Free The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui Page B

ghost?”
    “No, nothing like that.”
    “What then?”
    “Something scary.”
    “Is it a person?”
    “Yeah.”
    “A spirit of some kind?”
    “No, not a spirit. It’s a woman.”
    “Why would a woman scare you?”
    “Because her hair is all messy and her face is pale and scary.”
    “It must be a spirit of some kind then.”
    “It’s not.”
    “Well how do you know it’s not a spirit?”
    “I don’t know how I know! I just know that it isn’t.”
    “And this woman is in the hallway?”
    “No, she’s inside the bathroom. When I open the bathroom door, she’s always standing there with a pair of scissors in her hand.”
    Yoshio looked genuinely terrified as he explained this to Masako.
    “Why does she have a pair of scissors on her?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Now Masako was starting to feel a bit scared, too. She imagined this woman with crazy hair and a pale face, with the eyes of a fox and with a pair of scissors in her hand. Surely there was no way Yoshio could have imagined all that by himself. Somebody else must have told him to try and scare him.
    “Who told you such a scary story?” Masako asked.
    “Nobody,” said Yoshio, shaking his head.
    “So you made it up yourself?”
    “I’m not making it up! She’s really there!” Yoshio shouted, with tears welling up in his eyes.
    Masako wondered if her mother or father might have told Yoshio such a story. First, she checked with her mother, but she knew nothing about it. Then, when Masako’s father came home from work, she asked him too.
    “Why would I tell him such a silly story?” said her father, visibly upset.
    That night, Masako woke up in the middle of the night with an idea. She got out of bed and went over to Yoshio.
    “Wake up, Yoshio!” she whispered. “It’s time to go to the bathroom. If you don’t go now, you’ll wet the bed again. Come on! I’ll go with you!”
    “No way,” said Yoshio, his eyes peeping out from under the covers, “I’m scared.”
    “But there’s no need to be,” said Masako, reassuringly. “I’m telling you, there’s nobody in there.”
    “Oh yes there will be,” said Yoshio. “She’ll be there.”
    If you don’t go, you’ll wet the bed again. Come on, we have to go.”
    The two of them got up and started walking down the long hallway towards the toilet. Masako was sure she could see Yoshio trembling.
    “Yoshio, you really are a coward aren’t you? Stop shaking!” said Masako, laughing. But, inside, Masako was a little scared as well. What if there really was someone in the bathroom? What if there was someone wearing a Prajna mask? If there was, she would surely scream!
    As they carried on down the hallway with its squeaky floorboards underfoot, Yoshio held Masako’s hand tight. His palm was now sweating and his body was trembling. When they finally reached the bathroom door, Yoshio squatted down on the floor and said, “I can’t do it. I’m scared!”
    “It’s all right.” Masako reassured him, but her voice was quivering slightly too. So without saying another word, she gripped Yoshio’s hand tightly and slowly opened the bathroom door.
    “You see?” said Masako. “There’s no one here.”
    “That’s because you’re here,” said Yoshio. “If I was alone, then she’d be here.”
    Masako wondered what she could do. How could she possibly convince her little brother that the woman in the bathroom didn’t exist? She couldn’t even convince herself that the stupid Prajna mask wasn’t scary! Perhaps she needed to find out the reason behind both of their fears. Perhaps then they would be able to overcome them.
    The following Sunday, on the way home from the movies, Masako decided to ask Bunichi for advice.
    “Okay,” said Bunichi, laughing, “so we’ve got a brother and sister and both of them are cowards.”
    Noticing that he was the only one laughing, Bunichi cleared his throat and spoke in a more serious voice.
    “Actually,” he continued, “my uncle is a