Sifting through the caretaker applications required the help of Kisa, my human maid. “Only five responded,” she lamented as she spread the papers on the kotatsu heating table beside me in the solarium. Recently, I’d paid a contractor to add the greenhouse to the little traditional house Kisa kept for me. I loved soaking up the sunlight there every day. It was far superior to having to sit by the window.
My last caretaker had passed away, and I missed his constant presence. But I needed a replacement as soon as possible to keep up with my publishing schedule.
“For Nonogawa, that’s good,” I said. Our little river valley farming town’s population was less than 1,300 people. How many did she expect?
Kisa already had too much on her plate. Yet because of our friendship, she helped me interview a few select candidates by being the one who spoke while I listened. I couldn’t afford to reveal my yokai spirit being identity to everyone. I was too vulnerable.
***
When Reizei–the tengu bird-man in human disguise–interviewed, I knew we’d get along well. He was a little gruff–as were all his kind, but he was respectful and intelligent. Additionally, he agreed to the nebulous ‘duties as assigned’ in the contract.
What convinced me to hire him was that he kept glancing my way from Kisa with a raised eyebrow, but kept quiet about knowing what kind of being I was. Yokai know when another is near. Best of all, he loved myths like I did. It was hard to suppress my grin when he bragged about having all the folklore books by Shitani Daisuke.
On his first day, Kisa directed Reizei to the solarium, where he knelt and bowed before me. “Kodama tree spirit, you are the one I will serve, correct? You are a rare one to be bound to a bonsai tree that needs such special care.”
Nodding, I shared a few of the details. “You're privy to a secret only a few have known over the centuries. I am far from ancient in the eyes of my kind, but have outlived each of my human caretakers. Know that I am pleased to have you, a fellow yokai, as the one to provide my needs, now.” I bowed in return. “My name is Shitani Daisuke. Please take care of me.”
Reizei gaped and dipped into a deeper show of respect, with his head touching the ground. “Master, I had no idea!”
“It’s fine, Reizei-san. There is no need for such formality between us. Please, warm up at the kotatsu, and we’ll get to know each other over tea. See, Kisa’s already brought some.”
Over the weeks, we learned to work more closely than I’d been able to with any of my previous caretakers.
“You collect yokai tales to keep the stories alive. Did you know I was the one who asked you to collect our local tales?” Reizei asked.
I nodded. “I did a background check, of course.”
“Then, might I suggest studying the haunted houses popping up?”
“The rumor of the mountain with eyes also intrigues me. Which should we visit first?” I settled on the kotatsu, which was placed perfectly in the sun.
Reizei shuffled his bird feet. “I’m not yet an expert in transporting you unseen. And I don’t wish to strain your magic capacity.”
I shook my head. “I am a kodama, a tree spirit and echo as the kanji symbols in the name of my people imply. Where you go, my kind will repeat what they see and hear.”
“So I will be your eyes and ears? I love adventures!” His eyes sparkled, and he leaned forward to hear more of my plan.
***
The next day, Reizei drafted a letter for me to the Nonogawa River Valley Historic Society inquiring about who might know the tales of the Mountain with Eyes. I counted on the group putting the letter in their circuit of folklore archivists. Nonogawa had a surprising number of yokai fans.
Reizei’s peculiar tengu and Nonogawa dialects were sometimes hard to understand. But he never stewed over having to repeat himself. He transformed into his human disguise and slipped on his sandals to deliver the message.
While he was gone, my mind continued to turn over the possibilities, and questions plagued me as Kisa opened the doors to let the fresh air in.
Was there a relation between the uptick in yokai activity and the story of the Mountain with Eyes? Would it be wise to disturb such a large yokai?
It may wish to be left in solitude. Mountain spirits’ moods changed with the weather. I didn’t want myself or Reizei to tangle with it, if the mountain didn’t wish to share its story. But surely, it wouldn’t mind a single question, right?
My rumination halted when Reizei returned, diving from the sky at full speed to meet me on the veranda. Kisa couldn’t see him because of the glamour he used to hide himself in his tengu form. But I could. His wings flicked open to slow his descent, causing my tree’s leaves to flutter in the gust.
“I have news! The historic society dug up an obscure reference. They say the telltale sign of the mountain’s location is that it sits in the river.”
In his hurry, he shoved everything off the kotatsu in the solarium. I hated scolding him for the impetuousness that ran in his people. But this was my house, and I’d worked hard for the belongings I had. Most of my kind didn’t have such luxuries.
Shrinking in on himself, he apologized before easing my items to the floor. Kisa brought in my topographic map, and we combed it for anything that matched the clue. Bingo! A branch of the Nonogawa river showed it splitting to run around an unnamed peak. Reizei would go the next day.
