You've heard of the slender man but have you heard of the slender woman.
This story is about a Japanese urban legend called Hachishakusama which means 8 feet tall.
My Grandparents lived in a small village in Japan, every summer my parents would take me there on holiday to visit them.
The last time i saw them was the summer when i was eight years old,
my grandparents were inside the house and i was playing by myself , outside in the the back yard.
I heard a strange sound.
I didn't know what it was and it was hard to figure out where it was coming from.
I was looking around, searching for the source of the noise,when i noticed something on top of the tall hedges that enclosed the backyard.
It was a straw hat,it wasn't resting on the hedge, it was behind it .
Then the hat began to move, it stopped at a small gap in the hedge and i could see a face peering though.
It was a woman,but the hedges were high, almost eight feet tall.
I was surprised at how tall the woman was.
I wonders if she was wearing stilts or some sort of huge ,high-heeled shoes.
Then,split second later,she walked offhand the strange noise disappeared with her,fading into the distance.
Confused,I got up and ran back into the house.
My grandparents were in the kitchen drinking tea.
I sat down at the table and told grandparents what i had seen.
They weren't really paying attention to me until i mentioned that distinctive sound.
They both froze.
Grand ma's eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth with her hand.
Grandpa's face became very serious
And he grabbed me by the arm.
"This is very important "he said,very intensely.
"How tall was she?"
As tall as the garden hedge
"Where was she standing ?"
"When did this happen,what did you do?"
"Did she see you?"
I tried to answer all of his questions as best as i could.
He rushed out to the hallway and made a phone call.
I couldn't hear what he was saying but after he hung up he walked out of the door.
"Grandna, what's going on?"
"There's something dangerous of abducting children in this area,"she said.
"We called it Hachishakusama."
It takes on the appearance of an extremely tall woman and says ( po )
In a deep voice.
A long time ago,it was captured by monks and they managed to confine it in a ruined building on the outskirts of the village.
They trapped it using four jizo, small religious statues that they placed at the north,south,east,and west of the ruins,so that it could not escape,but somehow it did.
The last time it appeared was 15 years ago.
My grandmother said that anyone who saw it was destined to die within a few days.
It all sounded so crazy i wasn't sure what to believe.
Just then my grandpa came back but with an old woman who called herself Kasan.
They took me upstairs to my bedroom and began covering the windows with newspaper,with ancient runes written all over them.
Kasan placed small bowls of salt in all four corners of the room and a small Buddha figure in the center.
"Soon the sun will be setting so listen carefully. You must stay in this room until 7:30 tomorrow morning.do not open this door for any reason."
-she placed a bucket in my hands.
"Not even to use the bathroom."
-my grandparents and Kasan left the room and i locked the door after them.
I couldn't believe what was happening.
Was i really gonna Die in a few days?
I turned on the TV to try to take my mind off everything and eventually fell asleep.
I was awakened by around 1 am by a tapping sound on the window.
It's probably just the tree or something,i told myself.
Then came a knock on the door and i heard my grandpa's voice, "are you ok in there?" If you're scared i can come keep you company.
Hearing his voice was such a relief the without thinking i rushed over to the door.
But something didn't feel right.
I looked at the bowls of salt in the room.
All four of them had turned black.
And then i heard the sound again.
The tapping on the window continued.
I knelt in front of the Buddha to pray.
I was so terrified and caught up in chanting that i didn't realize the sounds had stopped.
I checked my watch it was 7:30 am.
Carefully i opened the door and ran to my grandparents.
We all got in a van and headed straight for the airport.
Apparently there were others who hat escaped the gasp of Hachishakusama,as long as they never stepped foot in Japan again.
So two years ago my grandpa got sick, he refused to let me visit him.
He even left strict instructions in his will to not let me attend his funeral.
I couldn't believe that this creature prevented me from saying goodbye to him.
So when my grandma called a few days ago to tell me she had been diagnosed with cancer, i wasn't gonna let her stop me from visiting.
"It's been 10 years grandma and nothing has happened to me.we don't even know if this thing is real. I'm not gonna let it stop me from seeing you."
"If you say so, dear."
"I love you grandma,I'll see you soon.
-( Po )
End of story 1
