Shimanao-sama

This happened about eight years ago, I guess… During the summer vacation when I was a high school student.

“We’re going to see your grandparents,” my father said. They lived far away and it was the first time for us to see them in about six years. The summer vacation was coming to an end and I’d just about used up all my money, so I figured it would be a good way to kill some time. Plus my grandparents were pretty old, so I thought that it might be the last time I ever got to see them… So, I intended to carry out my filial duties.

They lived on a small island, the most middle of nowhere place. There were no buildings and it was like it was completely isolated from civilisation. There were small shrines all around the place, but what was strange about them was what they deified. Normally you’d see stuff like Oinari-san or komainu statues, right? But on this island, they worshipped a “child with one eye.”

You often hear about things like Hitosume-kozo or the Cyclops, right? It was kind of like that. Anyway, I guess it was the island’s traditional god, so I didn’t worry about it too much. After an hour-long drive from the harbour, we reached my grandparents’ house. I thought the place would be falling apart, but it wasn’t that different to our own house, and inside was unexpectedly nice.

“Well haven’t you gotten big!” my grandfather greeted me happily. When I entered the living room, I was hit with deja vu. There was a hanging scroll on the wall, and it had a picture of that same one-eyed child I’d seen on the way in. I asked my grandfather what exactly it was.

“This is an unlucky symbol,” he said.

“Unlucky? Then why do you have it on your wall?” I asked.

“He’s called Shimanao-sama. Us foolish islanders gave birth to him…”

My father’s expression turned dark, so I stopped asking questions.

There was nothing to do in the house, so I went outside. There was a small hill just out the back, so I climbed it. The view from the top was amazing, like I could have stood there all day and never gotten sick of it. Feeling a bit sleepy, I lay down and soon passed out.

When I woke up, the sun had already set. My parents were probably worried about me, so I got up and started to make my way back to the house.

“Kiiiiiii!!!”

Suddenly something screamed to the right of me, like a monkey, a woman, or a child; some strange shrieking noise. I jumped, but I figured it was probably just some local kids and calmed down. As I descended, I heard it again coming from behind.

It was a child’s voice.

I didn’t know what they said. When I turned around, a 2- or 3-year-old child stood there. I couldn’t see their face clearly in the darkness, but they seemed to be wearing a brown short coat, like those worn at festivals.

“Open! Open!” I had no idea what they were saying, and their voice sounded odd too, like kinda nasally.

The kid reached out for me, like they were going to give me something, so I put my hand out without thinking. The kid dropped something in my hand and then poof, disappeared. I stood there in shock, and when I came back to my senses, rushed home.

The lights were on in the entrance, so I finally saw what the child handed me… It was a necklace. Something smooth and round hung from a dirty string. It was dirty so I threw it in the trash. I thought about telling my father and grandfather about what had just happened, but decided against it.

As the night wore on, I got into bed, but perhaps because I’d already taken a nap during the day, I couldn’t sleep. Normally that didn’t matter and I could sleep anytime, anywhere, but not this time.

“Why…”

I heard a voice outside the bedroom window. It was that child from earlier. I jumped.

“Why… Why… Threw away…”

It was definitely that gravelly, nasally voice. I got scared and dove under the covers. Yet the voice seemed to get closer and closer.

Ah… crap.

Someone suddenly grabbed my ankle.

“Ah!!” I screamed. Moonlight shone on his face. I had deja vu again. It was the same face that was on my grandfather’s scroll, Shimanao-sama. He had a cleft lip, no nose, and a single, large eye on his face. A tuft of hair sat atop his head.

I thought I was going to die right there and then, I was so scared. But then he gripped my hand like he did earlier that day and again disappeared.

My parents and grandparents who were sleeping in the next room quickly came running in.

“What’s wrong?” my grandfather asked.

“I just saw Shimanao-sama,” was all I could get out. My grandparents both looked shocked.

“Really?! You saw Shimanao-sama?! Did he curse you?!”

My grandfather looked pissed, but my parents mostly looked worried.

I couldn’t say a word. I went to look for the necklace in the trash, but it wasn’t there.

I woke up feeling depressed. I leaned against the porch outside and my grandfather came and sat down next to me.

“About 70 years ago, there was a brother and sister.”

‘What is he talking about?’ I wanted to ask, but I stayed quiet and listened.

“This brother and sister were very close. But their love was twisted. One day, the girl got pregnant with her brother’s child. According to the religion of this island, it was forbidden for people of the same blood to associate in such a way. It was an extremely strict rule that resulted in the death penalty. And so, the brother and sister were to be executed.

“Yet they refused their sentence and fled. The islanders forbid any boats to leave in case the siblings were on one and searched frantically for them. Then they found them in an old shed deep in the mountains. The sister was holding a baby. She had given birth. The man who found her grabbed the baby and went to kill it. But instead he let out a scream and dropped it. The child only had one eye.

“The siblings and the child were taken to the island’s magistrate’s office. The brother and sister were executed, but the islanders feared that if they killed the baby they would be cursed. Yet if they let it live, they feared even worse calamity would befall them, so in the end they killed it as well. In order to destroy its soul, they crushed its head with a rock, chopped up the body, and then threw it into the ocean. It was a cruel death.

“A few days later, the three magistrates that carried out the execution of the siblings died. Then, the 30 people that took part in the search and death of the baby also died. The islanders thought it to be the work of the child. It was the one-eyed child’s curse, and so they built shrines dedicated to it…

“That child rarely appears to us now, but when he does, he hands over the necklace he got from his mother. Why, we don’t know…”

My grandfather stood up when he was done talking and returned to his room. Hearing his story, I couldn’t help but feel sad.

It’s been eight years since then, and my parents are still alive and healthy. I make sure to go back and see them at least once a year.