#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 25
#Wss366 Swear #MastoPrompt Slam

As we hiked to Mikaeri Zaka, I began wondering if this was a good idea. I’d never done a test of courage before, but I wanted to do one before leaving Japan. Now I was scared. The trail was gloomy in the evening light, and once off the main path, the brush seemed to reach out to grab me.

I also remembered why I didn’t like Sis’s friend, Mori-san.

“They say there’s a woman with her head on backwards here,” Mori-san said, trying to sound spooky. “And there's an old man. If he calls your name, don’t turn around or he’ll cut your head off!”

I clutched my blankets tightly to my chest and grabbed my sister’s hand. “What if it’s true?” I thought.

“I #swear, you’re such a baby, Sumi-chan,” my sister said. “Those are just stories made up because it’s called ‘Mikaeri Zaka’ (Look Back Ridge). If people found headless bodies up here, it would be on TV.”

“Wow!” I thought. “High school kids are so smart.”

“Here we are,” Sis announced. “We can camp behind those bushes. If anyone comes, they won’t see us there.” She pointed to a thicket just beyond a ginkgo grove where the tread almost petered out.

Having company seemed unlikely to me. The branch trail we had followed was barely more than an overgrown animal track. More than once, we’d scrambled over or around fallen trees.

The image of an oni or tengu using the path came to me unbidden. This was just the kind of place where tengu would love to hide.

One thought led to another, and before long, I found myself worrying whether I was still small enough for a tengu to carry me away or leave me stranded in a treetop.

The “shrine” itself was in the ginkgo trees. In their shade were the rotting remains of a shrine box. At least, I assumed that’s what it was. A single board protruding from the loam was all that remained. There certainly wasn’t a bell or any offerings.

However, there was a weed-choked spring nearby, so I rinsed my mouth and hands in the water. I was a good girl and knew what to do when visiting a shrine.

The ginkgo grove was cool and made my skin tingle oddly when I entered. I faced the board, clapped, and sprinkled the rice I’d brought on the ground in front of it.

Behind me, Mori-san snickered. “It’s just some old, abandoned kami. No one cares about it.”

I ignored her. Even a forgotten deity deserved respect. That’s what I thought.

“You should wish for a husband as dumb as you are,” Mori-san continued, #slamming me again.

I placed my mom's money on the board and picked up a golden ginkgo leaf that caught my eye. It would be my charm. I clapped again and bowed.

“Maybe when I grow up, I’ll be your miko and dance for you,” I whispered and then joined the others in our little camp.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri