Sakuya Stood In The Road

Light streamed in through an array of narrow windows high up the walls. Long thick blankets hung in tatters down over the dark stone and above her massive ceiling beams spanned the vast dimensions of the chamber. From the high beams hung rows of ornate metal racks to hold dozens of candles – their once elegant luster long gone. As Sakuya crept deeper into the immense chamber, the silent and once-regal room surrounded her, filling her senses like never before. It truly was a place where no earthly good would dwell.

Standing in what she knew was the heart of the castle, she could see a grand passageway to her left that surely led to the heavy doors she first tried. On the other side of the room, broad stairs arched upwards to a dark and mysterious upper level that reached out of sight. Everything was old and blanketed by a thick layer of dust, the colors long faded into gray.

Despite the age and neglect, the grandness of it all was like nothing the old stories ever mentioned. Sakuya saw another set of steps to her left, leading down into the blackness of a lower level, perhaps a dungeon.

Sakuya turned from the dark, haunting dungeon steps that undoubtedly led to youkai, to further scan the enormous room and saw the raised dais where two thrones stood – and her heart skipped a beat. The thrones were not empty, not both of them – a ghost sat upon the larger of the two. Her heart beat faster as Sakuya stared, trying to comprehend what her eyes saw in the shadowy light. It appeared to be a gray corpse of a girl in a once-regal dress – long dead.

As she intensely contemplated the corpse, it suddenly moved – eyes snapped open and two yellow orbs filled Sakuya’s mind with certain knowledge she was about to die. Sakuya gasped in terror, stepping back involuntarily from the dreadful sight.

“Intruder!” the horrific voice assailed in a high piercing scream.

Sakuya jerked at the howl and reflexively stepped further from the monster on the throne.

“Leave, now!” the angry creature shouted with the voice of a girl.

Sakuya came to a grinding, painful stop, frozen with fright, knowing her end had come, only able to shake, watching with dread as the gray, ghostly creature stood in anger, its deadly eyes locked onto her.

The youkai gracefully walked towards her, down the two dais steps and loudly repeated the demand, “Go! Now!”

As the monster approached, Sakuya could see it was indeed a girl, or had once been one, much smaller than herself. Anger was on the dead face and in the yellow demon-ish eyes.

Again the beast screamed at her, “GO!”

But Sakuya could only shake as she fell to knees, her uncooperative legs stiffly refusing to flee. The creature walked faster towards her, opening its mouth, bright white fangs glistened in the dim light, sharply contrasting with the gray.

Sakuya’s heart was pounding hard as she fought her rebelling muscles, struggling to lift her hands up to her own neck, pulling the neckline of her dress down to expose her flesh. She forced her head to face away from the approaching fangs, closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and, shaking uncontrollably, waited for the impact, the tearing of her flesh and the merciful end.