The Brother, the Woman, and the Man

One night I was reading a book in my flat on the second floor.
I had often heard rapping sounds inside my room and I thought it had something to do with the weak foundation on which the building stood.
But that day some sounds were coming from a poster in my room and that was unusual.
Before long I heard someone's footsteps going up the stairs outside and I thought my big brother was home.

But the footsteps went on and on and they wouldn't stop.
That was odd and within less than three minutes I was popping my head out of the door to see what was going on.

I found a woman standing on the stairs, looking confused.
"Er, is___(my brother's name) home?"
I assumed, by the look of it, that she was my brother's girlfriend.
So without thinking very much I replied, "Not yet."
"Oh, I see...."
Looking quite disappointed, the woman walked back down the stairs.

My brother is going out with some weird girl again! I thought and went back into the room. But then I realised something.
My brother was on a business trip and he wasn't coming home until two weeks later.
If the woman was really his girlfriend she should have known that.
And why didn't I remember about his business trip until now?

"Can I please wait for him here until he comes back?"

I heard a voice from behind, and before I knew it was already morning.


After I woke up I was wondering if all of that had been a dream when I got a call from my brother on my mobile.
In the call he said his best friend had passed away and asked me if I could attend the funeral on his behalf.
(When I think about it now that was an odd request.)
I couldn't say no, and went to the address he gave me.

Usually when a house is holding a funeral they put up some temporary direction boards around the house and you will see those as you draw near to the house.  But I saw nothing of the kind and thought that was odd.
When I arrived at the house there was no reception either. I thought my brother must have got the address wrong. But just as I took out my mobile a woman came out of the house and greeted me.
"Oh, aren't you ___(my brother's name)?"
"Ah, no, I'm his younger brother."
When I answered, she said, "Of course, ___(my brother's name) isn't a student anymore, is he?" She chuckled to herself and invited me in.

I was then told the house was indeed where my brother's best friend used to live, but it had already been five years since he had passed away, and my brother had attended the funeral too.
I pressed my palms together in prayer at the little altar* inside which was his portrait; I didn't recognise the guy.

As I continued chatting with the lady I was thinking I must call my brother and get some explanation for this. But just then I got a call from my mother.
She told me that my brother had been in an accident in the place where he went for the business trip.
Without so much as saying goodbye to the lady, I dashed out of the house and rushed to the train station where my mother said she would be waiting for me, and together we travelled to the place where my brother was.

We managed to arrive sooner than we thought, but my brother had already gone into a coma. His rescue was delayed due to him having been trapped inside a car.
The doctor said we had to brace ourselves for the inevitable.

As I sat on the bench in the corridor with my mother trying my best to comfort her, my ears caught some irregular sounds of footsteps.
It was still early in the day and it was nothing unusual to hear many footsteps in the building but that particular set of footsteps which had caught my attention was not like usual footsteps.
Then it dawned on me that I had heard those footsteps before - on the staircases outside my flat.

In front of me appeared the woman I encountered at my flat.
"Not yet? Not yet? Not yet?"
I heard her mutter over and over again, and I knew in an instant that she was the one who brought it all about.
I glared at her and said "Go away!" in my heart.
In a flash she stopped muttering and her eyes swiveled round to look at me.
Her face didn't move an inch, yet only her eyes swiveled round like lightning.
Now I became aware that I was dealing with something terrible and felt chills down my spine.

I didn't know what on earth I could do and for a while me and the woman just kept glaring at each other.
Then suddenly there came another set of footsteps and for one second I looked towards the direction where the footsteps were coming from; and when I turned my eyes back the woman was gone.
I was thinking 'what's happened?' when a man, about the same age as my brother, appeared in front of me.
"Hey, you tell him not to make me worry too much, alright?"
He said, and making a fist he gently poked at my head a few times. And then he disappeared.
The man's face was the same as the one I saw in the picture at my brother's best friend's house.

My brother eventually woke up from a coma.
Later I asked him about the call but he said he never gave me one.
I looked at the call log and discovered that his name wasn't on it.

When I told him all the strange things that had happened to me, my brother cried.



*****************************************************************

Note:
*little altar - Here I am referring to a butsudan (仏壇, literally "Buddha altar"), a shrine commonly found in Japanese homes. A butsudan is a wooden cabinet with doors that enclose and protect a religious icon, typically a statue or painting of a Buddha or a mandala scroll. Some people place ihai (memorial tablets for the deceased ) and ihei (portraits of the deceased) within the butsudan.( wikipedia)  On the left is a picture of a butsudan.







