Real Mother

I was half asleep when the screaming started. "Oka-chan," I said. "I hear somebody in trouble in the storm we need to go get them. They'll freeze in the blizzard!"

My mother rolled over on her futon. "Go to sleep, Nami-kun," she chided. "It's just the wind."

"But Oka-chan--"

"But nothing!" She said. "Go to sleep. Now."

I tried to do as mother told me but I couldn't. I thought I could hear the crying and screaming. It sounded like someone was shouting my name. "Nami-chan!"

The only one who had used 'chan' after my name had been my father. He'd gone out in a blizzard one night and never returned.

The screams didn't sound like daddy though. No, it was definitely a woman's voice. I had to see if I could help her.

I peeked to make sure momma was asleep. I crawled from beneath the blanket and put on my Geta. Sliding open the Shoji, I bolted outside.

Squinting through the snow flurries, I could just see the silhouette of a woman. How strange, she wasn't shivering even though she only had a Kimono on.

"Excuse me," I said. "Are you alright?"

The woman looked in my direction and beamed. "Nami-chan," she said. "I thought you'd never come. Here, get closer, I want to see my boy."

I didn't know who she was but for some reason I trusted her. My feet were freezing but I managed to walk over to this woman.

She knelt down and looked into my eyes. She was as white as ice and yet her touch was warm. She pressed her hands to my arms as her eyes seemed to devour my every feature.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She was about to reply. "Get away from my son!" I turned to see my mother holding a lantern on the end of a pole.

The strange lady yanked me closer to her body. "He's not yours," she said. "Your husband loved me and shares my bed now! He lied to you when he said he found Nami wandering the mountain slopes. This is my boy and I've come for him."

Mother dropped the peony lantern. It fizzled out in the snow. "My husband would never cheat on me!" She said. "Especially not with a Yuki-onna. Now leave."

I was so confused. Before I could ask either woman any more questions the wind shrieked spitting snow everywhere. I felt like I was flying. The entire time the strange lady held me.

Suddenly the snow disappeared. We were in a cave where a small fire burnt.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"My son, how are you?" A man's voice said. I knew that voice. I looked to the big boulder.

"Oyaji!" I cried.

My captor let me go, so I ran and embraced my father. So this is where he'd been!

As he hugged me back he looked at the woman. "Thank you, Shiroko," he said. "I'm so happy you brought our boy back. I've missed him so much."

The Yuki-onna, Shiroko, joined our cuddle. "You're very welcome, dear," she said. "Now we can be together as we should have been."

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