Hikone-shi,
Shiga
"I saw the ghost of a woman when we entered the house, wasn't that Yui?" I said.
"A woman?" Naomasa looked at me dan Yui, as did the others. Yui only nodded.
"Yes, " I said, "I saw a woman standing in front of one of the statues when we entered this house,"
"I see," Ayako murmured, "When I first entered the house, I felt something was wrong. I smelled blood,"
"The smell of blood?" Naomasa folded his hands, "Like when we handle the case of the Takano family, right? There is a smell of blood when they enter the house,"
"Does that mean, there's a massacre here?" Rui asked, "But, Nakagawa-san said nothing,"
"Please be aware, everyone," Naomasa looks worried too, "All right. Let's get to work," he took the paper on the table and began to give the assignment, "We don't have a blueprint for this house, so we have to make one. Sakuya and Rui check the rooms on the 1-3 floor. Then, Kiyoharu and Yui checked floors 4-7, " he explained.
Ayako suddenly chuckled. We then looked at her confusedly. Ayako was seen staring at Naomasa who was glaring at her. What are they doing?
Naomasa sighed, "Make sure to measure all the rooms and put the camera in a room with a low temperature. All the corridors must set on cameras. Also rooms with fireplaces and the music rooms," he explained.
"Understand, " we nodded and answered right away.
"I will look for information about this house from outside with Ayako, " he said, "Don't forget to use communication devices. Remember. We have to go back to the base before it's dark. We still don't know what is wrong with this house," Naomasa-san looked at us seriously.
We all then started working.
Even though it's still daytime, this house still looks dark. Only small lights that illuminate each corridor.
Yui and I climbed the stairs to the 4th floor. When we reached the end of the stairs, we saw a long corridor on the 4th floor. A small living room and fireplace were there. Right next to the fireplace there is a stair leading to the next floor.
I started to set up the camera. The camera was directed towards a living room and a long corridor.
"Kiyoharu-kun, why do you think paranormal cases are always related to haunted houses?" Yui put the infrared thermometer on a small table near the fireplace to measure the temperature of the room, "You see, I mean, why do they always haunt the house? There are those in school or hospitals, but houses are always the most popular,"
I thought it for a moment, "Hmm...the ghost that haunting the house usually a wandering spirit," I still focused to set the camera, "Such spirits, usually are spirits who don't realize that they have died," I said.
Yui took the thermometer back, then note the temperature, "Wandering spirit?" Yui asked.
I nodded, "For wandering spirits, since they don't know they died, commuting from home to school or vice versa is they routines every day when they still alive," I said, "The spirits that didn't realize that they had died, would usually return home. In some cases, the house might not belong to them anymore, because of that they began to haunt the people who lived there,"
"Ah, to drive them out," Yui said looked at me, "But why?"
"Not like that, sometimes it's just a prank, like a poltergeist, " I smiled, "But, spirits are very easy in absorbing spiritual energy. Maybe they start to see the bad things done by peoples who live in the house, such bitter feeling and the regret from the past life to make them put a curse on the people's around them, " I explained.
"It that so," Yui nodded my head, "Even there are spirits that haunted a place that doesn't have anything to do with them?" she asked.
"The empty or abandoned place always feels cold and dark. Such places usually attract spirits. They don't like being in a crowd because it's warm or bright," I took back the rest of the equipment and walked towards the corridor, "We have to check all the rooms on this floor,"
"Kiyoharu-kun really professional," Yui smiled.
I looked at her for a moment, "Yui-chan, what do you think about Sakuya?" I asked.
She looked at me confused, but she then smiled, "Sakuya-kun is a nice person. Even though he doesn't talk much, he always helps everyone. Why do you ask?"
I became embarrassed, "Oh, nothing," and tried to change the subject, "Wow, there are lots of doors," I stared at the doors.
I don't know how many doors there are in this corridor, " Should we start from the first door on the right side?" I said while opened the door, then turned on the light, "Oh the light is on. But, the room is empty," I said.
There is nothing, only curtains that are still closed. I went to open the curtain and was surprised to see that it was not a window, but another door.
"A door?" I said confused, then opened the door when we arrived at another room. Yui only following me from behind,
There are two pieces of curtains in the next room. I opened one of the curtains, it was a window that led to the side yard.
Yui opened the other curtain, "This door to go to another room," she said.
We continue to follow the doors to another door. Every door appears to be connected to empty rooms with unclear functions. Why make a never-ending room like this? Who knows where the door leads us.
"Stairs?" I'm surprised. We arrived at a room with stairs that went up on the right side and stairs that led down to the left, "How many rooms have we passed since the first room?"
"10 rooms. There are no doors in this room, only stairs." Yui drew a rough sketch of each room we passed.
" Just one room connected to another 10 rooms?" I asked, still surprised, "Let's try to go down," we headed to the stairs on the left side, "I don't know where we're going anymore," I sighed.
We went down and arrived at an empty room. There is nothing there. There is a door on the right side. We then headed to the door and opened it. The next room was also empty with another door.
Suddenly the other door opened. We flinched when Sakuya and Rui suddenly entered the room.
"Oh, Yui and Kiyo-chan," Rui asked in confusion, "Aren't you working on the 4th floor?"
I nodded, "This room is connected to the 4th floor. There is a stair in one of the rooms on the 4th floor which is connected here," I explained.
Sakuya looks worried, "It's strange. The stair on the second floor and not connected to the third floor. There another floor between them. When we check the floor, there are other stairs, but it leads us to the space between the first floor and second floor, " he said while looking at the sketch he made, "I don't know where we are anymore, "
"We just investigate one room but it leads us to another 10 room, " I took a deep breath, "This house is absolutely not normal,"
"Why make a room with doors that connected one to another," Rui leaned on the wall, "You can't stay in a room like that. Who knows who will open the doors,"
"Maybe this house isn't to live in?" I murmured, "You know, this house is more like Winchester house?"
