Seven Days: A Ring Story: Day 5 (Part 2)Jul 26 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line The group finally meet the author who wrote the Ring Novel
For the Story so far, check Schleppypigeon's and my own previous entries: Day 0 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5; Part 1 It is now the second half of Day 5...... Chris was furious: "We have two days left, we lost Lani coming here and you waste our last moments with this bulls**t!?" Suzuki: "Calm yourself! It will all be revealed in time." Zebu: "I think you'd better explain now! Who the hell are you?" Suzuki: "I'm the one who knows the rituals to contact the spirit world. I spoke to the spirits of Tomoko, Ryuji, Chizuko, Asakawa. They told me about Sadako and the video curse, and I wrote the story from their tellings." Zebu: "So is that why not even Hideo Nakata knows his film is based on real events." Chris: "So you want us to die in your presence just so you can write a sequel- you're disgusting." Suzuki: "No of course not- the book is a warning. To save people from Sadako's curse. i want to save you." Chris: "But you just said...." Suzuki: "Sadako's method of killing is an attack on the soul, the body is unharmed, meaning immediately after I can try and perform a ritual to rejoin the body and soul. I can bring you back from the dead" Chris: "Can you bring Lani back?" suddenly he was hopeful Suzuki: "Yes. She died from a mental attack, not a physical so her body will still be able to house her spirit. She will be the first one I will save. But you must bring her to me now, before her body begins to decay, otherwise the ritual will fail." Chris: "Wait a minute, have you ever done a spell like this before?" Suzuki bluntly answered: "No. Never!" Chris: "Are you saying it might not work?" Suzuki: "It has worked in the past, according to legend." Chris was horrified. Suzuki tried to gain his enthusiasm with a smile. "It was a precicely transcribed ritual, it's sure to work. I mean what else can you do?" Chris considered their ordeal and then returned to the phone... Lani's ghost had wandered off on her own, and went into an alley. "I'm alone...all alone..." Lani started crying, she wanted the others to see her, to hear her. Then she heard Suzuki's words in her head, that she could come back. "But I won't be alone for long." She walked out of the alley towards the shop, towards the others, towards what could be her second chance. "I'll come back, I've been told I'm too strong to truly die, and I'm gonna prove it!" She flew to the shop. She could feel the wind in her face blowing her hair around her face, just like when she would be given a ride on her cousin's motorcycle. She felt at peace with herself for a moment, and worried that she would disappear. She found herself outside of the shop and walked in. _ _ _ _ _ _ Suzuki felt a shift in the elements in the shop and her eyes widened with awe. "She's here! I can feel her presence. She's at peace. She wants to return to our world." Zebu: "Who Lani?" Suzuki: "Yes! You must go quickly and bring her body her before its too late!" "Ah, splendid." said Zebu, getting up out of her chair. "It's now up to me to drag a dead body from the hotel to here. Normally, I wouldn't do something this risky..." "Shikashi..." he said as he opened the door to the outside. "I shall make an exception... For a friend, and for a life." He then started down the street. When he got to the hotel, he stared at Lani's lifeless body. Zebu felt a rush of cold in his blood. He still had no idea how he was going to get Lani out of the hotel, let alone get her to Suzuki... in time. Zebu carefully lifted her body up, and looked around the room. In the corner, he spotted a large, black duffel bag. Chris remained with Suzuki. She said to him: "Did your other friend- the one with the girl who killed Lani say how soon he would be?" Chris: "I imagine no longer than it took Zebu to get here. Unless he has trouble persuading her to come." Suzuki: "Well we must get ready for their return. Suzuki began fetching books and bowls and herbs. Chris got restless and walked to the mantlepiece to look at a few framed photographs. He caught sight of a photograph of Suzuki, wearing a dress, a wig and make up and he was with two other Japanese men in drag. Chris: "Oh My God! You're a drag queen as well?" Suzuki: "Yes. It's a lot of fun. I don't share that with many people though. Especially people your age, who tend not to understand it." Chris: "Of course I'd understand it. I have gay friends, it's trendy to have gay friends." Suzuki: "By 'Gay' you mean effeminate homosexual. In Japan our slang word for it is 'neko'." Chris (dubiously): "Right!" Suzuki: "I am neither. I simply am Futurani- a transvestite. It's a fascination of mine, rather like spirits. To know of the spirit world, where souls existances are not restricted by their physical, corporial gender. I like to experiment with that kind of freedom. I aspire to be that free, as should other humans. we only have a limited time in this world to experience it, yet we deny