Comments

crazy51 said…
Oh God, I usually enjoy apparition stories... but this one especially creeps me out. Really creeps me out.

Why?

Because I had a similar but not so similar dream last night about my sister.

I dreamed I was in my room when some creepy stranger knocked on my door. He was looking for my sis, but I don't know where she is... there's something creepy about the situation in that dream but I can't pinpoint what. Then, in my dream, my sister called me to meet her friend at a mall because she can't (not a funeral like this story, but still odd, right?) I came to the mall, but before I met my sister's friend, my mom called me and told me that my sister passed away on an accident. I was so shocked, but somehow I know it's only a dream because everything else feels so odd from the start. Anyway, there's a news coverage about my sister's accident played in the TVs at the mall, and I noticed the creepy stranger man who knocked on my door... watching my sister's car wreck in the corner, and then looking at the camera... looking at me. I woke up.

Thankfully, it's only a dream and my sister is okay. It's horrible horrible dream, though. I'm so creeped out. I haven't had nightmare in a long time... And then some hours later I checked on this blog as usual and welcomed with this story. It's kind of similar to my dream, isn't it??

Saya, I have to this has to be the creepiest content I ever read on your blog because of the dream :(
ryuu said…
oh my... who could the woman looking for his brother be? death? it could be sent by the father of lies..? hmm... do you ever get calls but when you answer no one answers back then later you hear your own voice saying "hello" and then it gets cut off but when you check for the received calls on your phone its not listed there hmm.. creepy.. hopefully its just problems with the network?
@crazy52: OMG Is that true???
After reading your dream my story does seem a lot scarier! And what a creepy coinicdence!

I'm glad yours was only a dream though!
Thank you dear, for sharing your story!

@ryuu: I wonder too! And I was also rather touched by how the brother's best friend tried to save him!

Strange phone calls creep you out don't they? Once I was living alone and I used to get a call from an unknown caller every night around the same time - around three in the morning. It annoyed me more than it creeped me out but I wonder who the caller was?? Can't imagine anyone calling me with evil intention, I mean who would want to hurt an innocent little thing like me? LOL
Diogo said…
For several months, I've been getting the exact same text message, which reads "I need to talk to you, please reply". The catch is that they usually come from different, unknown phone numbers, and after my single attempt at trying to reply, this message started being sent to me over and over again in five second intervals, until I turned off my phone. I never tried replying again, but I still receive that message every now and then.

Prank? Criminal mischief? Who knows. A Google search yielded no results, though, so it must not be a common prank.
ryuu said…
@SAYA - yeah it is a creepy and touching story.

every night? that is creepy i only get calls like that once in a while i don't know what it means though and i see the numbers before i answer the call but when i check its not on the list of received calls. hopefully its just network problems right? because no one would want to hurt an innocent little thing like you.^^
@Diogo: Oh my that sounds scary too! I guess your sender was really deperate to talk to you! Those messages that came after you sent a reply, were they all the same messages or different? You do get a message like that sometimes but for every five seconds?? That's crazy!

@ryuu: I think mine did leave traces on the call log but without numbers. The caller must have withheld his number. Yours is creepier! But yep, must be the network problem, coz who would want to hurt a fine gentleman like you?:D
Anonymous said…
Wow, people's experiences here are even scarier than the story! (because if you are all honest, then they are all true.) Cell phones can be creepy things, can't they? All the strange phone calls/missed calls from <>, or strange messages.

Anyway, in regards to this story - sounds like the speaker's brother has a kind spirit (his best friend) watching over him! That is a comforting thought, at least.

But I wonder who the woman was...?

~Michi.
Diogo said…
It's the same message, but that's not what bothers me. I typed that in a hurry before leaving for school today, so I'll explain better.

The message is actually a service offered by my mobile operator, which allows you to communicate with somebody even if you haven't got enough phone credit. By using this feature, you let the other person know you want to talk, and ideally, he will send a text message or call you back to initiate the conversation at his expense. So, that's not scary at all, obviously.

The unsettling part of this is that I get these invitations from all sorts of random numbers I don't even know, from area codes associated with cities I've never even been to. I do most of my socialization online or in person, so I have very few phone contacts and not many people have my number, especially not people from other locations. Plus, I've never given out my number on the Internet.

