HELL UNDER CHERRY BLOSSOMS

A STORY ONES STARTED NEVER ENDS…..

A CHAPTER ONES OPEN CANNOT BE CLOSED….

A WISH ONES GRANTED CAN NEVER BE REVERSED…

29th October 2008Oh God! I don’t want to live in this world. This world is so bad. Today I had a fight with my best friend and now she left me and joined another group.Why this never happens with Nura Rikuo? He has so many good friends .he never have any fight with them. I also want to have some friends like that. I don’t want to live in this world. I want to live in cartoon world.Anime world .the world I always imagine. I want to live in my dream world. This is the one and only wish that I have.31st November 2008I don’t know….. My life has changed. I don’t remember anything about what happened this year….. My mom and dad don’t tell me anything I remember everything about 2007…… but what happened in 2008??...I don’t remember anything. As if year 2008 is totally

removed from my brain…….its vanished…..I just heard doctor telling my mom and dad that I was in coma for a month!!! I totally don’t know what is happening…25th December 2015Yay! See what I got. I helped an old lady and she gave me this beautiful necklace. Looks like it’s a charm. I am very very happy today.26th December 2015Oh god1 I want to go to Japan and want to continue my university there. I want to see the beautiful cherry blossoms there. I want to go to Japan. Please! God, please! Please fulfill my wish. 31st December 2015Yay! Thank you god! Very very much. My father has got a transfer and we are shifting to Japan next year, As soon as I finish this semester. I will do my university there. Yay! 27th February 2016I am going to give a scholarship test. Wish me best of luck. Hope I would get some scholarship so that I could get admission in the best university in Japan.4th march 2016Thank you god! I got fifty thousand scholarship .this necklace is very lucky for

me all my wishes are getting fulfilled from the day it came to me. Please god! Fulfill all my wishes which I had made in past and will make in future. 29th march 2016Today I am going to Japan. I am very very happy. Let’s see what will happen next. 30th march 2016Today is my second day in Japan and in that excitement I have lost my lucky necklace. I will try my best to find it. 3rd April 2016I never knew that a dream of mine would change my whole life. I always dreamt of going to Japan and now when I am here everything has changed. My existence has almost been erased. Though I love science I am not the one restricted to only scientific facts. I also believe in something beyond science. I believe in spiritual and supernatural powers. I love mysteries, adventure and horror things. I came to Japan because I love its natural beauty and education. Everything was going on well. I got admission in Japan’s best university and also got rupees fifty thousand scholarship. My parents were happy too, before I took a step and everything was erased and now here I am, before you, sitting on a bench, under

a cherry blossom tree with no one even recognizing me. It all started one pleasant evening. I was coming back from school. My house was near a beautiful forest. It was very far from my school. There was a shortcut but I wanted to take the long route because that way lead to a forest of cherry blossoms. And I love cherry blossoms. The sun was setting. I was late because it was my duty to clean the classroom. The street was deserted. My friends advised me earlier not to come from that way during night but I ignored them. It was only five days when I came to Japan and joined my new university. I didn’t got the opportunity to take a long cut because my friends didn’t let me do so. They were afraid of something there but no one told me anything about it. They just dragged me with them. And now I got the opportunity to go from that way. “CHERRY BLOSSOMS HELL” that is what they used to call it but I didn’t believe them. Now I realized why they said so. I was walking back when I reached the point where the road diverged into two. One was the way which I always used to take. The other was the cherry blossoms forest. The sun had set and was night. At first I was in a dilemma but then I forgot

everything and chose the second one, the cherry blossoms forest or the cherry blossoms hell according to other people. I walked a few miles. It was all dark at first but then I saw a light. I ran towards the light. As I reached the light at first I was all blind far a while but when I opened my eyes I saw pink petals floating in front of my eyes. I was very happy. I jumped with excitement. I was in the forest of cherry blossoms. I was seeing them for the first time. I just stood there for fifteen minutes admiring their beauty. But then I thought deeply. “Why haven’t I seen even a single one when I was just roaming around different streets from last five days in Japan”? But I just ignored the question. Then I realized that mom would be waiting for me so I just set off. They were so beautiful. It was about half an hour, I was walking through the cherry blossom forest. The forest was just going on and on and on. Like it would never come to an end. My happiness was now decreasing. Now I was getting more and more exhausted. I had been walking for an hour. Suddenly my eyes strucked my clock. And to my surprise it was only seven thirty. The time when I started my journey! I thought my watch was not

working but NO!! it was working. The second hand was ticking but the hour and minute hands were stucked in their place. I put my bag down and took out a watch out of my box. I always used to keep it with me because it is my lucky watch. It was also showing the same time!! Now, I got surprised. But then too I thought that it was my mistake. “I would have been started earlier” I thought. I walked another mile and saw my watch. To my surprise it was again 7:30. I realized that something was wrong. The time was paused……only for me? Or the whole world is experiencing it too? Questions were popping out of my mind. It was high time now I realized that why I didn’t saw any cherry blossoms in these five days. That was because it was winter and cherry blossoms don’t bloom in winter!! But why these cherry blossoms were blooming at this point of time? “Something is really wrong here” I murmured. According to me I walked for three hours. I was about to faint. I sat under a huge cherry blossom tree to rest for a while. I had little water left in my bottle. It was the most beautiful cherry blossom tree I had ever seen. It leaves were touching my face so gently that I

forgot everything on earth. I thought that only I and that tree are present on this earth. I felt so refreshing, so happy. But I felt someone, constantly keeping an eye on me. I was admiring each and every petal flowing in front of my face. I was admiring its beautiful branches filled with flowers. Then my eyes went a little upwards. I saw someone sitting on the tree. He was not looking like a human. Though he had a human body he looked like a demon. He had red eyes and was wearing a black kimono with a blue shawl. His hair were floating with the air. He said something to me and just disappeared. Then I realized that it was a warning. He said “get out of here”. I stood up and ran but reached no where. Then I reached a place. A graveyard!! I saw some skeletons there but I was not afraid of them. Because I am the strongest one in my family. The forest was just going on and on and on. As I was walking I got a piece of paper lying on the floor. I picked it up. It had something written on it. In Japanese. I am always dedicated to Japan since I was little so I knew some Japanese. It was written “The rule of yokais”! I was horrified. Yokais!! They are human like creatures in Japanese

mythology eating up humans. I was dedicated to finding them since I was young. I always wished to find them but then something happened to me and I forgot everything. I only remember what yokais are and I wanted to find them. But why? I don’t know. It’s more terrifying rather than adventurous. I am trapped! I am trapped in the world of yokais!! How can I get out of here? Who was the person I saw on the tree? Was he a yokai too? I was so exhausted that I fell down. The light of the cherry blossoms was disappearing slowly and slowly. I got up and reached a dark place full of horrifying trees. I was ready to die. The light of the beautiful cherry blossoms disappeared behind me. Strange voices were heading towards me. I knew that the yokais are coming to eat me. I was helpless. Though I had learned sword fighting when I was in India but it was all in vain because I didn’t had a sword nor I had the power to pick up a stick or something. I saw some strange creatures heading towards me. I was horrified. I was not able to shout for help. Huh! Who would help me in such a deadly situation? I fell down on my knees. I didn’t tried to shout. I gave up in front of my fate. Some mysterious creatures

coming to take me! To where? Suddenly I got a dejavoo. I had seen these creatures somewhere before! My head started to pain. The….the program I used to watch when I was eleven… eight years ago…. Ahh!!! My head started to pain more and more. I don’t know why but I didn’t remember anything when I was eleven. As if the year 2008 was totally removed from my head. Now I was able to gather something... Those creatures!! They...they are yokai. I used to watch…?? “No!!”I screamed. My head was paining...more and more…as if, it is going to blast. Those creatures were a few miles away from me. Suddenly I…I remember something I …I remember something … Nura …Nurari…’YES!!I GOT IT...” I SCREAMED. “Nurarihyon no Mago”…an anime by Hiroshi Shiibashi. I used to watch it when I was eleven. Those yokais were exactly similar to those creatures in program and that man on tree?? He was Nura Rikuo…the main character of ‘Nurarihyon no Mago’. Huh!! “But what’s the point in remembering that??” I thought, “I am going to die”. I saw death in front of my eyes. Suddenly that man!! On the tree…Nura Rikuo appeared before my eyes. An anime?? He

took his sword and cut off all the yokais heading towards me. What is happening? I am in anime world? No!! I am trapped!! I am trapped in my own imagination. Then Rikuo Nura headed towards me and said something to me. I was not able to hear anything. It was like he was saying something important. Was he telling me how to escape? He then asked me something… I don’t know what... I didn’t responded. He must had understood that I was not able to hear. He just handed me his sword and disappeared. What did he told me? And why did he gave me his sword I shouted “Hey!!Wait” but he didn’t heard me. I just remember the action of his lips. He was saying something about ‘wish’. Was he trying to say that I am never going to escape from here? Yes, he did so that’s why he gave me his sword so that I can fight myself. But I was not in a situation to fight. I took some rest for a while and moved on. I decided first to search for some water and then try to escape this world. I was going on and on and on. It was still 7:30! After sometime I reached a place where a warm beam of sunlight was coming and beside it there was a small brook. I went there. Filled my bottle with water and

drank some. The water was so refreshing. I drank more and more and more. Suddenly I heard the cracking of leaves behind me. When I looked behind I banged into a huge spider like creature. It was a demon! It was a yokai too! I suddenly took out my sword but ……..bang!!!! He hit me with his leg filled with stinging hair. I went flying and hit a huge tree. The yokai laughed and said “all this was your wish”. I was wounded but I wanted to meet my family and friends. I didn’t want to die. The yokai was coming nearer and nearer. In fear I brought the sword in front of my face…the sword shined…and the yokai became blind….his eight eyes were burning in front of me. I made use of that opportunity, took the sword and cut the yokai into two. He screamed. His scream was so harsh... so terrifying that I had Goosebumps all over my body. I ran away from there. After sometime I again reached the cherry blossom forest. Then a question arrived in my mind and I stopped. “It was my wish?” what did he meant by that? Ahh!! I remember that when I got that necklace I made a wish that all the wishes that I made in past may come true. Oh! I got it! But what was

the wish I made in past? Wish? What wish? Suddenly I got a dejavoo again. My head started to pain more and more. I was not able to bear that pain. I shouted …. I screamed. I remember! I remember everything now…the wish I made. As the pain of my head went down I …I saw that necklace in front of my own eyes, hanging on a branch of the cherry blossom tree. I took it and tried to break it. No use! I took a stone and with all my might tried to crush it. It didn’t crushed either. Then I thought that I should make a wish. I shouted “I wish that everything would be back to normal again”. Then someone screamed from behind “A WISH ONES GRANTED CAN NEVER BE REVERSED.”The scream was so loud and shrill that the necklace broke itself and a flash of bright light appeared .I was back!!!! I was back to where the road diverged into two. I was very happy. I ran to home. I hugged my mom. But no!! I was not able to hug her. She carried on doing her work. I tried everything to bring her attention towards me. But ...but she didn’t had any reaction. Suddenly my eyes went on my hand clock. It was afternoon yet my watch showed the time 7:30 and even my lucky watch. I went to other room to have a

look on the wall clock but it was2:00. My clock was working??? Then I heard a soft voice. Someone said “Remember girl! A story ones started never ends... a chapter ones open never closes, a wish ones granted can never be reversed.” I understood what Nura Rikuo told me. He said “Your wish can never be reversed...welcome to an endless world.” I am now trapped into my own wish, my own dream and my own imagination. The sword he gave me was for my protection because I can never escape this world. I am like a mist now. Everyone sees me but never recognizes me. I am like a rock in the middle of the road. I am in my imagination world but that world is now in the real world. I now realized that why my friends prevented me from going from that way. It was because there was a hell under the cherry blossoms.

BY - MARIAM KAUSAR