said. “Can I ask if you’re in this room with us right now?”
Yes.
For a moment, there was quiet. Then, the box let out a quiet “...Yes…”
Kaito looked like he could have fallen over. I had to refrain from jumping with surprise myself. What an interesting little contraption…
“Great!” Rantaro beamed, seemingly unfazed. “Uhm, what’s your name? Is that okay to ask?”
I am Kirumi Tojo, I said.
“...Ki…rumi…”
“Kirumi,” Rantaro murmured softly. “Did I get that right? Kirumi?”
Yes.
“...Yes…”
“Great. Thank you for joining us, Kirumi.” Rantaro turned his gaze to Kaito. “Do you want to ask her a question?”
Kaito shook his head rapidly. I held back another laugh. Poor fellow.
“Okay… How about you, Shuichi?”
“Um…” Shuichi bit the inside of his cheek. “Did you live here, Kirumi?”
I was the head maid of this household for nine years.
“...Maid…nine…years…”
Rantaro’s eyes lit up. “A maid, huh? That must be why you’re so polite.”
Thank you.
“...Thank…”
Rantaro grinned. He shared a little smile with Shuichi, then turned to Kaito, who looked like he was about to be sick all over the table.
“You sure you don’t want to ask her a question?” Rantaro asked.
Kaito bit the inside of his cheek, then took a deep breath. “Fine… For the viewers,” he grumbled. “Um… Do you want to hurt us?”
No. Not unless you harm this manor.
“No… unless… harm… manor…”
“Hmm.” Rantaro raised his eyebrows. “We’d better be careful then, huh?”
Kaito shuddered and covered his head with his hands. “I shouldn’t have asked…”
Shuichi grabbed a granola bar and unwrapped it, taking a bite. Kaito’s remained untouched.
“So… Kirumi,” Shuichi said, “can I ask how long you’ve been here?”
Something in my chest sank. I stood still, unsure of how to answer. It wasn’t as though I had access to a calendar.
Years and years, I decided. It was the closest thing I had to a real guess.
“...Years…”
“Hmm.” Rantaro frowned. “She must be the person who’s been haunting this place since 1889…”
Something inside of me clenched. I wished desperately for a moment to ask what year it was, how long I had been trapped here with nobody to serve. But nothing was said, not a word spoken. It’s rude for a maid to speak out of turn.
“Well…” Rantaro got to his feet. “Do you mind if we explore a bit more, Miss Kirumi? We won’t hurt your house, I promise.”
Go ahead.
“...Ahead…”
Rantaro smiled, though not at me; it wasn’t as though he could see where I was. “Thank you. You can come with us with you want. It’ll kind of be like you’re giving us the grand tour. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
Kaito rubbed his temples. “You’re so calm, man… I have a headache…”
A grand tour… It had been so long since I’d given anyone the grand tour.
The last person must have been…
No. No. I mustn’t think about it.
Shuichi turned the box off. The humming clicked into silence, and I was left with no line of communication once again.
No matter, though. I kept this manor so well-maintained over the years that, aside from the stray creaking floorboard that I couldn’t replace, there was little danger, even for the living. Provided they stayed away from any open windows, all would be okay, I was sure. If something were to happen, I could just move a door or tug a carpet, and their attention would be gotten. I didn’t want to be presumptuous and touch them directly.
A grand tour, then. Very well.
Rantaro and Shuichi finished their granola bars and put the wrappers in their pockets. Kaito left his untouched on the table. I hesitated, then picked it up; better to carry it with me than to leave it there. Kaito pointedly looked away, as if refusing to acknowledge that I was there at all.
“Let’s see…” Rantaro walked out into the foyer and looked upstairs. “I’ve got the camera on… Do you think we should explain the camera to her?”
Yes, please do! A camera constantly left on… How could that capture any kind of image?
“Couldn’t hurt,” said Shuichi as he took the first few steps up the stairs.
“All right. Miss Kirumi, the camera I’m using is called a video camera. It captures moving pictures instead of still images. That way, we can watch this all back later, like a film.” He glanced over at Shuichi. “They had films in 1889, right?”
“Uh, I think so…”
Film… I was familiar with film. I nodded, even though they couldn’t see me. Hopefully they could feel my understanding.
“You’re talking to the ghost,” muttered Kaito. “You are talking to the ghost…”
The trio ventured upstairs. I followed close behind, though I kept a bit of distance from Kaito so as not to scare him. Every time they approached a door, I would rush to open it for them. Rantaro always offered a grateful smile and polite “thank you”; Shuichi did the same, albeit more nervously. Kaito prickled every time, but muttered a “thanks”, like he was worried about what would happen to him if he didn’t.