It's just someone dialing the wrong number, right? Well, maybe not, because on the day I tried answering, rather than being spoken with by whomever was on the other end, I soon received that invitation from multiple phone numbers in a very short time span, and in five second intervals, like I mentioned. Sometimes, I receive it at the weirdest times, like 2 or 3 AM. It's becoming increasingly rare for this to happen, but it still occurs every once in a while. If it's a pranker, it's one with a lot of time on his hands, as that's not even a feature you can exploit to earn free credit.

It's not the first time that odd, phone related events have happened. Once, my mom checked the call identifier on our landline, and noticed that she had received a call from her own mobile, while she was asleep. She doesn't sleepwalk or sleep anywhere close to her mobile.
Adorably Dead said…
Awww this one was so sweet and sad.
@Diogo: aww that's spooky! and your mum getting a call from her own mobile? That's really weird.

There are curiously many ghost stories related to telephones and I always find those creepy. I'm thinking to put up one ritual that involves the use of a telephone! Thank you Diogo for telling us your story! :D

@Adorably Dead: It is, isn't it? :D It's a good story!
@michichu2: Ooops! Somehow your comment ended up in the spam box! I'm sorry about that, dear. This sometimes happens with some comments.

Yes this story is kida cute at the end, isn't it? But the woman! I couldn't translate it very well but the description of her spinning her eyes around is the scariest moment in the story.

Thank you dear for your comment! :)
KC said…
I always get messages which annoy me a lot .I never replied it though , but it keeps on coming until now .
When I check who the sender is , it turn out to be .... my cellular telecomunication service provider .. !!!
Lame joke , it is -__-`
@KC: lol Those annoying messages! Somehow they manage to send me those messages at my loneliest moments.. I hear a beep and thinking its from a friend I open my mobile with a happy heart..only to find it's from a bloody service provider! Oops I mustn't swear, when I'm telling everyone not to do so!lol
Yura said…
Hi Saya,
are there any blogs similar to yours? I love looking at your blog during class (heh heh) and want to read more things like your posts ^_^
Diogo said…
You're welcome. =D My life is pretty mundane in that nothing clearly paranormal has ever happened to me, but some odd things do occur from time to time, like with those weird messages and my mom's phone calling our landline by itself.


Loneliest moments, you say? I could provide you my e-mail address and be your friend, if you wish. I wouldn't mind at all, I'm always available to talk. XD
@Yura: You can try Creepypasta.com. Or one of my blog readers has a great blog http://thehorrortree.blogspot.tw/
<--- the address comes with "tw" at the end because I'm currently living in Taiwan, but I think you can just change it to "com" and you'll get there.

But sweetie, don't look at it during your class! I don't want you teacher or your parents getting mad at you!

@Diogo: Thank you dear :)
I'm actually still debating whether I should put up my email address on the blog or not. I used to have it on the blog and some people were kind enough to send me mails but sometimes I get so caught up in my daily life I can not send them replies.
And also I'm actually a shy kind of person. I have a mild form of Avoidant Personality Disorder.lol

I'll remember you kind offer dear. But no don't put your address here, you don't want strange weird people like me sending you random mails!lol
Hasumi said…
this story gave a chill down to my pine o_O yet it's also so sad.. the friend spirit is so kind :(

@Yura & Saya: i apparently come across a blog which similar like yours, Saya. it also translated some japanese/korea bizarre things, and it seems some of the story are from the same resources as yours. haha
but still, the style of storytelling are totaly different, and i prefer Saya's style.:3

so if you don't mind, then i will share the link for Yura here :D only if you are okay with it. hehe

btw Saya, you live in taiwan at the moment ?
@Hasumi: I think I might know which site you're talking about. I suspect this person is sometimes using my site as the source.

When one of the readers at that site asked, 'are you taking this story from saya in undersorld?' the person said 'no I'm doing my own research. Anyway Saya tranlates only famous stories' It could be so, but his writing is sometimes too similar to mine.
And how can that be, when I'm translating all the strories from scratch? And some of the stories I translate is not even that famous, like "the Children Upstairs." I must admit I'm a bit annoyed.
♡Princess♡ said…
Oh the poor brother :(
I have a feeling maybe the girl was a spiteful ex-girlfriend who died never resolving the issues with the brother.

