Yuki-Onna

Chapter 2

(Inessa Lockser)

When the cart was filled to the brim with the crystals they had collected, they, the battered old man and Haru, were told to take it to a certain place. This task was a kind of rest for them, because they could finally get out of the mine into the light of day, get some fresh air, and even help each other with the wounds received from the clerk.

It was the middle of summer. Very hot day. They walked through a beautiful forest, listening to the birds singing. They reached the right place, poured out the crystals from the cart, then lay down on the grass under a tree, deciding to rest a little.

— Wake me when the time comes, - the old man said to the boy, and the boy nodded, sitting down with him on the grass and leaning back. The old man coughed a few more times, turned on his side, and began to snore.

Haru stared at his back in silence, unable to look away, feeling pain and compassion for the poor old man. His shirt was already soaked with blood. Fortunately, he had bandaged his wounds, so that the worst was over.

With his head on the grass and his hands behind it, he decided to follow his companion's example and take a little nap, too. The evening is still far away, so why not take advantage of such a rare opportunity. He closed his eyes and began to sink into the dream.

Suddenly, through the haze of sleep that covered his mind, he felt a slight but palpable nudge in the side. He sat up abruptly, looked around and just stood there, his eyes wide.

In front of him, on a large rock, with her back to him, sits a girl. In all his fifteen years, Haru had never seen such beauty.

She has long blue hair tied back in a low ponytail. You can't see what she's wearing, because she's wearing a long white raincoat. Haru was struck by the beauty of this girl. She is tall and fragile. She looked like an ordinary girl, but there was something strange about her. It's summer, but the girl is cold. On the one hand, he was uneasy, on the other, he wanted to know who she was and where she came from.

Haru was about to speak to her when he finally realized what was wrong with her.

- Damn it.... It's Yuki-Onna! A demon in human form! That's why i feel cold. Why didn't I see it right away? She averted my eyes with her beauty.

Any mythical creature, no matter whether it is a demon or someone else, has its own characteristics and details, by which they can be recognized even in human form. With Yuki-Onna, everything is much more complicated, because they are incredibly beautiful, no matter if it is a guy or a girl. You will be captured by their charms and remember their name. They will turn you into an ice statue, and then they will suck your blood, along with your soul and life force. This is why they are also called "ice vampires".

- I need to leave before she notice and kill me.

When Haru was a very young boy and lived in an orphanage, he often heard stories of adults and old people who sometimes came to the shelter and told them stories from their lives. There were also scary stories about mythical creatures, including Yuki-Onna. They also told that if Yuki-Onna liked you, he or she would take you as a husband or wife, but only if you met all the conditions.

Haru immediately put these stupid thoughts out of his mind. That she, this blue-haired beauty, should choose him for her husband?! A kid without a family or a tribe? It's not even funny.

As if she had heard his thoughts, the girl turned to him and he knew that he was lost. Finally and irrevocably. Her eyes were purple and her face was white as snow. She was smiling at him. She looked at him with curiosity and a certain embarrassment.

— Are you staring at a girl's beauty for nothing, Haru? They take money for a look. Come closer. Let's talk a little.

The guy was scared, of course, but he didn't show it. Although she is a demon, but still a girl. Well, he's a guy — so he's ashamed to be shy in front of a girl.

- I don't have time to talk, - he says. - We've overslept already. We still have a lot to do.

As he spoke, he looked away, praying that she wouldn't see the heat in his cheeks or hear the rapid beat of his heart. Is this the terrible charm of Yuki-Onn? Her voice alone sounds like music to him. She, as if seeing his efforts, giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

— Come on. It won't take long. I just want to talk.

Well, there's nothing to do. Go to her. She raised her hand to say stop, and snapped her fingers.

At the same moment, a lot of ice crystals surrounded her. They shimmered in the sun with all the colors of the rainbow, obeying the movement of her hand. She cupped her hands and the crystals joined together, becoming an icy rose.

Haru couldn't believe his eyes. It seemed to him that this was a dream, a hallucination. It's a hot day, after all. You never know, my head was hot, my long stay in the mine affected me, I got sick, something else. He even pinched his hand several times and splashed water from a nearby stream in his face. This is not a dream. It was real.

The ice girl was not at all confused by this behavior of the guy. He wasn't a wizard, and he didn't see this kind of thing every day, and she knew it. After all, I watched him for a long time. She rose from her seat, turned her back on him, and threw off her white cloak and pulled down the sleeves of her dress, exposing her back to him. Haru gasped at first, not expecting her this action, and then froze. The narrowed blue eyes were half-horrified, half-shocked. He saw another sign of a demon in human form. It wasn't a tattoo, like people do for beauty or magic rituals. It was a birthmark. Blue, forming a snowflake pattern, over white skin. All demons have this symbol on some part of their body. You can tell from it what kind of demon it is. For example, for natural people, this is the sign of an element. The girl before him was a demon in human for

— You recognize me now, Haru? - asks the beauty, and she laughs. — Don't be scared. I won't hurt you.

Haru felt sick that the girl was mocking him, and even saying such words. He became very angry, clenched his fists, and even shouted:

— Who should I be afraid of if I work in the mountains?

- That's all right, - she says. — I need one who isn't afraid of anyone. Can I ask you a favor? Tomorrow, when you see the clerk, you tell him. Say it, but don't forget the words. The ice maiden tells you, you stuffy goat, to get out of this mine. If you keep breaking it, I'll put all the crystals deep underground. So deep that no one will ever find them again. Remember, Haru? You work in the mountains, you say, you are not afraid of anyone? Tell the clerk what I said. Now go. - She turned to the old man snoring nearby. — Don't tell him anything. He's a poor man, what's to worry him about and involve him in this business. I'll give him a little help anyway.

The girl rose from the rock and clapped her hands. It was enveloped in a blue, blinding eyes glow. Haru squeezed his eyes shut and covered them with his hand, but when he opened them, he didn't see the girl. Looked around, called several times, no one except him and the sleeping old man.

— Don't forget what I said, - he heard her voice, invisible and echoing. — If you do it my way, I'll marry you!

- Marry? — to say that the guy was shocked and confused by this statement, nothing to say. He stood and blinked, digesting what he had heard. His pale face looked like a tomato. The embarrassment was so strong that it seemed that a little more steam would come out of his ears.

Haru was left alone. The forest is quiet. He can only hear his friend snoring. Awakened him.

Goes back back and thinks. What should he do? To say such words to the clerk is not a small matter, but he was also — and it is true — stuffy-some kind of rot in his gut, they say, was. He won't say, it's scary to imagine what will happen then. She's Yuki-Onna. Get angry and make an ice statue. In addition, it is a shame to show off in front of a girl as a braggart.

- Okay, I will do as she told me. It is a sin to refuse such a bride.