Bedrooms, bathrooms, studies, parlors… The whole manor was explored, top to bottom. Rantaro talked animatedly to the video camera and occasionally pointed it at his friends, who would offer their investigative discoveries. Everything was touched delicately, like they were worried they’d break it, and with the age of some of these items, I was grateful. Try as I might, things would get worn out no matter how well I cared for them, and I could not stop the passage of time, despite my every effort.
Occasionally they would turn on the strange box — a spirit box, Rantaro explained — and we would converse about the history of a room or object. I kept my replies short and to the point for ease of communication. It helped that Rantaro and Shuichi were good at asking direct and specific questions, and so was Kaito, when he felt up to asking. They’d clearly been doing this for quite some time.
At long last, the visit seemed to come to an end. I held the door for them to leave the master bedroom, and Rantaro looked to his left and right, then vaguely in the direction where I stood.
“Thank you, Miss Kirumi,” he said. “I think we just have one more room left… There was one we missed on the third floor. Come on, guys.”
No. No.
He started up the stairs, but before he could take too many steps, I was ahead of him. With a quick swish of my dress, I made sure he felt me blocking his path.
“Um…” Rantaro cleared his throat. “Kirumi?”
I rushed up the stairs and slammed the door at the end of the hall shut. Open, shut, open, shut, open, shut, over and over… No, no, they were not going in there.
“Is she okay?” asked Shuichi.
“Jesus! We should stay the fuck out of there…” Kaito’s voice was tight. “Oh, god, what if it’s full of scary cursed shit, like—”
“It’s probably nothing like that,” Rantaro cut in. “Kirumi? Ah… Shuichi, can you turn on the spirit box?”
The humming box clicked into life. I rushed back down the stairs and, before I was even asked a question, spoke as quickly as I could.
You mustn’t go in there.
“Mustn’t… there…”
Rantaro furrowed his brow. “Why not?”
You just mustn’t. Please go away.
“Just… away…”
Shuichi hummed and shifted his weight. “I dunno if we should push her…”
Kaito swallowed. “You guys can do what you want, I’m fucking out of here. I’m going outside.”
With that, Kaito rushed down the foyer stairs and out the door. I would have held it for him had I followed.
Shuichi seemed paralyzed, ripped between his two companions. Finally, though, he spoke again.
“Ah…” He cleared his throat. “I’m gonna go outside and help Kaito calm down… Rantaro, do you feel safe in here?”
Rantaro nodded. “Give me the spirit box.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m gonna work this out with her.” Rantaro’s voice was easy, confident. “I’ll meet you guys out there soon, okay? Besides, she might be more at ease if it’s just one of us.”
Shuichi seemed hesitant, but he soon handed over the spirit box to Rantaro. “Be careful.”
“I will.”
With that, Shuichi rushed down the stairs and out of the mansion. It was only me and Rantaro there, at the foot of the third-floor staircase, with that terrible door at the top.
“...Well,” Rantaro said. “Can I ask why you don’t want me to go up there, Kirumi?”
That room is evil.
“Room… evil…”
Rantaro let out a soft laugh. “So, what, it’s possessed by the devil or something?”
No.
“...No…”
“Hm.” Rantaro shifted his weight to his left hip. “I’m sorry, Kirumi, but you’ve made me so curious. Is it okay if I just take one little look?”
No.
“...No…”
“How about if I turn the camera off?”
I hesitated. The room stood imperiously behind me, and my nonexistent stomach churned at the idea of anybody seeing it.
…Please.
“...Please…”
“Okay.” Rantaro turned off the camera. The little red light went away. “Camera’s off… Nobody else will see what’s up there. It’ll just be you and me.” He smiled softly. “Whatever mess it is, it can’t be worse than my car.”
The statement took me so off-guard that I couldn’t suppress an incredulous laugh. The sound came out as a garbled string of static, but Rantaro seemed to recognize it, and he laughed along.
“Hah! See, I know it can’t be that bad.” Rantaro grinned. “I’ll have to leave my car here sometime so you can help me clean it. Does that sound like fun?”
…Yes…
“...Yes…”
“Maybe some other day, then.” Rantaro offered a soft smile. “Now… I’m only going to look for a minute. You don’t have to tell me what happened in that room or anything, okay? If it helps, I won’t tell the other guys either.”
I stood still, unmoving, unsure of what to do. Rantaro was kind and funny, and he certainly seemed sincere. But, but, but…
…
…Very well…
“...Well…”
Rantaro smiled. “Thank you, Kirumi,” he murmured.
With that, he walked through me, shivering as our skin touched, and headed upstairs.
I followed close behind. I hadn’t been to this room in decades; heavens, perhaps it had even been centuries. It would certainly be less well-maintained. That wasn’t my concern, though. Not even close.
Rantaro opened the door, and I held it open for him as he stepped inside. The only sound was the spirit box as he looked around.
My old room was just as I remembered it. There was my bed, my wardrobe which held my uniforms, my table, my chair. The rug was dusty and the window was cracked, but at least it was closed this time. At least it was closed.
“...Is this your room, Kirumi?” Rantaro asked.
…Yes.
“...Yes…”
Rantaro hummed. “Well, it’s less messy than mine,” he joked.
I didn’t laugh this time. My stomach was trembling as I gazed at the cracked window, the view from this floor.
Rantaro noticed the quiet. He looked around, then, with a soft voice, asked one more question.
“Kirumi, is this where you died?”
For a long moment, I was silent. Then my lips moved, seemingly of their own accord.
…Yes.
“...Yes…”
Rantaro’s face fell. He looked around before settling on the cracked, dusty window, the place where my eyes, too, were locked.
“Can I ask what happened?”
I swallowed. My hands trembled. I didn’t want to answer, didn’t ever want to talk about it again. But heavens, he had been so kind, and a part of me yearned for the release of telling someone. It wasn’t like I’d ever gotten the chance back then.
I fell from the window. I paused. I was pushed. I landed in the rosebush.
“Fell… window… pushed… rosebush…”
The words brought a curdling feeling to my chest, and I understood Kaito’s sickening fear of death. To be in the land of the dead is less terrifying than the journey there, the fall, the collapse, the endless agony of thorns pressing into your skin over and over while all your bones break. I recalled crashing to the ground, cut to pieces, sliced by sawblades of nature, crushed by gravity’s pull. Heavens, if I still dreamt, I’d have nightmares. I hadn’t dreamt in so long. But I didn’t need to close my eyes to see the blood staining my gown, to feel the bones pushing through my skin.
That jealous maid. I remembered her. That girl who came into my manor and was meant to be my coworker, my friend, that girl who I gave my final tour to, that girl who saw fit to push me out a window; I could not recall her name if I tried, but sometimes it gets stuck there, pressing on my mind, the half-remembered memory of it, that sickeningly sweet voice. She had called herself plain and simple. She was neither simple nor plain.
I tried not to hold anger, I always tried not to. But the pain, the pain, fuck, there was nothing like it.
“That sounds awful,” Rantaro whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Awful was an understatement. With a quick puff of air, I guided him to the door. He obliged, and we left the room.
“Thank you for sharing that with me, Kirumi,” he said. “I won’t put it in the video if you don’t want me to.”
Thank you.
“Thank… you…”
Rantaro smiled gently. “Now… I’m going to leave, but… I confess, there’s something I haven’t told you.”
My chest sank. I tilted my head, curious, but not hopeful.
“The video I’m making…” Rantaro cleared his throat. “Thousands of people are going to see it. If we’re lucky, maybe even millions. That means you might get a lot more visitors.” He hesitated, then continued. “Kirumi, is it okay if I post this online, where lots of people might see it?”
…
Thousands…? Millions?
Two sides of me were torn in that moment. One side of me wanted to viciously refuse; I didn’t want another soul to see the room I had been pushed from, its sickly dust, its cracked window. Rantaro was more than enough, and he was polite. Thousands of people would mean children, rowdy teenagers, rude adults…
But… but…
Thousands of people meant visitors. It meant people to serve.
It meant…
An end to this loneliness…
“End… loneliness…”
Rantaro smiled. For the first time all night, he made what might have been called eye contact with me.
“If you want me to, I’ll delete the footage and never speak of this again,” he murmured. “But if it’s okay… I’d like you to have some guests once in a while.”
I gazed at him in silence. It had been so, so long since someone had looked at me, since someone had cared about me.
What about you?
“...You?”
Rantaro let out a shy laugh. “Well, I can come back and visit with the guys if you want me to. Or I can come alone. Your choice.”
…I still must clean your vehicle.
“Must… clean… vehicle…”
Rantaro laughed aloud at that. I couldn’t help but join him.
When he left, Rantaro turned off the spirit box and waved after me. I held the door for him, then watched through the window as he and his friends packed up.
“The room wasn’t anything special,” Rantaro said. “Just a dusty bedroom. I think she was just shy about it.”
“All that drama for some dust?” Kaito shivered. “Come on, let’s get out of here… I told you guys this place gave me the creeps.”
The car drove along the path out of the woods, and I stood, watching it go. The granola bar stayed in my hand, ready to be eaten by whoever my next guest might be.