ourselves that freedom, spirits experience that freedom for their eternal existence." Chris: "Eternal? You mean Sadako's spirit can never be destroyed?" Suzuki: "That's right, it can't." _ _ _ _ _ _ As Schleppy tried to phone Zebu, Mai took a pen and slowly began writing on her palm. She didn't look at what she was writing- it was not a conscious decision. Then she looked down and saw what she had written- it was a message from Sadako! "There is no escape. No-one will be saved." _ _ _ _ _ _ Suzuki and Chris were still having their conversation about the spirit world and Sadako "I wonder though.... about how Sadako came to have those powers. Most spirits cannot physically touch our world, some can't even communicate, yet Sadako can and brings death and madness to the living when she appears." Chris: "I've read a few newspaper clipping here. I read about Sadako's mother Shizuko who was psychic. This only emerged because of Sadako's body being found and it being found that her late father had killed her decades ago. Shizuko was doing a demonstration of her ESP powers to some journalists. They got angry and rowdy and abusive and then suddenly one of them fell dead on the spot- no-one had touched him." Suzuki: "That was Sadako- even when she was alive she had powers beyond this world. You know there are old legends of spirits who come to this world in female form. An elderly woman and a young handmaiden, dressed in white, to look for a mortal man to choose as their mate." Chris: "I've never heard that legend." Suzuki: "It's from ancient Japanese myths- quite well known in-fact. These spirits were apparently never human and had always been of the spirit world, and were unused to our ways. They would be recorded as very possessional and vengeful, and would frequently come to torment the men they had chosen when they found out their imperfectly mortal men had been unfaithful or had lied." Chris made a joke "Maybe they were just a bunch of militant feminists wearing white sheets." Suzuki: "But what makes me wonder about Sadako is those less well-known legends of those who had succesfully brought their mortal husbands into their dimension- which wasn't very often. According to some legends, the two would produce half-human offspring which would find its way into our world, possessing the drowned body of an unwanted child, coming to dry land to choose a mother and like their spiritual parents had done, they would form an intense loving bond with their chosen mortal mother." Chris: "Like our old legends about changelings." Suzuki: "But what was frightening was that the offspring would have constant supernatural control of the elements. Terrifying control over life and death, and as their bond of love with their adoptive parents became stronger, their fear and distrust of anyone outside their family would become just as passionate, as well as their capacity to use their deadly powers." Chris- "So maybe that's how Sadako was concieved." _ _ _ _ _ _ The young Police Officer Itawa drove down the street when he saw Zebu carrying the bag across the street, dragging it across the floor. He was dressed like a tourist. Naturally it looked a little suspect. He pulled over and approached the teenager. In Japanese he asked Zebu who he was and what was in the bag. Lani listened to Chris and Suzuki's conversation and sighed. "Please hurry Zebu, please get here soon." As Schleppy gently extended his hand to Mai's, hoping she would hold his hand and go with him. Mai extended her hand and then looked down on Sadako's message on her palm and screamed. The Officer Itawa was a block away and heard the screaming. A woman being attacked perhaps. Well that couldn't wait. He ran towards the screaming, leaving Zebu and his suspicious body bag behind. he came to the spot where Mai and Schleppy were. Itawa didn't know where the scream had come from. He asked a passerby who pointed to Mai and Schleppy. the passerby said in Japanese: "She just screamed, the boy she's with didn't harm her, she just screamed. I think she's from the institute." Itawa approached Schleppy and Mai, he knew it was possible that she was just a patient at the institute taking a walk, but he had to be sure, maybe she had just been attacked, besides he'd rather try to help so she wouldn't scream again and cause alarm to the public. Itawa: "Are you two okay? I don't mean to intrude but from the sounds of things your friend seems very distressed. Can I help? Do you need a lift somewhere?" Schleppy looked at Iwata. "Er, she's alright- I guess she's just a little rattled." He hid Mai's hand from Iwata's view. "About what?" Schleppy changed the subject. "That ride sounds good- we'd like to go to the occultist shop- do you know the way?" Iwata nodded. Schleppy's Japanese wasn't very easy to understand, but he got the gist of it. He opened the door to the police car and Schleppy stepped in. Mai hesitated. "Mai, come on." Mai stayed put, staring down at her hand. "Don't worry, Mai. Soon the curse will be done, and this'll be all over." He pulled her into the car, which then drove