Hachishakusama (Eight Feet Tall) | COMPLETED ✓

| Chapter 5 |

The tapping on the window started up again. I was overcome by fear and crouched down infront of the statue, half-crying and half-praying for the rest of the night. I felt like it would never end, but eventually it was morning. The salt in all four bowls had turned pitch black.

I checked my watch, it was 7:30 AM. I cautiously opened the door. grandma and K-san were waiting outside for me. When she saw my face, Grandma burst into tears and hugged me.

"I'm so glad you're still alive!" she said.

I went downstairs and was surprised to see my mother and father sitting in the kitchen. Grandpa came in and said,"Hurry up! We've got to get going."

We went to the front door and there was a large black van waiting in the driveway. Several men from the village were standing around it, pointing and whispering, "That's the boy."

The van was a 9-seater and they put me in the middle, surrounded by eight men. K-san was in the driver's seat.

The man on my left, looked down at me and said,"You've got yourself in quite a spot of trouble. I know you're probably worried. Just keep your head down and your eyes shut. We can't see it, but you can. Don't open your eyes until we've got you out of here."

Grandpa drove in the front and my dad's car followed behind. When everyone was ready, our little convoy started moving. We were going fairly slow.... about 20 km/hr or maybe less. After a while, K-san said,"This is where it gets hard," and started muttering a prayer under her breath.

That's when i heard the voice.

"Po...Po...Po...Po...Po...Po...Po..."

I clutched the parchment K-san gave me tightly in my hand. I kept my head down, but i took a peak outside. I saw a white dress fluttering in the breeze. It was  moving along with the van. It was Hachishakusama. She was outside the window, but she was keeping pace with us.

Then, suddenly she bent down and peered into the van.

"NO!" I gasped.

The man beside me shouted,"CLOSE YOUR EYES!"

I immediately shut my eyes as hard as i could and tightened my grip on the piece of parchment. Then, the tapping began.

Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap.

The voice became louder.

"Po...Po...Po...Po...Po...Po...Po..."

There was tapping on the windows all around us. All of the men inside the van were startled and on edge. They couldn't see or hear Eight feet tall, but they could hear her tapping on the windows. K-san started praying louder and louder until she was almost shouting. The tension inside the van was unbearable.

After a while, the tapping stopped and the voice disappeared.

K-san looked back at us and said,"I think we're safe now."

All of the men around me breathed a sigh of relief. The van pulled over to the side of the road and the men got out. They transferred me to my dad's car. My mother held me close, tears ran down her cheeks.

Grandpa and my dad bowed to the men and they went on their way. K-san came to the window and asked me to show her the piece of parchment she had given me. When i opened my hand, I saw that the parchment had gone completely black.

"I think you'll be OK now," she said."But just to be sure, hold onto this for a while." She handed me a new piece of parchment.

After that, we drove straight to the airport and grandpa saw us safely get on the plane. When we took off, my parents breathed a sigh of relief. My dad said he had heard about "Eight feet tall" before. Years ago, his friend had been liked by her. The boy disappeared and was never seen again.