Rika Miyachi

Now, let me tell you about some stories what have with snow this time. Some of my friends and I have heard such a kind of story since we were little kids. What is that? White snow is surely beautiful. But it sometimes occurs terrible accidents, for example, snowstorms, some of them look like blizzards, snowslips, and so on. Then, we have several kinds of stories about snow in snowy areas.

Today, I am going tell you about one lady from now on. Can you guess what type of lady? According to my friends, she is not only beautiful but also terrible. Additional to that, she plays some tricks on people, animals, even to the weather, and so on in snowy and stormy days like today. So everyone was afraid of her very much especially during winter. That beautiful lady was called “yuki-onna” and　we have believed she lived in snowy areas. Well, “yuki” means “snow” and “onna” means “lady” in English so “yuki-onna” means “Snow Lady” in English.

One winter day, my father whose name was Mosaku and I went to mountains to hunt. This area had many snowy and stormy days in winter. On the way to home, we had been caught a very terrible snowstorm like today. So that we decided to drop by the log-cabin to escape from this snowstorm.

My father fell into sleep right away because he was so tired. Dad was much elder than I. On the other hand, I could not do such a thing so that I just closed my eyes for a while.

Now, one terrible accident suddenly happened to us. What was that? After a couple of hours had been passed, I saw that beautiful lady. She stood in front of my father and started to blow very cold breath time after time. She was the most beautiful lady whom I had ever seen so that I held my breath. Even I was unable to say hello to her.

But at that time, she suddenly took a look at me and said.
“You are too young to die just now. Then,
I will not kill you, sir. But don’t say this accident eternally. If you tell somebody about this, I will kill you at once. OK?”
I promised with her. But I could not remember after she had gone.

Next day, I found my father had already passed away to the heaven. Did I have a nightmare? No, it was truth. Then, where had that lady gone? To believe it, or not to believe it. That has been the question for me still today.

Several years had been passed since that day. Now, one wonder event happened to me. What was that?
One lady suddenly visited me on one snowy and stormy day like today. According to her explanation, that terrible snowstorm let her go nowhere. So that I asked her to take a rest at once and stay until that snowy storm finished.
Well, to tell the truth, she did go to nowhere after finishing the terrible snowstorm day after day. So I finally decided to our own familywith her here.

Now, let me tell you about my wife for a while. Strangely, she was not in good condition under the sunshine. Then, she was out after sunset almost every day. But she was very good at cooking, sewing, especially making snowman, snow-rabbit, and so on in winter. Not only my own children but also others were surprised and very glad to look at her works. According to her, she liked winter best.

That snowy and stormy day like today came again. On that day, I, I, ….
I finally told her everything about that terrible accident what my father had passed away!!

Would you guess what happened to her? She, she turned into… that beautiful lady…!!

She said with cry “I cannot kill your children and you.
Please look after our children instead of me, Minokichi. Please…!!” She finished her words and she suddenly opened the door and gone to somewhere in the snowy storm. After she had gone, I only saw many snowflakes. Though I looked after her many times for my children and myself, I finally could not find out her for good.

I cannot say where she had gone still today. Uuuuhh…I remember that cold snowy day again when I had met my wife for the first time. You may have a chance to see “yuki-onna” someday in your future if you stay in some snowy places.

Thank you for your listening to my story.

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