Fiction Academy: CAS' Never Ending Story 2022

|58| 50 Candles for 50 Masks

50 Candles for 50 Masks
by John Kenneth Cyril Sy

Three nights before the 1st week of November, the small town of Okinawa in Japan hushed into an eerie stillness as 50 candles flickered to life. Intrigued, Kaeda, visiting her grandmother, sought the reason behind this peculiar tradition.

"Let me share with you the haunting tale of the mysterious disappearance of Shoto," her grandmother began...

It was a rainy afternoon, the kind of rain that chills you to the bone. On that fateful day, the town bid farewell to Shoto, the last time she was seen before vanishing. Witnesses spoke of her tears mingling with raindrops, lost to the storm's relentless embrace. Weeks passed, and she was declared missing, leaving the town in unsettling silence.

"Old folks say she was kidnapped by Victor from the forest, and I believed them," her grandmother whispered.

"Who is Victor, grandma?" Kaeda inquired.

"Victor, a guide to a nearby mountain, leads hikers who all meet a grim fate—found dead, their heads skinless, and a finger missing."

"That's awful!" Kaeda gasped.

"The victims all met their end from a head impact caused by a hammer called Gennoh. On the day Shoto disappeared, three men were found dead near Victor's house."

Shoto, known for her kindness despite a tragic teenage life, became the center of suspicion. Her best friend claimed Shoto was seen talking to Victor, heading to the forest a week before her tearful encounter.

"People were scared when a resident said he saw Victor skinning a hiker's body, using the skin as a mask for entertainment."

Shoto was eventually found, bloody and broken, claiming Victor had kidnapped her. The town united against Victor, storming his house only to find him hanging lifeless, adorned in the skins of the hikers.

"Ewww, grandma, I might throw up," Kaeda exclaimed.

"It was disturbing. I couldn't eat meat for a month after that."

"So what happened next?" Kaeda pressed.

"I don't know, Kaeda. The town suspected Shoto, flipping the story. She vanished, her house burned, and those looking after her were found dead without skin on their heads. Shoto's best friend lost her mind, and we're all clueless..."

"WHAT THE?" Kaeda gasped.

"Ssshhh, don't shout."

"It's so creepy, grandma; you even have the same name. How am I supposed to calm down?" Kaeda trembled.

"Haha, don't worry, I'm not her nor like her. I'm here with you," her grandmother assured.

"I'm actually concerned for you, Sobo. You're alone here. I wish grandpa didn't die when my mother was born," Kaeda confessed.

"Don't worry about me, Kaeda. She's not coming back. You should worry about your thin body, you've got beautiful skin. Take care of it."

"Grandma, let's sleep and let me sleep beside you, please. I don't think I want to be alone tonight," Kaeda pleaded.

"Okay, Kaeda."

As they settled into uneasy sleep, her grandmother whispered, "Did I spill too much? If I said too many things, I might have another child in my mask collection."

The End