77: True scary anonymous banned: 2021/09/18(Sat) 09:02:14.95 ID:eAJSgWB30

Story my aunt told me

Note: lots of quotes

About 40 years ago, my aunt married and moved from the city to a backwater agricultural area.

It was the first time she could see the Milky Way with the naked eye or hear a railway crossing 10 km away, so there were a lot of fresh experiences.

One day, she had biked to a village shop 20 km away and by the time she was returning it was pitch black outside.

Total and complete darkness. Even the bicycle light was basically useless so she was walking slowly, navigating by the feel of the road under her feet.

After a while, she could suddenly hear someone sobbing and stopped dead in her tracks with fear. It was a child’s voice, crying “I’m scared” over and over, so she couldn’t help but call out: “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

The voice replied, “I’m not hurt. I’m scared, please help me.”

78: True scary anonymous banned: 2021/09/18(Sat) 09:19:48.56 ID:eAJSgWB30

My aunt said, “Auntie is on the edge of the road. If I leave the road I might not find it again, so could you come over here?” The child replied “yeah” and the sobs grew closer.

“Don’t rush, carefully now,” my aunt called out. Once the child was in reach, she picked them up and sat them on the carrier of her bicycle.

The child felt cold and sort of… crunchy? My aunt thought maybe they were wearing something with sequins, it was that kind of feeling.

“Where do you live?” “XX Pond.”

XX Pond was an artificial lake for agricultural use, somewhat up the mountain. There weren’t any houses there.

“Really? XX Pond?” my aunt asked. Just then, she could see the lights of a car approaching from behind. Hoping to use the light to make some distance, she told the child: “Hold on to auntie!” and jumped on the bicycle.

She caught a glimpse of the child: expressionless round eyes, rocket-shaped head without jaw, neck, or shoulders, human-shaped below the shoulders but naked. What she had thought were sequins were actually scales.

Without surprise or fear, my aunt concluded: “Of course, XX Pond!”

80: True scary anonymous banned: 2021/09/18(Sat) 09:35:23.94 ID:eAJSgWB30

It took her much longer than usual to get back to the village where there were some street lights, but from there she went straight home.

My aunt lifted the child off the bicycle and said, “wait here, ok?” She hurried to grab the keys to her minitruck and ran back to put the child in the truck and set off.

In the dim light the child looked grotesque, but my aunt only felt pity for the child who sobbed with clenched fists. She drove up the mountain path toward XX Pond.

My aunt parked as close to the pond as she could get and lifted the child out of the truck. The child said, “I can go by myself from here. Thank you, Auntie! Thank you!” and bowed with an expressionless face.

My aunt watched as the child walked off, and the child turned around to bow to her over and over again. Soon after the child disappeared from view, there was a splash, and my aunt was relieved and could set back down the mountain. Without the child in the car, the way home seemed a lot scarier.

I mentioned this before, but XX Pond is a manmade pond for agricultural use, so sometimes all the water in it gets used. When it was dried out, the older folk would get together to catch eels, carp, and so on by hand and there was even a kind of event around it.

The first time the pond was dried up after she took the child home, my aunt was worried and decided to participate in the event.

81: True scary anonymous banned: 2021/09/18(Sat) 09:40:05.26 ID:qS3HZt8X0

Grotesque, huh

82: True scary anonymous banned: 2021/09/18(Sat) 09:49:40.30ID:I1nNEtQw0

>>80

Interesting! Thanks

It’s cute that the child had to bow again and again since your aunt was so kind

It seems there are a lot of stories like this from the countryside of the old days. I’ve heard some stories about badgers from my grandma

83: True scary anonymous banned: 2021/09/18(Sat) 09:53:56.39 ID:eAJSgWB30

When a big one was caught and there was a cheer, my aunt went to check the fish but there was no way for her to really tell if the fish was the child or not. She was praying that the child was safe, when there was the clack-clack of someone approaching and then a tap on her shoulder.

She turned around to find a tall woman and a child. They had proper jaws and shoulders and were even wearing clothes, so they looked completely different but my aunt knew right away. “The child from that night!”

Without any expression, without saying a word, the tall woman bowed again and again and again. The child, also expressionless, said: “Auntie, thank you! Thank you!” and bowed as well.

My aunt was so relieved she burst into tears.

Although it’s been a long time since I heard this story, I was reminded about it recently at my aunt’s funeral. There was an older man I don’t know (a neighbor I think) who got drunk at the funeral and told me: “You know, back in the day, I think around when XX (my aunt) first got married, I caught the biggest carp I’ve ever seen. It swam right up to the boat and I scooped it up with a net and brought it home. But wouldn’t you believe it, it was gone the next morning! It was about thiiiis big.” He spread his arms to show how big the carp had been. It was probably exaggerated, but I think it really was a big fish.

After my aunt’s funeral, Covid happened and it became impossible to do gatherings like that, so I’m glad I got to hear that man’s story.

That’s all.

