Intro
There was definitely a stick poking me in the ribs. I rolled over slightly, only to feel another jab into my thigh.
That’s not right. I blinked slowly, wincing at the bright light in the lush green forest around me.
This is definitely not right. Sitting up quickly, I tried to make sense of my surroundings. Where am I?
Hurriedly getting to my feet, I glanced around, looking for any evidence of a path that could have led me here, but I was completely surrounded by dense foliage.
How did I even get here? I tried to remember what had happened last. Memories of high school and my part-time job at the convenience store sluggishly mingled in my head, but I couldn’t figure out what had happened hours ago and what months ago.
“My phone!” I slid the slim flip phone out of my pocket. “No service?!” And only 20% battery life. I’m going to die out here if I don’t get moving.
I glanced up at the sky, trying to figure out which way was north. Would that even help?
“Shouganai,” I muttered and picked a direction.
*
Despite walking for at least two hours, my phone never gained reception. I had tried looking back in my messages to figure out what the date was, but there was nothing there. No contacts, to texts, nothing.
But the ground is sloping up. If I can make it to the top of this hill, maybe I will be able to see something I recognize. Just as I passed another tree, I saw it.
A large stone torii arched over a pathway up the right side of the hill.
Yes! I jogged over quickly, trying to ignore the ache in my legs.
As I passed under the torii, the air around me seemed to crackle.
“What?” I took a hesitant step farther, pausing from the sheer foreboding.
A deep rumbling rolled through the forest, seeming to come from everywhere at once.
Adrenaline surged through my veins as I took two steps at a time, praying fervently for the safety of the shrine.
As I crested the hill, the massive building at the top came into view. It looked far more like a palace than a shrine. Each section of the roof was dark and curved. The structure was much wider than it was tall. There are still places like this in Japan? In the middle of a forest?
I walked toward it cautiously, but there was no one else in the clearing.
“Hello?”
The growling only grew louder with every step I took toward the mini-palace. Only this time, it seemed to be coming from my right.
Only a few meters in front of me was a massive lurking wolf with brown fur and a white underbelly.
“No, this is a dream.” I shook my head, stumbling back. “There are no wolves in Japan.”
The animal lunged for me, snapping its menacing teeth. I darted to the side, grabbing a large branch that vaguely resembled my shinai for kendo. I gripped the rough wood tightly, circling around the predator.
“You’re not welcome here!” The voice seemed to come from the wolf.
I’m going mad. I realized with sudden horror. There must be someone else around here who said it.
“Hello? I mean no harm, I just need to know how to get back home!” I let my eyes drift only slightly away from the wolf, but there was no one else in sight.
“You tread on holy, protected land.”
Yeah, nope, the voice was definitely coming from the wolf.
If I can just get to the shrine or palace or whatever it is, there has to be a human around here that maintains the grounds.
“Now you shall pay!” The wolf charged, and I swung my makeshift shinai, managing a good hit on the wolf’s delicate face before taking off and charging toward the building.
Vicious snarls echoed behind me as I darted past the komainu and onto the terrace that wrapped around the old-fashioned structure. Skidding along the wooden planks, I rounded the corner, swinging the stick haphazardly behind me.
I searched one last time for an escape route. I can’t outrun it.
In front of me, the terrace turned at a sharp corner as it followed the building stretching out to the left into the forest. In a small gap between the railings sat a man.
“Help!” I gasped out as loudly as I could before the hulking brown wolf caught up to me and knocked me to the ground. I swung the stick at it, trying to shove its mass off of me.
“Noroshi!” the man’s voice was absolute as it rang through the trees and shrine grounds. Instantly, the wolf froze, teeth far too close to my throat. “Back down.”
The wolf whined but complied, backing up from me slowly.
“Are you alright?” His voice was soft as he approached, offering me a hand. I took it and stood slowly, gazing at the man in front of me.
He was wearing a traditional kuro mon-tsuki, and the skin that I could see was a pristine pale color. His eyes were dark, and his cheekbones were sharp, giving him an allusive aristocratic air.
A shocked giggle escaped my lips when I saw his hair.
He tilted his head curiously. “Is something wrong?”
“Besides sumo wrestlers, I didn’t think anyone had worn chonmage since Tokugawa Ieyasu died in the 1600s.”
The man’s eyes tightened. “Milord Tokugawa is dead?”
Oh this is very bad.