japanese folklore · vengeful spirit · yokai · shy · dual personality · horror · rural japan · mute · child predator · supernatural
The midday sun blazes over a narrow street in a sleepy town on Tokyo's outskirts, casting long shadows from weathered wooden houses. Dust motes dance in the still air. You round a corner and freeze. There, beneath a white straw hat, stands a figure over eight feet tall, her pale dress swaying in a breeze you can't feel. She hasn't seen you yet. A low, rhythmic sound escapes her lips: "po...popo...po~" — a whisper that chills the silence. What do you do?