"Oh, a haunted house with lots of weird rooms?" Rui said, "Is this house imitates the Winchester house? Because there are lots of rooms like labyrinths?"
"Nakagawa-san said, that the Mistress of this house like western style house, right? " Yui nodded, "But, why Winchester house?"
"The Winchester house that is claimed to be haunted," I said, "The owner Sarah Winchester issued many bizarre demands to her builders, including the building of trap doors, secret passages, a skylight in the floor, spider web windows, and staircases that led to nowhere," I took a deep breath, "There are also doors that open to blank walls, and a dangerous door on the second floor that opens out into nothing, "
"Ehh?" Rui surprised, "Does she want to play hide and seek with the ghosts?"
I lifted my shoulders, "She will die if she stopped the construction. Sarah Winchester is psychic herself, it's said that each night, she visited the Séance Room to speak with the spirits, who weighed in on plans for the house's unusual design, " I looked at them seriously, like a someone who tells a ghost story.
"It's just folklore, " Sakuya suddenly said, "Nobody knows for sure why Sarah Winchester built the house. The story tells, overcome with grief in the wake of her husband's death, folklore states that Sarah sought out a spiritualist who could commune with the dead and she was a given a chilling warning, " Sakuya said it while looking at the paper in his hand.
"Warning from her husband?" Rui asked, " So, her husband became a spirit that haunted her wife house?"
Sakuya looked at Rui, "Who knows? Through the medium, the husband warned that vengeful ghosts would seek her out. In order to protect herself, the husband said that Sarah must build a home for herself and for the spirits,"
"Building a house for spirits?" Yui looked concerned, "Why the vengeful ghost seek her out?"
Sakuya nodded, "Sarah Winchester is the wife of gun magnate William Winchester, whose family created the Winchester rifle. She believed a result of the blood money the family had made off of the Winchester rifles, the ghosts of those killed with Winchester rifles will seek her out, " Sakuya explained.
"The medium warned Sarah, the construction on the house could never stop, " I said, "If she continues building, she will live. Stop and she will die."
"The house is the most popular haunted house," Rui sighed.
"No. There are no ghosts there," Sakuya said, "No one has seen a ghost there, the Winchester house only a myth,"
We all chuckled. Rui looks upset, "Why don't you just take it easy?"
"Let's go back to work before Naomasa-kun scolds us," I patted Rui's shoulder.
Yui and I then went back through the room we were passing and arrived at the room with the stairs once again. We walked towards the stairs leading up. We then arrived at a room filled with books.
"A library? In a place like this?" I pay attention to the whole room. The room was small, but there were several large bookshelves filled with old books and a small table and chairs in the middle of the room. Another door is on the left side of the stairs we passed.
Yui started to walk around, "Let's check out this room,"
Why make a library in a place like this. Secret library, maybe? I saw a number of books and all of the books, were books about health and disease. Medical science. Traditional medicine.
"The owner of this house is an architect, right?" I'm confused, "Why there are so many medical books here?
"It looks like this room is his wife research room," Yui took a book, "Look. I found an interesting book," Yui showed a small book with a dark brown cover that looked worn.
I get closer to Yui to see the book, "The secret of eternal beauty?" I was a bit confused.
"This was written by Hanasaki Miyabi," Yui points out the books, "This is a diary,"
"Who is Hanasaki Miyabi?" I mumbled, "The wife?"
"Let's just take this. Maybe it will be a clue," Yui said while putting the book inside her bag, "Let's go to the next room,"
I nodded and followed Yui when she opened the next door. The next room is the hall. There is a small stage in it.
"Theater room?" I looked around, "Yui-chan, check out the temperature," I then headed for the door on the left side of the stage when all over my body suddenly shivering.
Yui nodded, "Understand,"
I stopped for a moment and turned to the stage. My eyes are wide open. A group of girls stood there. A teenage girl in white clothes. My heart beat fast and my whole body feels heavy.
I heard Yui's voice, screaming loudly. But, my body can't move. She must have seen the same thing. What should I do?
The girls line up like a singing group. Their faces looked pale. White. With solid black eyes. They looked down, blood flowed from their heads. A lot of blood, covering their clothes. The blood flowing through the stage stairs. My body trembles.
I tried to calm myself down. I can't move, but my mind is still clear. I closed my eyes and began to recite sutras in my head. At first, I just read it in my mind, then slowly my lips moving. My body began to feel light. I started to be able to move my hand. The more the sutras I recited, my body became lighter. When I finished reciting the sutras, I opened my eyes and saw Yui lying on the floor.
"Yui!" I immediately ran to her. I lifted her body slowly and tried to wake her up, "Yui!!" I laid her body back on the floor slowly and began to recite a sutras while puts my hands on her forehead.
Suddenly Yui flinched and opened her eyes. She turned slowly and saw me standing beside her. Her breath is still panting. Cold sweats filled her face.
"You see something again?" I looked at her anxiously, "Are you okay?"
Yui nodded her head, "On the stage. A group of girls stood up. Dressed in white. They were dead, covered in blood," her voice sounded stiff and trembling.
I looked at the stage and there was nothing there. Empty. No one there. Even though we just saw a group of bloodstained girls. What kind of vision is that? I took a deep breath.
"I have seen a lot since coming here," Yui said, "Kiyoharu-kun, why are there kids here?" she looks scared.
I helped Yui to stand up, "That's what we want to know," I looked at the clock in my hand, "Let's go back. We will continue this investigation tomorrow,"
Yui nodded and followed me out of the room. I looked at the stage once more.
What's this uneasy feeling?