Kaiju

Akemi sat on the swing and stared down at the sand beneath her feet. The sand was a light tan speckled with little dots of black. Often, she liked to imagine that the black flecks were pieces of ancient stone crafted by some long-ago kaiju. She dug the toes of her shoes into the sand and began to push herself back and forth in an aimless fashion. As usual, she was alone.

She continued to pretend to be staring at the sand, but she could see Stacy and Mercedes from the corner of her eye. They were standing by the old bent tree and whispering to each other. The sound of their giggles floated in the air. She knew they were talking about her. How she hated them!

Once, Akemi had told okasama how she felt about Stacy and Mercedes and okasama had told her this story:

Long ago, in ancient times, there was an oni named Amanojaku who put everyone into a deep sleep. While the humans slept, the oni placed a magical kaiju inside their bodies. This kaiju had the ability to be born again inside each generation. Now, inside each human, there waits a sleeping kaiju. If we give into our anger, or hatred, the kaiju will awaken and come out.

Akemi didn't want to wake the kaiju, but she couldn't stop hating Stacy and Mercedes. They had perfect skin and long yellow hair. They made fun of her slanted eyes. They tripped her in the hallway when she was carrying her books to class. They knocked her food tray out of her hands at lunch time. They laughed at her accented English. Everyone here hated her because she was not like them, but she hated them too.

Oh, how she wanted to watch their mocking smiles curdle into grimaces of pain and see their perfect teeth broken into ragged splinters! She wanted to see their cold eyes burn hot with terror and their blood soaking into the ground. The sight of their beautiful hair burnt to charred ashes and smelling like a rotting swamp would be wonderful!

Each night she prayed that just such a thing would happen to them and all their hateful friends. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't make herself care enough to stop. She hid her thoughts from okasama and plodded grimly through each horrible day. The only thing that kept her going was the thought that one day she would be free of those spiteful girls. Somehow, she would make herself free!

One night, something strange happened to Akemi. She came out of herself and went to her bedroom window. Parting the curtains, she slipped out into the night. She stood outside in the dark with only the moon and the stars for light. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were no longer human hands. Her fingers were tipped with razor sharp claws and her hands were covered with a soft fur that went all the way up her arms and over the rest of her body. She saw her reflection in a puddle of water nearby. Her mouth was filled with glistening pointed teeth that dripped with venom and her eyes, large and round, glowed like blood-red jewels.

She smiled as she raised her arms high above her head and closed her eyes. The moonlight caressed her, as if it were giving her a silent blessing. The night seemed alive with an ancient dark magic. The time had come. She surrendered to her emotions at long last and raced away into the night. Finally, she would be free!

Written by: E. Foshee

Story idea: E. Foshee

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