away toward the shop where Suzuki and Chris awaited them and Zebu. Zebu dragged the bag across the city, until, finally, he reached the shop, where Chris and the others were waiting. There was a FWUMPH sound as Zebu dropped the bag on the floor. "My God..." he panted. "She's heavy." Chris was alarmed. "Hey," he said, standing up. "Careful with her body!" "Sorry," said Zebu, as he unzipped the bag. Miya smiled and walked into the shop. Miya: oh how cozy it is in here. Chris: Miya I do not now what has happened to you but you are not a dead wizzard. Miya: HA HA HA HA You know nothing Miya stood still and energy flowed arroun her, her voice deepened, and a hologram like figure appeared around her, it looked like a old man. Miya: SADAKO WILL NOT BE STOPPED, NORE WILL SAMARA, It does not matter what you try, I will always bring them back, I am the purifier of the world, I am the doctor, and sadako and samara are my vaccines. You peetyfull humans are the virus, and you existance will be purged from the earth. Chris ran at Miya. Chris: You a***hole. Chris tried to hit Miya, though she easily held his punch back. Miya: Ha pathetic, though I would not give you the pleaseure of me killing you, I would rather watch you get killed by sadako. Suzuki: Who are you? Miya: I am en no oduzu, I know you well suzuki, and I thank you, you told the world as a warning, though they think of it as fiction, it makes the real deaths seem not real, and make them ignored. Miya then dissapeared laughing Suzuki thought he felt some of Miya left in the spirit of en no, and he thought it may be possible to bring her back. After Miya left, Lani looked at Zebu hoping that in her fury he would hear her. "I AM NOT HEAVY!" She crossed her arms and shot Zebu a death glare that no one could see. Suzuki clapped his hands suddenly: "Right, you must not pay any attention to her. You must clear your thoughts of all things negative for this to work." Schleppy: "What about Mai?" Suzuki thought for a moment: "Send her out for a moment, she can go in my garden and relax." Schleppy led her out gently. Suzuki: "As long as there are four of us here it can work." Suzuki pulled out his incantation book and when they were all ready he told them to form a circle around Lani's corpse and join hands. He lit a set of candles symetrically placed around her body. Suzuki: "All close your eyes and concentrate- concentrate on the world beyond ours which none of you can see, but which surely exists." He then began reading from the book. "Blood of Lani, rejoin blood and water as we rejoin body and soul to awake the dead child." He sprinkled angel dust over the corpse, and somehow the colour started to come back to Lani's cheeks. It was working. He continued. "Spirit of Lani, your body and soul must be rejoined. It was not your time and you must return to the dimension of the living where you belong. I summon you into mortal form again. Ressurect your inert body to breathe again." He then looked at the book and read aloud. "Kaniaham Charcou Kiteni, Kaniaham Charcou Kiteni, Kaniaham Charcou Kiteni" Suddenly it was windy inside and banshee-like screams from the dimension of the dead could be heard so loud it pierced the heart with terror. Suzuki: "It's happening! Spirits of the neverworld! Bring this rebirth of life!" The screams slowly began to die. Suzuki: "She's resisting! Lani! You must come back. Your body will never be your vessel again, this is your only chance of rebirth. Your friends in the land of the living love you and need you. There will be another time for you to see your mother and your lost loved ones again in the years ahead. Your place is in this dimension" As the screams reached a crescendo, the candles blew themselves out and it was suddenly dark. Chris was the first to break the silence: "Did it work?" Suzuki breathed. "I think so. I'll turn the light on." When the light came on, Lani remained motionless, unbreathing, to all intents and purposes she was still dead. Chris fought back the tears: "Oh please don't let me lose her again" Suzuki: "Her body has been dead and inert for quite a time. You may need to ressucitate her." Chris began furiously searching her cold chest for the right pressure point. When he found it, he presssed down with all his might again and again, trying to stimulate her to breathe again. After fifteen blows he pinched her nostril and started giving her the kiss of life. She still didn't breathe. He tried again another fifteen blows. He again tried to breathe for her and again she wouldn't breathe. Zebu: "We must be too late..." Suzuki: "You mustn't lose hope. Keep trying, be patient" Another fifteen blows, another kiss of life, another deathly silent response. Chris couldn't fight back the tears anymore: "Please God! Lani I need you back so badly! I can't lose you like this" He gave her fifteen more blows and the kiss of life.... and this time there was a response, namely Lani started kissing him back. He pulled away from her. She was breathing. her eyes opened but didn't meet his, as though she was slightly blind. Lani: "Chris! You brought me back!" Chris broke into a smile and laughed with tears of joy. Zebu and Schleppy smiled. "Well," said Zebu. "I'm glad we got this deal with Lani over with." His expression turned serious. "Lani, when you tried to breach Mai's mind, did you find anything? What do you remember?" "Not much." Tries to get up, but is having trouble. "And I officially hate gravity, and bright lights. Does anyone have some asprin?" "I think I have some back at the hotel...." Zebu says, after unsucessfully searching his pockets. Chris reaches down and pulls Lani up. "Thanks," she says, brushing back her hair. It is evident she is having some trouble standing. Schleppy turns to the others. "I think something is terribly wrong with Miya... She was normal before we left for Japan..." "I think something happened to her when she arrived." Chris says. "I suppose Suzuki would know something about th-" Suddenly, everyone noticed Suzuki was missing. "Where'd he go? Shouldn't he be here to help us?" Lani's finally managed to stand up. "Well, I think this has to have been the most exciting week ever so far. First there's the tape, then coming to Japan, then dying and coming back from the dead, all this and I'm only 15." Sighs slightly and smirks. "So do you think there's any Miya left inside her mind?" "I'd certainly hope so," said Schleppy, pulling his clothes back on. "But I was under the impression that Suzuki would help us out with the curse and such. I mean, he's helped a lot- but this has been a very confusing day. It's getting late now, let's get back to the hotel. We'll try and figure this out tomorrow." Schleppy realized something. They had two days left, and they were no closer to figuring this out than they were when they left the United States. It was really beginning to look hopeless. Schleppy was somewhat shaken. "I'll go get Mai." Schleppy went outside to the garden and saw Mai, and Suzuki was with her. Suzuki: "Oh hello, I just thought I'd let you all have a private moment with your friend. You must have thought I'd done a disappearing act." Schleppy: "Has she spoken at all?" Suzuki: "No... poor child. Ryuji's spirit told me she was strong minded. But this is what Sadako has done to her." Schleppy: "We're going to go back to the Hotel" Suzuki: "You might be better leaving her with me. You have enough on your plate right now." Schleppy: "But I'd like to be with her if I'm about to die." Suzuki: "Well you can visit her, but really you need to be with your friends and discuss your options of survival." Schleppy: "But we don't know what to do." Suzuki: "I thought your friend told you what she learned." Schleppy: "No she doesn't remember." Suzuki: "Well I thought you knew anyway, the answers in my book." Schleppy: "We didn't read all of it, what is the answer?" Suzuki: "What do you know so far?" Schleppy (annoyed): "That everyone who knows won't tell us." Suzuki: "And why is that?" Schleppy: "Because somehow this cure, whatever it is, is somehow just as bad, if not worse than the curse itself. Suzuki: "Well that's because its not a cure, its a sacrifice to appease Sadako" Schleppy: "Mai said it was something about sacrificing someone else is all I found out from Mai before this happened to her. I don't know how we're supposed to do it." Suzuki: "You do it by making a copy of the video and passing it on to someone else. They must watch it in order for you to be saved." Schleppy: "It's that simple?" Suzuki: "Of course not, if you choose that option, which I can't and wont stop you from doing, then you will survive, but the other person's death will remain with you always, and Sadako will still have won." Schleppy: "It seems like our only choice" Suzuki: "well of course I could try to ressurect you all again, like with Lani, once Sadako kills you. If it works, no-one else will die and you can destroy the video." Schleppy: "But it might not. I think Sadako's curse does damage the body- i think it actually is a biological virus." Suzuki: "If that is true then it won't work- the body must be undamaged. Besides, it almost didn't work for Lani, she almost didn't come back." Schleppy: "Maybe we should go and find another answer somehow. I'd better leave." Suzuki: "You still don't trust me" Shleppy said nothing. Suzuki: "I'd also suggest you use today, tomorrow and your last day to contact your loved ones and say your goodbyes. If you find nothing then in your final hours come to me and I will try to ressurect you, as a last resort." Schleppy: "Alright." He then left. Suzuki called after him: "Remember that if one of you decide to copy the tape and manage to find another viewer as your sacrifice, only they will be cured, it will not cure the group. It's an individual decision." Schleppy: "Would you think badly of me if I did copy and pass the video?" Suzuki: "I'm in no position to judge you. You're a dying man trying to survive at all costs. I am not. But think carefully... Anyway you must go, today is nearly gone." Schleppy ran back to the others. Zebu grinned at him. "So, we have to copy the tape.... contribute to the spreading of this 'virus'......" Schleppy looked at him. "You heard?" Zebu nodded. "We all did." He uncrossed his arms. "However...." he said, "This presents a somewhat amusing situation...." Lani blinked. "Amusing?" Zebu closed his eyes. "On one hand, we could spread the virus, as Suzuki suggested." "But on the other hand, we could work to end the curse... which I think Miya has something to do with." "Miya?" Schleppy was somewhat confused. "Yes," said Zebu. "It is apparent she has some connection with the demonic spirit of En No, who, I'm convinced, is the 'father' of Sadako and Samara." "So we have to find some way to destroy En No?" Chris said. "That's madness!" Zebu held his hand up. "I didn't say that. All I said was that I think Miya has something to do with us stopping the curse." He exhaled deeply. "Now, my friends, I beleive we must get back to our humble abode at the hotel. It is late, and we only have two more days left. And, in my opinion, we've figured out a hell of a lot." The group got back the hotel, expressed their good-byes for the night, and went into their respective rooms- Lani into one, the guys into the other. Once again, Lani had weird dreams because of her psychic powers and had trouble sleeping, so eventually she gave up and sat awake considering her ordeal- going over all she had learned from her psychic link with Mai. Remembering Reiko's words to Mai spoken in Japanese but Lani had understood- "It never ends. you must copy the tape within one week and show it to someone! It's the only way to survive- it was the only way to save Yoichi" Whilst in the next room Chris and Zebu still stayed awake worrying. Zebu broke the silence "Could you do it? Give someone else the curse?" Chris replied "I'm trying not to think about that. All I know is I am so scared of losing Lani again." Zebu "We all are." Chris continued "If she chose to do it and she lived, I don't think I'd care who died in her place, I'd just be so glad she'd survive." He then realised what he had just said. "My God, that must sound so heartless. What am I becoming?" Zebu looked at him "Don't do it, don't try to figure out what's the right thing to do, it'll just drive you crazy" "You're right. I need something to help me sleep." he thought for a moment. He remembered his uncle had once been an alcoholic, he had avoided life that way for so many years and made a mess of a lot of things- his career, his family ties, his bank balance, but eventually he had given up, realising he still had a future to think about. Maybe Chris really did have no future now. He finally decided "I'm going to drink myself to sleep. There's an off license round the corner and I think it'll still be open." Zebu was surprised "It's midnight, the streets will be full of crazies. I'll have to go with you." He then went to fetch his Zweilhander sword, but it wasn't here. "Oh God! It's not here." "Eh? What isn't here?" "My sword, I must have left it at Suzuki's. I'll have to go and fetch it. I'll go now." The two both left, leaving behind Schleppy who slept peacefully, his thoughts undisturbed by any spirits, Ryuji's ghost did not come to him this night. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Although Suzuki had told the kids how to survive, it seemed they were not going to do it. This, of course, made Sadako very angry and it was now Ryuji's job to try and find out some way to get the group to spread the virus. But Ryuji wasn't concentrating at the task at hand. In fact, his spirit wasn't even in the hotel. He was in the occultist shop, sitting down on the floor next to Mai's bed watching his old lover from when he was alive, she was in pain and it broke his heart. A tear fell from his eye as he watched her sleep. Mai was awoken by Ryuji's presence. She saw him and spoke for the first time, naturally in Japanese: "Professor, help me!" He eyed her sympathetically and mouthed to her the word "Always!" and then vanished. She stared down at Sadako's message which still chilled her. She went to the bathroom and put her hand under the sink running water on her hand, scrubbing slowly at it, she felt as if half of her were paralysed. When the ink on her hand ran away the ominous message she turned off the tap and turned back to the door. But she then felt something, and turned towards the sink and noticed a small drop of congealing water. Before her eyes it slowly increased in size unnaturally, animated by Sadako's bubbling hate. she clapsed her mouth and backed away. Without running she made her way to the front door of the shop and went out. She needed to escape. She felt compelled to go back to the hotel, somehow she knew Ryuji's spirit had gone there, and she wanted to be with Schleppy. But it was half an hour walk between here and the hotel, Mai was half-paralysed and unable to run, and it was past midnight, and far from the safest time to walk the streets at the best of times. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ So what will happen in Day 6? Stay tuned until then  |
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