77 ：本当にあった怖い名無し垢版：2021/09/18(土) 09:02:14.95 ID:eAJSgWB30

伯母から聞いた話

注:「」いっぱい

40年ほど昔、伯母は大都会から農業率100%の田舎へ嫁いだ。

初めて肉眼で天の川を見た、10キロ先の踏切の警報が聞こえる、と新鮮だったそうだ。

ある日、自転車に乗って20キロ離れた小売店へ行ったら日が暮れてしまい、途中ですっかり真っ暗闇になったそうだ。

まさに文目もつかぬ闇。自転車のライトなど闇に吸いとられたように役に立たず、側溝と道路の間を足先で探りながら少しずつ歩いていたという。

しばらく行くと、どこからかすすり泣きが聞こえ、伯母は竦み上がって一歩も動けなくなった。

するとすすり泣きの主は子供の声で「怖い、怖い」と言っているのがわかり、伯母は思わず「大丈夫？怪我してるの？」と尋ねた。

すすり泣きの主は「怪我してない。怖い、助けて」と泣きながら答えたので、

78 ：本当にあった怖い名無し垢版：2021/09/18(土) 09:19:48.56 ID:eAJSgWB30

伯母が「おばちゃん、道のはじっこにいるの。ここから離れると迷ってしまうから、あなたがこっちに来られる？」と聞くと、子供は「うん」と答え、しゃくりあげながら近付いてくるのがわかった。

「慌てないでね、ゆっくりね」と声をかけ、触れられるところまで近付いたので、伯母は自転車を停め、子供を抱き上げ自転車の荷台に乗せてやった。

冷たくてザクザクした感触で、その時伯母はスパンコールがたくさんついた服を着ていると思ったそうだ。

「おうち、どこ？」「◯◯池」

◯◯池とは農業用水用の人工池で、山の上の方にある。民家はない。

「え？ ◯◯池？」伯母が聞き返した時、後ろから車のライトが近付いてくるのが見えた。伯母は車が通りすぎるまでに、ライトの明かりで少しでも距離を稼ごうと、子供に「おばちゃんにしっかり捕まって！」と言って自転車に飛び乗った。

その時見えた子供の姿は、表情のない丸い目、あご、首、肩の境がなくロケットみたいな頭部、肩から下は人間の形だが素っ裸で、スパンコールだと思ったのは鱗だった。

伯母は不思議と恐怖ではなく「なるほど、◯◯池ね」と納得したそうだ。

80 ：本当にあった怖い名無し垢版：2021/09/18(土) 09:35:23.94 ID:eAJSgWB30

通常の何倍もの時間をかけてちらほら街頭のある里中にたどり着き、そこからは一目散に家に戻った。

伯母は自転車から子供を降ろすと「ここで待ってて」と言い、急いで軽トラの鍵を取りに行き、走って戻ると子供を軽トラに乗せて出発した。

薄明かりの中で見ても子供は異形だったが、両手をしっかり握りしめてしゃくりあげている姿が可哀想で、伯母は山道を急ぎ◯◯池へと向かった。

車で行けるギリギリの所まで行き、子供を車から降ろしてやると、子供は「ここから一人で行ける。おばちゃんありがとう。ありがとう」と言い、表情のない顔のままお辞儀をしたそうだ。

伯母が見送っていると、子供は何度も振り替えって頭を下げた。姿が見えなくなってしばらくして、パシャンという水音が聞こえたので、伯母は安心して山道を下ったのだが、子供が乗ってない帰り道のほうが怖くてたまらなかったそうだ。

先にも書いたが、◯◯池は人工池なので、何年かに一度、池の水をすっかり抜くことがある。池干しと呼ばれ、老弱男女があつまって、うなぎや鯉や鮒を手掴みで捕って遊ぶ行事でもある。

子供を送ってから最初の池干しの時、伯母は心配になって行事に参加したそうだ。

81 ：本当にあった怖い名無し垢版：2021/09/18(土) 09:40:05.26 ID:qS3HZt8X0

異形か

82: 本当にあった怖い名無し垢版 : 2021/09/18(土) 09:49:40.30ID:I1nNEtQw0

>>80

面白かった！ありがとう

伯母さん良い人だし子供も何度も振り返ってお辞儀とか可愛い

昔の田舎ってこういう不思議な話が身近にあったよね

祖母からむじなの話をよく聞いた

83 ：本当にあった怖い名無し垢版：2021/09/18(土) 09:53:56.39 ID:eAJSgWB30

大物を捕らえたとおぼしき歓声があがるたび近付いて確認していたが、見たところでどの魚があの子供かわかるわけもない。どうか無事でいてと願っていると、後ろからちょんちょんと背中をつつかれた。

振り向くと背の高い女の人と子供がいた。ちゃんと首も肩もあり服も着ていて、姿は全然違ったがすぐに「あの子だ！」とわかったそうだ。

女の人は表情を変えず、一言もしゃべらず、何度も何度も頭を下げた。子供は無表情のまま「おばちゃんありがとうね、ありがとうね」と言って頭を下げた。

伯母はホッとして涙が出たという。

この話を聞いたのはずいぶん前なのだが、伯母の葬式で知らないおっちゃんが(たぶん近所の人)が酔っぱらって「◯美ちゃん(伯母)が嫁いできたころだったなあー。◯◯池で見たこともねえくらい大きい真鯉がボートの近くまで上がってきてなあー。網ですくって持って帰ったんだが、朝見たらおらんかったー。こんくらいあったよー」と両手を広げて見せていた。たぶん盛ってるだろうが、大きかったのは本当だと思う。

伯母の葬式の後、すぐコロナ禍で人が集まれなくなったから、おっちゃんの話を聞けてよかった。

おしまい