"The Kappa's Drowned Mirror."
The Kappa's Drowned Mirror (Japanese) - Part One & Two (Approximately 4000 Words)
Koharu was a child of the river, her laughter as bright and clear as the mountain streams that fed the wide, slow-moving waterway near her village. She spent her days exploring its sun-dappled banks, her small hands tracing the smooth stones, her bare feet splashing in the shallows. She knew the river's moods – its gentle murmur on warm afternoons, its powerful surge after heavy rains. She felt a kinship with the life it held, the darting fish, the croaking frogs, the dragonflies that danced above its surface like living jewels. But even in her innocent joy, the whispers of the village elders about the kappa, the mischievous and sometimes malevolent water spirits, lingered at the edges of her awareness, a shadow in her sunlit world.
The kappa were creatures of local legend, said to inhabit the deeper pools and quieter stretches of the rivers and lakes. They were often depicted as humanoid in form, with webbed hands and feet, a turtle-like shell on their backs, and a distinctive dish-like indentation on the top of their heads, which they kept filled with water – their source of power and life. Tales of their trickery abounded: pulling unsuspecting villagers into the water, stealing cucumbers (their supposed favorite food), and engaging in wrestling matches with anyone foolish enough to challenge them. Some stories painted them as merely mischievous pranksters, while others hinted at a darker nature, speaking of drownings and lingering curses associated with their watery domains. The deeper pools, still and dark, were often spoken of with a mixture of fascination and fear, their surfaces reflecting not just the sky and the surrounding trees, but perhaps something more… something from the shadowed depths.
One sweltering summer afternoon, while her older siblings were helping their parents in the rice paddies, Koharu ventured to a secluded bend in the river she had never explored before. The path leading there was overgrown with ferns and wildflowers, and the air hummed with the drowsy buzz of insects. Finally, she emerged into a small clearing, where the river widened into a still, dark pool, its surface as smooth and reflective as polished obsidian. Ancient willow trees with drooping branches surrounded the pool, their long, slender leaves trailing in the water like ghostly fingers. The air here felt cooler, heavier, and an unusual silence hung over the place, a stark contrast to the lively sounds of the river she knew.
Drawn by the pool's unusual stillness and its mirror-like surface, Koharu approached the water's edge. The reflection staring back at her was clear and unwavering, mirroring her curious gaze and the bright ribbon she wore in her hair. As she knelt down to touch the cool water, her reflection rippled, and for a fleeting moment, she saw another image superimposed upon her own – a distorted, greenish face with mischievous, slanted eyes and a beak-like mouth. The image vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving Koharu startled and a little uneasy. She told herself it was just a trick of the light, the sun playing games on the water's surface.
But the pool held an undeniable allure. Its stillness seemed to beckon her closer, promising secrets hidden in its depths. She dipped her hand into the water, and it felt strangely cold, colder than the rest of the river, sending a shiver up her arm. As she gazed into the depths, she could see nothing but her own reflection staring back, the dark water obscuring any hint of what lay beneath.
Then, a ripple disturbed the smooth surface, originating from the center of the pool. As the ripples spread, the reflection of the sky and the surrounding trees became distorted, and a new image began to emerge from the depths. It was the faint, ghostly reflection of another child, a girl with long, dark hair, her face pale and serene, her eyes closed as if in peaceful sleep. But there was a profound stillness about her, an unnatural lack of movement that sent a prickle of fear down Koharu's spine. The image was fleeting, almost translucent, but undeniably present in the mirrored depths.
Koharu gasped, her heart pounding in her chest. She stumbled backward, her innocent mind struggling to comprehend what she had just seen. Could it be another child swimming beneath the surface? But the stillness of the reflection, the way it seemed to emanate from the depths of the dark water, felt wrong, deeply unsettling.
As she stood there, frozen by a mixture of fear and fascination, she noticed something else in the reflection. Just beneath the ghostly image of the sleeping child, she saw a pair of webbed hands, greenish in hue, their long, slender fingers reaching upwards, as if beckoning the child in the reflection. The sight sent a jolt of pure terror through Koharu. The legends of the kappa flashed through her mind – their webbed hands, their connection to the water, their sometimes malevolent intentions.
Suddenly, the reflection of the webbed hands moved, reaching further upwards, their movements disturbingly deliberate. Koharu felt a strange pull, a subtle force emanating from the pool, as if something was trying to draw her closer to its mirrored surface. The ghostly reflection of the sleeping child seemed to grow clearer, its serene face now holding a hint of melancholy, its closed eyes seeming to plead.
Paralyzed by fear, Koharu could only stare into the pool, her own reflection now merging with the ghostly image of the drowned child and the reaching webbed hands. The pull intensified, a stronger force now tugging at her, urging her to step closer, to peer deeper into the watery mirror. The air around the pool grew colder, and the silence deepened, broken only by the frantic pounding of Koharu's own heart.
Then, two more webbed hands emerged from the depths of the reflection, their greenish fingers now clearly visible, their intent undeniably menacing. They reached towards her reflection, and as they did, Koharu felt a cold, clammy touch on her own hands, as if unseen fingers had suddenly grasped hers. A scream caught in her throat as she realized the horrifying truth: the kappa's pool was not just reflecting a child's death; it was a gateway, and its spectral hands were reaching out from the mirrored depths to pull her into the same watery doom. The serene reflection of the drowned child, she now understood with chilling certainty, was a lure, a silent invitation to join her in the cold embrace of the kappa's domain. The pull intensified, and Koharu felt herself being drawn inexorably towards the dark, mirrored surface, the ghostly hands in the water mirroring the unseen grip on her own, pulling her towards the cold, silent depths where the kappa waited.
