A Collection of Short Stories

My Daughter is a Rokurokubi

(Written: 3-1-22)

The tale of the rokurokubi is a tale many Japanese families tell to their children. The story is meant to scare children into coming home on time or before it gets dark and to prevent them from wandering around in the early hours of the morning.

The rokurokubi is a female-presenting creature that appears normal during the day, but at night, it becomes a thing of nightmares. Their necks stretch, not to a specific length, just any length the creature pleases. They travel the streets, or even their own house, with their heads, leaving the body behind, for some unfortunate soul to discover.

The interesting thing about these creatures is that some of them don't even know what they are. Some believe they are normal women and whenever their necks stretch at night, they believe it to be a nightmare or sleep paralysis. Others know exactly what they are and use it to their advantage.

They usually only show themselves to drunk people who are too confused to understand what they see. The self-aware rokurokubi's are mischievous, loving to play pranks on anyone or anything. Some of the more heartless ones like to scare small animals. How cruel can you be, right?

Despite their horrifying appearance and occasional pranks, they pose no harm to humans, unless they want to cause harm. They eat insects and things like that, along with the normal food consumed in their human form. But, during the night they like to knock over oil lamps and drink the oil from them.

How does one become a rokurokubi? It is said that unfaithful wives are punished with the curse of becoming one. Some men who have committed bad deeds can give their sentence away to women, who will then become a rokurokubi, unfair, I know. Women who are rokurokubi's can pass it down to their daughters, as well. A genetic thing.

A lot of rokurokubi's will wear turtle necks and scarves during the day? Why, you may ask. Well, the stretching of their neck during the night causes long, red, stretch marks. Due to many Japanese people knowing this tale, they have to keep their necks hidden.

I knew the tale of the rokurokubi by heart. It terrified me ever since my parents told me when I was at the young age of 4. I knew everything there was to know about these creatures. So, why was it so hard for me to connect the dots? Despite all the evidence, my brain was still never able to conclude that my daughter, was in fact, a rokurokubi. Until one night.

I sat up in my bed when I was awoken by something knocking over. I looked over at my husband, who was still sound asleep. I rubbed my eyes and stepped into my slippers, ready to investigate the strange noise. I wish I had stayed in bed.

As I walked through the house, my slippers padded along the wood, and a strange feeling arose in my stomach. I ignored it. I furrowed my eyebrows at the sight of my daughter's door, wide open. I didn't see it at first, it was too dark.

But as I got closer and looked into the room I saw it. My daughter's body, minus her head was lying on the floor. I let out a gasp, ready to call for my husband to tell him our daughter was dead. Until I saw the neck. It was stretched.

I followed the trail and as I turned to follow it down the steps-

"Mama?" Its face, two inches away from mine. The face of my daughter, her mouth dripping with oil. I recognized her, but she seemed almost foreign to me. "You weren't supposed to find out."