Crazy51 that is so spooky, how similar the dream was to this story!
Diogo said…
ああそうですか。 Well, the offer has no expiration date, so feel free to take it anytime. XD
@Diogo: here is an another talented person who can speak Japanese! Thank you dear! XD
Hasumi said…
o_0 oh my, i think you might be thinking about the same blog as i do. yes, there's a story about children upstair in the blog, that's why i think of your blog in an instant.

well, anyway, let's not share the link instead. we got enough scary story here considering you are back active :3
Unknown said…
OH wow this was very interesting and sad to read thank you for translating this Saya ^^
@Hasumi: I thought so! Never you mind! These things happen on the internet. At least he doesn't simply copy and paste it onto his blog!

@Niya Koroko: Thank you Niya, welcome to my blog and enjoy your stay! :D
Simon said…
Saya! You're back! And just as awesome (if not more!) Than before!!!!! AWESOME BLOG!!

Anyways, I enjoy your writings and love you and your blog :) Glad you've returned from such a long haitus. How's law school? I recall you posting something about studying law if I'm not mistaken :)
@Simon: Hello! It's very nice of you to pop in and leave a message for me! I am flattered by your words lol!

Ah! Law school! I did enter it! However I'm not there anymore! It's a long story!

If I was still studying the law I wouldn't have had time to update the blog. In fact it's precisely because I quit studying law that I'm back here again.

I'm now staying in Taiwan, doing various things...

Well, thank you dear for asking after me, that is kind.

You take care! :D

Diogo said…
Law school? I'm in law school. XD I graduate next July. Honestly, I can't wait until I graduate, because five years of law school (law school spans five years here) can really take their toll. As much as I love studying and learning, and I really do, I feel like I'm ready to actually start working. Attending classes, doing classwork and working on projects no longer appeals to me, I've grown tired and bored of that.


By the way, welcome back, Saya! =D
@Diogo: Thank you Diogo :D Japanese law schools either have two-year or three-year course. A lot less than the law school in your country! Where are you from Diogo, if I may ask?

I'm sure you'll be a brilliant lawyer! :)

Thank you for welcoming me back!!
Diogo said…
Thank you for the kind words! =D I hope to achieve success in my career, and I'll do my best to make that happen. As for your question, I'm from Brazil.
@Diogo: No problemo! :) I'm sure you will!

Brazil! Wonderful! Back when I was in London I used to live in this all-girls Catholic boarding house, and there were several Brazilian girls there. And they were all beautiful! I used to admire their easy-going ways and I wished I was a bit more like them, because I was such a timid, quiet person! They used to drink and smoke on the rooftop at night lol! I joined them once and it was such a memorable night!

I think quite a few Brazilian people come to read this blog, and I wish them all happiness and good luck! :D
Unknown said…
Great story! I wonder who the girl was. But it was good of the best friend to return and save the narrator's brother.
Saya san, creepy phone calls are bad! Please be careful.
@Tani: thanks! I don't get those phone calls anymore, so don't worry! ;)
Anonymous said…
Awww for some reason I imagined Akihiko Sanada and Shinjiro Aragaki as the narrator's brother and best friend respectively (they're characters from the game Persona 3). >.< This story is just a right mix of creepy and touching...

And oh BTW I just wanna tell SAYA-chan I'm so lovin' your blog! :D Been lurking here quite a while now.
@Anon: Characters from Persona?XD
I'm glad you like my blog! Thank you from commenting! ;)
paulene said…
reading all these comments about cell phones made me think of a similar experience of mine!

there was this one time i was in my mother's room watching tv (because she has AC) and she was on the computer. I was laying on the bed at that time and suddenly she received a call on her cellphone. Her phone was beside me so I quickly gave it to her but the caller hung up already. When she checked the missed call, she was surprised to see our telephone number! At that time, the telephone was right beside her phone (it was wireless), so it was impossible for anyone to actually use it! That really gave me the chills because both her cell and telephone were right beside me in the bed, and i didn't even touch them at all ;-;

that was really a creepy experience....
oh and i absolutely LOVE your blog! Even though i get easily scared, I still like reading scary stories haha! I guess that would make me an M wouldn't it?
Anonymous said…
Kacchan:3

this made me tear up... it's just so cute, true friends huh? adorable...