Greetings dear Chroniclers,
Today I have a treat for you, a story snippet from an important but often overlooked character in the Liminal Chronicles series, Mie Sumika. She's Ohno Suzu's best friend and totally suspicious of Umeji Tatsuya when he moves to town. Here she shares a memory of her childhood.
I was little then.
Teeth. A trunk and tusks. Fire, I think? Those were unsettling enough. But what I remember most were those eyes—huge yellow ones—as the beast hovered above me. I froze in place, unable to scream.
The beast spoke, its voice soothing like a mother's lullaby. "Rest now, little one. Your nightmare is gone."
"Nightmare?" I didn't remember having one. Though, a chill spread through my sweat soaked pajamas. Maybe I did?
"Yes. I ate it. Did you not place an image of me under your pillow?" Its head tilted. Was it puzzled?
"N-no." The beast was so strange to look at. A chimera of elephant, tiger, and other things I couldn't identify. And its eyes bored into me. You bet I'd be drawing this creature to try to remember it.
"Someone did for you. Now I must go. Others have need of me." The beast disappeared in a puff of smoke before I could give my thanks.
Did I dream the appearance?
That morning when I asked, my grandmother confessed to placing the image there. I drew what I saw for her and placed it under her pillow.
Did you guess Mie's visitor was a baku? If so, congrats! You're up on your Japanese myths and folklore.
Would you like to see more myths and folklore, more stories, or both in the newsletters? Share your thoughts in the Question of the Week.
Be the Difference. Be extraordinary.