The Secret of Iidamachi Pond
The second
storyteller cleared his throat and took center stage.
"Even though
the last story was rather entertaining, it is nothing
compared to what I have to offer. I have a story that is much scarier.
"There once
was a woman who lived in the district of Kojimachi.
Her name was O Kome, and she was married to a hatomoto, a vassal of the
Shogun, named Hayashi. The couple had been happily married for five
years, until one day O Kome went to her brother, Yehara, and said that
she wanted a divorce from her husband.
"'Divorce?'
said Yehara. 'Why would you want a divorce? You have
always said that you were happy with your husband, and you have a
daughter with him. To get a divorce would displease our ancestors.'
"'My dear
brother, I cannot stand it any longer! Everything was
perfectly fine until twelve days ago! Then something terrible
happened..'
"'What could
be so terrible that it could threaten your marriage?'
"'Well, I
was sitting outside our house, talking to my daughter.
It was dark out, and the moon had just risen over the lake. The wind
ran through the trees, and the
leaves rustled gently, like they were
waiting for something. Then she appeared. A white figure walking on the
lilies of the pond! She was dripping wet and clothed in a white
garment. Her black hair hung over her face and seemed so long that it
ran into the water. She slowly came toward us...
"'Then, to
my horror, my daughter cried out: 'Here comes O Sumi,
mother! Do you see her? She's coming to say hello.' I grabbed my
daughter and screamed for my husband. When Hayashi rushed out,
he claimed that he saw nothing and took my daughter and me into
the
house and locked the doors.'
"'Perhaps
you saw the strange monster that lives in the pond. I've
heard legends of it that go back for a hundred years,' said Yehara.
"'It would
seem so,' continued O Kome. 'But the next night, after
I had gone to sleep, my daughter woke me with the frightening words:
'Mother! O Sumi is here! O Sumi has come to visit me so that we
can
play. You must see her!' I did see her. She stood at the edge of my
bed, dripping wet. Her pale skin and matted hair seemed to glow. She
extended an arm toward me, her hand hanging lifeless at the end. Then
she disappeared.
"'She has
been coming to the house every night since! I have tried
to tell my husband about it, but he does not believe me. He is distant,
and mocking. He thinks that I need to visit a doctor.'
"'A divorce
is not the answer, my sister. There must be something else to the
mystery of this pond,' said Yehara.
"For the
next few days, Yehara made inquiries around the town
about the ghost. He was frightened for his sister's sanity, as well as
for her marriage. After nearly a week of searching, Yehara concluded
that the answers had to lie within the pond itself. The ghost was
always wet when she
appeared, so the only possible response to this investigation was to
dry up the lake and see what
secrets it held.
"Yet, when
Yehara went to drain the pond, he was met by Hayashi's grandmother.
"'Wait,
Yehara! There is no need to drain the pond. I know why the
ghost appears. Her blood is on my hands, and I have been hiding it from
my ancestors for years. She has returned to haunt me.'
"'What are
you talking about?' Yehara asked. 'What do you have to do with this?'
"'When my
husband was alive, we had a beautiful young servant girl
named Sumi. My husband was in love with her, and I became jealous.
One
day, while my husband was gone I took Sumi to the
pond and gave her a
severe beating. During the struggle she fell into the water. I was so
angry that I waded in after her and held her head under the water until
she stopped struggling. My husband found her dead when he returned, but
since she was a servant, the police barely spent any time
questioning
about her death. She was buried, and the matter was forgotten.'
"'How could
you do such a horrible thing?' said Yehara. 'Your ancestors have sent
Sumi back to punish you for your crime!'
"The old
woman bowed her head. 'Yes, I know. I will make a
pilgrimage to Sumi's grave, and pray for her spirit until it passes
into the other world.'
"Shortly
after Hayashi's grandmother disappeared on her quest, Sumi's ghost
ceased to haunt O Kome and her family. O Kome immediately stopped
talking about divorcing her husband
"Hayashi's
grandmother, however, never returned."
Sadako:
"Such a wonderful story and one of my favorites of the
bunch! Sumi took her revenge as any yurei would, and I am so proud to
see such a ruthless nature in one so young. Sumi is the type of ghost
that one should strive to become! My own story even seems minor
compared to hers! I would suppose that she took the grandmother's life
to avenge her own death.
"The
next story is another one of my favorites..."
Author's Note: The biggest change between this story and the original one was the ending. Originally, Hayashi's grandmother had left Sumi in the pond after he beat her, thinking that she would be able to live. Sumi, however, became tangled in the weeds and drowned accidentally. I had the grandmother kill Sumi out of pure jealousy, mostly to give Sumi a stronger vendetta against her killer. I also had the grandmother go on a pilgrimage to pray at Sumi's grave, and implied that Sumi killed the grandmother. Neither of these things took place in the original story, but I thought that it added to ghost's character. I also made Sumi's ghost a little bit scarier, and further developed the relationship between Sumi and O Kome's daughter. The ghost actually spoke in the story, but I thought it would add to the suspense more if she didn't speak at all. I also tried to imply in my retelling that Hayashi knew something about Sumi's ghost, rather than being clueless, as he was in the original. I think that added more to his character as well. I also added in the fact that the ancestors sent Sumi back to haunt her killer. The story implied that the ghost returned on its own because it was not honored, but I turned it into more of a quest for revenge.
"The Secret of Iidmachi Pond" By Richard Gordon Smith, from Ancient Tales Folk-lore of Japan (1918). Websource: Sacred Texts.
"Japanese Pond in Monet's Garden" Websource: Picasa
"Water Lilies" Websource: Garden-fountains.com
"The Nurse Otsuji Praying to the God Kompira" Websource: Livejournal
Author's Note: The biggest change between this story and the original one was the ending. Originally, Hayashi's grandmother had left Sumi in the pond after he beat her, thinking that she would be able to live. Sumi, however, became tangled in the weeds and drowned accidentally. I had the grandmother kill Sumi out of pure jealousy, mostly to give Sumi a stronger vendetta against her killer. I also had the grandmother go on a pilgrimage to pray at Sumi's grave, and implied that Sumi killed the grandmother. Neither of these things took place in the original story, but I thought that it added to ghost's character. I also made Sumi's ghost a little bit scarier, and further developed the relationship between Sumi and O Kome's daughter. The ghost actually spoke in the story, but I thought it would add to the suspense more if she didn't speak at all. I also tried to imply in my retelling that Hayashi knew something about Sumi's ghost, rather than being clueless, as he was in the original. I think that added more to his character as well. I also added in the fact that the ancestors sent Sumi back to haunt her killer. The story implied that the ghost returned on its own because it was not honored, but I turned it into more of a quest for revenge.
"The Secret of Iidmachi Pond" By Richard Gordon Smith, from Ancient Tales Folk-lore of Japan (1918). Websource: Sacred Texts.
"Japanese Pond in Monet's Garden" Websource: Picasa
"Water Lilies" Websource: Garden-fountains.com
"The Nurse Otsuji Praying to the God Kompira" Websource: Livejournal