"A Trip to Japan" by Don Anelli

A Trip to Japan

by Don Anelli

The dream was finally accomplished! Corey had made it to Japan!

All the years of training with his brother Dean, the late-night hours, the skipped milestones, and the bullying from peers who told him that his ice-skating dream was foolish, they had finally made it to the Winter Olympics in Japan!

He was going to compete and win the Gold! For his mother and father, who hadn’t been given travel visas to come from Chicago to watch him in person, for his teacher, Mr. Gray, who had inspired his love of skating, and his grandfather, who pawned off his retirement watch to get the money for his first pair of skates! He would do it for all of them!

By the time he was done with his performances with his routine date set for Day 4 of the Olympics, it meant that he had some time to explore the city and take in the local culture. He was even more excited to visit Tokyo as a special Godzilla exhibit was still live in the city until what would’ve been Day 10 of the festivities, as he and Dean were life-long fans and had to go see it.

With Day 6 being the most opportune time to do so, being relatively free of interviews and commentary pieces back for America, they decided the time was right to go visit the exhibit. Taking local guide Yoshi with them, the three made their way to the exhibit across Tokyo from the stadium grounds, seeing decades-old costumes, props, models, behind-the-scenes photos, and much more that were nearly impossible to come across back in the States.

It was approaching nighttime by the time the exhibit closed, and Yoshi took them back to their hotel where they were staying for the Olympics. While they were supposed to go to bed, Corey was so excited from the performance and the exhibit that he was unable to fall asleep. He had to go out and explore the city.

Leaving a note on his bed for Dean, Corey heads out and starts walking the streets of Tokyo, trying to get the adrenaline out of his body. The bright, vibrant neon signs, eclectic smells, cacophony of shouting vendors, indistinct conversations, and mechanical devices operating as scheduled, and immensely friendly people got to him, and he started to feel a sense of longing and love for the country.

Rounding a street corner, he finds a strangely dark alley in between several shops, leading him closer to a strange shop tucked away on the backside of one of the buildings. Getting closer to one of the flashing signs, he sees a young woman with her head facing the sign, turned away from him. Trying to approach her and see if she’s alright, instead, she mutters a strange phrase in Japanese.

Damn. Why’d he have to leave Yoshi back at the hotel?

Trying to communicate with her, Corey attempts a simple Japanese greeting, only to have the woman mutter the same phrase back to him again. Still not getting that far, he tries to repeat the simple phrase, which causes her to leave back up the alley he just came from and disappear on the streets of Tokyo.

All right, maybe that’s enough wandering at night, Corey thought, and maybe it would be a good idea to head back and get some sleep. He does just that, tracing his steps back to the hotel and crawling into bed with Dean on the other side of the room.

The next few days were uneventful, with Corey and Dean staying with the rest of their team as they hung out in Olympic village. Splitting his time practicing and doing press kits, interview pieces for those back home, and follow-up segments for the broadcast, he was able to spend his time hanging with his brother and the rest of his teammates competing in their own games.

Unbeknownst to him, the entire time, he was being watched. The same woman he met on the streets the first night in Tokyo.

By the time Day 7 was finished and Corey and Dean went back to their hotel, Corey was desperate to go out on the streets and explore once again. He talks a reluctant Dean into going with him back to where he went the first time around, and while Dean continuously wants to bring Yoshi along as a guide, Corey is fine just being the two of them.

Corey eventually leads Dean back to the restaurant where he came upon last time, leading him past the same neon-soaked city streets into the back-alley shop with some great food inside. It eventually causes Dean to lower his guard and take in the local customs of the city.

Several hours later, they realize how late it is and decide it's time to return to the hotel. Packing up their belongings and signing an autograph for the hostess who had done so for all of the Olympic athletes who stayed there, the two leave and get back onto the streets of Tokyo, back to their hotel.

Following them was the same girl who was watching Corey the entire time. After several crossings, she finally catches up to them and bumps into Corey at a street crossing. Recognizing her from before, Corey tries to get her attention and introduce her to Dean, but she shoves him aside and turns to Corey.

Repeating a strange Japanese phrase that she had given the night before, Corey suddenly felt a chill up his spine as he stood there trying to look closer at the girl in front of him. Instead, she finally lifts her head, and he sees her grossly misshapen, bloodied mouth sliced open from ear to ear for the first time.

Kuchisake-onna, the Slit-Mouthed-Woman, had been following him the whole time.

Corey’s blood-curdling scream echoed through the streets and got Dean’s attention, but it was the last time Corey was ever seen.