(Continued in Part Two)
The Kappa's Drowned Mirror (Japanese) - Part Two (Approximately 2000 Words)
The cold, clammy grip on Koharu's hands tightened, an unseen force pulling her inexorably towards the still, dark surface of the kappa's pool. Terror lent her a sudden surge of strength, and she instinctively recoiled, tearing her hands free from the unseen grasp. She stumbled backward, her eyes wide with a primal fear, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The reflection in the pool shimmered, the webbed hands retreating slightly, the ghostly image of the drowned child flickering as if disturbed.
But the pull did not entirely cease. A subtle, persistent force continued to tug at her, a cold energy that seemed to emanate from the depths of the mirrored water, urging her to return to its edge. The image of the drowned child, though now fainter, still held a strange allure, its serene face a silent invitation to a peaceful, watery slumber.
Koharu knew, with a certainty that belied her young age, that this was no ordinary pool. It was a gateway, a place where the veil between the living world and the realm of the kappa was thin, perhaps even torn. The reflection she had seen was not merely an image; it was a window into a tragic past, and the kappa, the guardian of this watery threshold, was seeking to claim another innocent soul.
She wanted to scream, to run back to the safety of her village, but a paralyzing fear held her rooted to the spot. Her gaze was fixed on the pool, on the lingering image of the drowned child and the subtle movements beneath the surface that hinted at the presence of the unseen kappa.
Then, the surface of the pool rippled again, more violently this time. The reflection of the willow trees and the sky distorted, and a new image began to coalesce from the depths. It was the unmistakable form of a kappa – greenish skin glistening in the dim light, a turtle-like shell on its back, and the dish-like indentation on its head clearly visible. Its mischievous, slanted eyes fixed on Koharu, and a wide, unsettling grin stretched across its beak-like mouth, revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth.
The kappa's webbed hands emerged fully from the water, their long, slender fingers beckoning her forward with a chillingly playful gesture. A low, gurgling chuckle echoed across the still pool, a sound that sent shivers down Koharu's spine. The pull intensified, and this time, it felt stronger, more insistent, as if the kappa itself was now actively drawing her towards the water.
Desperation surged through Koharu. She had to break free from the pool's deadly allure. Remembering the village tales, she instinctively bowed her head low, a gesture of respect said to disarm the kappa. For a moment, the kappa in the reflection paused, its mischievous grin faltering slightly. The pulling sensation eased.
Seizing this brief respite, Koharu scrambled backward, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the deadly pool. She didn't dare to turn her back, her eyes fixed on the distorted reflection of the kappa, which now seemed to be regaining its composure, its grin widening once more.
As she backed away, she tripped over a gnarled root, falling heavily to the ground. For a terrifying moment, she lost sight of the pool. When she looked back, the reflection of the kappa was clearer than ever, its webbed hands reaching out through the mirrored surface, its gaze fixed on her with an unnerving intensity.
Then, something even more horrifying happened. The reflection began to…detach from the water's surface. The image of the kappa seemed to shimmer and solidify, its webbed hands extending further, no longer confined by the mirrored plane. Koharu gasped as two cold, clammy hands, identical to those in the reflection, emerged from the pool's surface and reached towards her, their grip tightening around her ankles.
Panic overwhelmed Koharu. The kappa's drowned mirror was no longer just a reflection; it was a gateway, and the creature within was reaching into her world. She screamed, her voice echoing through the silent grove, a desperate cry for help that she knew was unlikely to be heard.
She clawed at the earth, trying to pull herself away from the kappa's icy grip, but its strength was far greater than hers. She was being dragged inexorably towards the pool, the dark, still water now seeming like an open maw, ready to swallow her whole. The reflection of the drowned child seemed to smile serenely from the depths, a silent welcome to the kappa's watery domain.
With a final, desperate surge of adrenaline, Koharu grabbed onto the thick roots of a nearby willow tree, her small hands clinging with all their might. The kappa's grip on her ankles tightened, the unseen force pulling with relentless strength. A tug-of-war ensued, Koharu's small body straining against the supernatural power of the water spirit.
The kappa in the reflection chuckled again, a gurgling, triumphant sound. Its webbed hands pulled harder, and Koharu felt her grip on the roots beginning to slip. The cold water of the pool lapped at her heels, its touch like the icy embrace of death.
Just as she felt her fingers losing their hold, a memory flashed through her mind – a story her grandmother had told her about the kappa's weakness for courtesy. With a final act of desperation, Koharu bowed her head low once more, even as the kappa's hands pulled her closer to the water's edge.
For a moment, everything went still. The pulling stopped. The gurgling chuckle ceased. The kappa in the reflection seemed taken aback by this unexpected gesture of respect. Its grip on Koharu's ankles loosened slightly.
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Koharu yanked her legs free and scrambled backward with all her remaining strength, not stopping until she had burst from the silent grove and was running breathlessly towards the familiar sounds of her village, the terrifying image of the kappa's drowned mirror and its reaching hands forever etched into her memory. The encounter served as a chilling reminder of the hidden dangers that lurked in the seemingly tranquil waters, and the importance of respecting the ancient legends, for in the still depths, the kappa's drowned mirror waited, reflecting not just the surface, but the gateway to a watery doom.