Tatami Room

Watching his grandma vanishing around the black corner, Jay was feeling overly stresed from his long day today. Sleep attacked him, but the fear nauseated him awake.

Jay decided that once he gets enough money, the first thing he was going to do was renovate his grandmother's home. This home environment felt all too creepy and needed an upgrade.

Alone in the dim lighted hall, Jay felt stranded. Reaching down for his towel that he had dropped, his hand scraped the wooden floorboard.

He felt dust... and it was uncomfortable to his skin. Somewhat itchy and it sticked to his body.. His hand looked clean, but the feeling would not give up.

Shaking his hand to make the dust fall off, the feeling was still there no matter what he did. Even wiping his hand on his clothes or on the towel, the sensation did not let off. If anything it stuck to him more.

Having no luck, he headed back inside the shower room. Using the sink to wash his hand, only then did the feeling go away after being cleansed by the passing frozen water.

Watching the water flow down, it was clear as if nothing was ever washed away. He was sure there was something inside the liquid though. His hand looked clear earlier, but everything happening tonight was all too wierd.

Mind in disarray, he reached his hand to close the shower window. The distant decorative lights in the background seen from earlier, were replaced by pitch black. The sounds of the city and any bugs making noisr, did not reach his ears, making the night more dreary.

Shutting the window, the fresh air was blocked, once again giving Jay Kaiya the feeling of an unbreathable air.

Moving his head to stare at the misty mirror above the sink, it only helped to arise his fears. He did not know since when, but his eyes were strained red from the stress accumulating and his lack of sleep. More importantly however, was that his beautiful face was now pitch white, pale from the emotions in his subconsciousness.

His long hair dripped to the eyebrows of his face, and his short hairs on the sides clunged to his head forming mini curls.

His strong tall aura seemed diminished. His lean body with muscles now looked to be skin and bones. His somewhat oversized shirt enhanced the image of him looking weak.

He made his hand stroke his face, in order to confirm the image in the mirror was him. The reflection copying his actions proved it was indeed Jay.

Thinking he just desperately needed sleep, he clung to this thought and grabbed his belongings. Exiting the bathing room, the back hair on his neck rose feeling like there was someone spying on him from the mirror.

Freaked, Jay did not dare to close the door loudly as he felt it might wake up sleeping things inside the house. Jay Kaiya did not even wear his backpack, but instead clutched it in the arms in front of him to seek a source of protection.

The tiny L shape hall was only a couple of steps long, but it felt like a journey. Every step he took now was filled with caution.

It did not help that with his height, there were only a couple inches from his head touching the roof.

Creeee-

No matter how hard he tried to stay silent though, the old wooden floorboards creeked. Every step he took made a noise indicating his position. His own breathing to him now felt like thunder. Jay's heartbeat was the only indication to him to keep moving as he was alive.

Passing the kitchen, the window blinds shuttered from the wind. Scared from the noise in the creepy house, Jay wished to ignore it, but his senses of reality got the best of him.

'I need to close it or the cold air will escape while bugs will enter inside...'

Walking to the kitchen sink, he lifted the blinds in an attempt to close the window. Grabbing the slits of the edges, with his strength he pulled down the window, but it didn''t budge at all.

Leaning down to look at what is blocking the slides to not make it shut, the window was already closed... The lock was already hatched...

The sound he thought he had heard was no more, making it a scene from his imagination.

Staggering back, his but touched the round table in the room used for cooking. The window blinds clattered down, then in no time again, started to shutter once more, proving he was not seeing things.

He preferred to be going crazy than to be proven right in these circumstances though. Gripping the brown wall, he continued to creep forward.

The tight corridor seemed to grow slimmer and narrower than it already was. The breathing in his lungs were pressed by a heavy weight, his legs growing weaker. He constantly swallowed his saliva to try to alleviate his tensions, to seek a relief.

The small hall resembled a row to deathrow to Jay Kaiya. Each step was closer to his impending doom, but each step forward, the dead end behind him grew more firm.

The tall glass pane window at the end of the hall seemed to be filled with shadows, squirming in the outside trying to break through the fragile wall. He wished for them to be the shadows of leaves from the streetlights, however he was not sure what to think anymore.

He could not even see the lights outside, but more like dark areas darker than others slivering around. Granny Jin's house which should only be next door, had no lights either. She always left the lights in her backyard on to ward of burglers, but now the light was missing.

Jay's mind was bubbling.

'Were those things really shadows from the lights? Where exactly are those lights?'

Reaching the window, Jay wished to look at the door to his left to confirm his speculation that was growing inside him, which was that all the doors inside had broken door knobs on the walls, making them all impossible to be locked.

It needed only a quick glance, but to keep the little sanity he had left, he chose to ignore his doubts and keeped walking to reach the intersection of the living room and tatami room.

There stood his Granny in front of the glass entrance to his backyard. He remembered the glass was more clear than the window earlier, which should enable him to see what those shadows were.

Currently however, the door was covered by thick curtains, and was even being blocked by a chair stacked with folded clothes. There was even a wooden furniture shaped like a mushroom spiral, but with its top cut off to make a circular flat surface. There sat on top an antique telephone where the numbers needed to be turned by the wheels.

His closest exit was blocked, and the telephone made it so he won't be able to call help in time if something does go wrong. Even if the door wasn't sectioned off, he already knew he would not go there, for thats where those things were. He still did not know what those were as his sight was blocked.

"Well I'll let you sleep then, goodnight Jay. Don't stay up too long."

His grandmother exited leaving him alone in a room that seemed more creepy than his memories.

The room was filled with decorations, most being antiques. There was a low elongated table pushed to the side to make room for his futon and pillow. [1]

It was placed in the middle of the room which made it face everything. Pictures of his ancestors sat up on a one inch ledge above, with the top strung to face out towards him. The frames were going inwards towards the room, and a collection of Asian tea sets satin a wooden glass cabinet facing Granny Jin's house.

Paintings perhaps made by famous painters hung on the side along with some long scrolls, presenting wooven and painted art as they hugged the walls.

Antique vases, statues, masks, lamps, items, and sculptures decorated the counter facing the enteance area outside the house. Behind and also above it, pasted a paper screen which guarded the window from those who wished to see inside.

There was a bookcase filled with books, binders, and boxes near the backyard door. Nearby was also drawer big enough to hang your clothes in, sitting in the corner towards the direction of the house's entrance. Lastly in a hidden corner was a hunter's bow, glassed in a case with four arrows with feathers from extinct birds.

It was possibly a Samuri's bow of his ancestors, but he thought that Samuris did a not use these types of bows as this one looked decorative because it was made from expensive quality materials, seeming to be fake, yet surprisingly functional.

A statue sat of a Buddha sat with the various decorations, smiling as it watched him.

Looking at that one bed below, he had the sudden impulse to run outside the house, and spend the night sonewhere else.

At this point he was all not too sure if staying out in the dark steets, was more safer than staying in the house that seemed to be filled with horror.

His tiredness and stress got the better of him though, so he decided to just sleep here. He did not even bother to wash his face, nor brush his teeth anymore. He just wanted to close his eyes from today's experiences.

Huu-    Huoo!-     Huu-    Huoo!-

The high pitched Ku Ku bird sang, signalling that it was now 8 P.M., and a new hour has begun.

Jay Kaiya vagually felt that he will have no sleep tonight.