Japanese ghost stories

The Doll's Funeral : Part 2

   That night, Katsuo's younger sister, Mika, kept looking for their father. She was so tired and finally fell into a slumber. When Mika was sleeping, she had to hug her dirty doll, Lala. One month later, Katsuo's mother fainted in the bedroom. After checking her at the hospital, the doctor found nothing wrong.

   That night, she sat at the window and called out the name of Katsuo's father. Katsuo was afraid that he might lose his mother next. As he recalled the words of his elders, he quickly invited his uncle -his mother's younger brother- to hold a doll's funeral.

   Katsuo's uncle wasn't a superstitious person, but he was worrying about his elder sister. So he had no choice but to hold a doll's funeral.

   Three days later, Katsuo's uncle and aunt brought a doll, put on its clothes and placed it into a porcelain used to hold bone ash. The next day, they buried it in the graveyard. 

   " What a relief! I guess Mum should be okay by now, " Katsuo felt a great relief. He soon fell fast asleep on his bed. " Good girl, littler doll. Come and have lunch together with Lala. " Katsuo heard his sister's voice in his dream. Ho opened his eyes and saw Mika sitting next to his bed, playing with dolls. Hold on! That doll in front of Lala...

  " How is it possible? Auntie buried the doll this morning. How could it be... Mika! Where did you get this doll? " Katsuo raised his voice and frightened Mika, who cried out of fear. Katsuo felt very uneasy.

   Katsuo could't care for the feeling of his younger sister who was crying and throwing a tantrum. He kept the doll in his bag and run as fast as he could to the bus stop. He was about to catch a bus to his father's cemetery.

   He had this feeling that if he failed to bury the doll by today, his mother would meet her ill fate. " Boy! Watch out! " Katsuo heard someone's shouting at him, so he stopped and looked up... to find a big vase falling onto him...