I walked along the dark damp cave, no sound besides the quick beat of my heart. I hurried through to the end of the cave, a broken down shrine lay at the end. I fell to my knees tears rolling down my cheeks, my raven hair matted and in a mess. "Please oh please, goddess of death, bring back to me that was precious!" my voice was sad, desperate, and hoarse. "I will offer anything to you my dear goddess! Anything you desire!" i lay there in the dark, no answer. Was i wrong? Did the gods of the old not exist? Or did they forsake me for faltering in their belief? As i closed my eyes a loud cackle filled the room. My head shot up as a ghastly figure of a woman slowly crawled out of the wall, her body twitching in random places. "My dear child, don't cry... yes tell mother what it is you want." the deity spoke. "I-i want the one i love back, he was taken from me." i stuttered. As the creature walked closer i could see she once was beautiful, but now only a decrepit corpse remained. "I will grant you this wish, but in return you must give me one thing i desire most!" she shrieked. "I must have freedom! Let me have your body and your lover will be return to the living!". I took a moment to think. "And what of me?" i asked her, fear slowly seeping in. "you and i will be one." she hissed getting closer. I sat there, thinking. If i accepted this he would be free, but i would never be with him again. As time passed i realized the sun was rising. I had to choose now. "Oh great goddess Izanami, i grant you my body in the return of my beloved paper crane!" the goddess smiled as she dispelled into smoke and quickly filled my lungs, my body, my very being. Fly free my paper crane, and i will long for the day we will meet once again. Everything went black and I was no more.
END
