The Snow Maiden

by Heather McAlendin

  THE SNOW MAIDEN (A short story)

  by

  Heather McAlendin

  Author of “Fae” ; “Foot Prints in The Snow” and “Valentine's Day.”

  This is a work of fiction. ANY resemblance to anyone, any place or thing is purely coincidental and from

  the author's imagination. Aspects are loosely taken from the Japanese faerie story about the Yuki

  Onna.

  Any artwork either written or visual belongs to the author and may not be reproduced without express

  written permission.

  2nd edition revised by Heather McAlendin 2012

  All rights reserved mcalendin.com 2012

  Chapter One

  The pale, thin, elderly Japanese man had leathery looking hands and a weathered face. His hair, once

  long, lush and dark was now snow white and sparse atop his liver spotted brow. He sat for a moment and

  took a deep breath, raised a small, white tea cup to his thin lips and took a deep drink of the hot tea. The

  young man sitting across from him noticed his hands were trembling.

  “Please tell me what it is you want me know chichi (father). I can see whatever it is is upsetting you.”

  The old man smiled and nodded as he placed his cup back down on the table. His eyes still shone like

  diamonds, the same as they had when he was a young man so many years earlier. It was a reminder that

  he was once handsome; as handsome as the son sitting in front of him.

  “Kichiru, my son, you are old enough to know the truth about where you come from. You need to know

  who your mother was and why she is no longer with us.”

  The young man shifted in his seat and ran his hand over his close cropped, ebony colored hair. Up until

  now his father had always avoided any questions about his mother. He would only reveal to Kichiru that

  she was the most beautiful woman imaginable and that she was gone; left them both when Kichiru was

  still a toddler. Kichiru always assumed she had died. He leaned forward and poured more tea. The son

  watched as the old man adjusted his emerald colored robe and then raised his eyes to stare straight ahead

  into this own. He did not look away.

  “Thank you for the tea.” Isamu said. “You have always been a good son. You must know how proud I

  am of you and how you have grown up.” Kichiru nodded and placed one hand over his father's thin fingers. “What is wrong chichi? Are you ill?

  Is this why you feel the need for this confession?”

  “This is not a confession.” Isamu began thoughtfully. “But then again maybe it is. None of us know how

  long we are to reside on this earth. You will soon marry and have your own children and it is important

  that a father be honest and forthright. Please take what I am about to say to heart and with an open

  mind.”

  Isamu watched as his son sat back in his chair. His almond shaped eyes stared curiously for a moment

  and then he dropped them to stare into his tea.

  “Drink,” Isamu said firmly. “Drink and then listen to what I am about to tell you and remember that

  your mother loved you fiercely or neither of us would still be in this world.” Chapter Two

  “Many, many years ago, when I was a few years younger than you are now, I was walking near the

  outskirts of my village with my best school friend, Kuro.”

  Kichiru had heard many stories about his father's village near Tokyo but this was the first he had heard

  of any best friend, either male or female.

  The old man waved his hand in response to his son's questioning eyes. “Don't say anything or ask any

  questions just yet. Let me begin to explain.”

  All the son could do was nod in respect and sit patiently while hwaiting for his father to continue.

  “It was the dead of winter and very cold. Kuro and I were out looking for scraps of wood and twigs we

  could bring back to feed the fires in our village. Many people were starving and freezing to death as the

  winter that year had been exceptionally cold. There were whispers in the village that the mysterious

  “Snow Maiden” was hard at work that year. Some even thought that our poor village had been cursed by

  her.”

  Kichiru nodded. As a child he had heard varying stories about the frightful “Snow Maiden”. She was

  the Japanese version of “jack frost” but a very enticing, sensual creature with evil intents on human

  kind; especially young men. It had been told that she could freeze a man to death with just a kiss.

  Kichiru felt the stories were to keep he and his friends from venturing too far into the woods at night for

  fear the Yuki-Onna, or “Snow Maiden” would turn their very souls to ice. “I see the look on your face.” Isamu said. “But many in my village took the story of this evil snow faerie

  very seriously. Dozens of young men and children died that year. Many frozen bodies were found in the

  spring and all with strange looking smiles on their faces.”

  “I am sorry chichi, I had no intention to disrespect you, please continue.” Kichiru said as he quietly took

  another sip of his tea. He did not want to be rude to his father but he could not fathom what this had to

  do with his mother.

  The old man coughed and then paused to take another sip of the hot tea. “As I said, we needed wood and

  the winter weather had been very cold, the coldest I could remember. Both Kuro and I dressed in as

  many layers as we could find and headed out into the darkness with only a small oil lamp to guide our

  way.”

  Kichiru closed his eyes as his father spoke and tried to envision what it must have been like to venture

  out into the wilderness with nothing more than a small lamp and your wits. Admittedly, he was always

  proud of how much his father had achieved since his youth. Isamu Nakami had become a successful

  businessman by importing traditional Japanese goods to America. The Nakami brand of tea and assorted

  sundries were now known world wide. Kichiru had slowly begun to take the reigns of the company as

  his father grew older. He knew it was only a matter of time before Isamu retired completely.

  The old man starred at his son with raised eyebrows. “Are you done with your daydreaming? Or shall I

  wait before continuing? I am leading up to something very important.”

  Isamu's sharp voice brought his son back to the present. His face flushed with embarrassment. “I am

  very sorry father. Please forgive me.” Isamu took a deep breath and sighed. “Somehow, I lost track of my friend as he ventured out into the

  blinding snow. The winds were bitterly cold and terrible and I feared if got too far away from my friend

  I'd never find him again. In that weather it would not take much for a man to die. I finally stumbled on a

  bundle of snow covered sticks and twigs with a pair of footprints leading deeper into the woods. I did

  not understand how Kuro would just drop our precious cargo and forge ahead into that deadly storm.”

  Silence.

  Kichiru watched with interest as his father wiped a tear from his eye with the sleeve of his robe. “Is this

  to painful a story for you chichi?”

  “Something in my eye. Give me a moment.”

  Kichiru decided it was best to keep quiet and waited as his father regained his composure. This “Kuro”

  must have been a trusted friend for him to get so upset. He kept
his thoughts silent.

  “Now where was I? Oh yes, the farther I trudged ahead into the snow and darkness, the more evident it

  became that my dear friend was somehow lost. Fear threatened to overtake me until I summoned the

  courage to try and find him. I did not want him to die alone out in the snow. After a few minutes I heard

  a sound; almost like a child crying. I hurried toward the noise and was startled by what I saw.”

  This detail caught Kichiru 's interest and he leaned forward. “What was it chichi? What did you see?”

  “At first I thought my eyes were deceiving me. I saw Kuro and he kneeling in the deep snow with his

  arms outstretched. I blinked once or twice and moved a step forward until I was close enough to get a

  good view of what was happening. Directly in front of Kuro was a woman; a beautiful woman holding a

  bawling child to her exposed breast.” “Why would a woman be out in the snow with a baby?”

  The old man nodded and touched a finger to the side of his head. “My exact thoughts. When I moved

  closer, I noticed this woman was garbed in the most beautiful of pure white kimonos; her sash was blood

  red. She seemed untouched by the wind and freezing weather. Her hair was long like a curtain of silk

  and the colour of coal; as were her eyes. Her flesh was alive with colour and her breasts were perfectly

  shaped and pink. I could see her nipples...”

  “Father!” Kichiru had never heard his father speak of his mother in this manner, let alone some strange

  woman in the woods.

  Isamu laughed very briefly and then his face got very serious. “I was young once and I used to have an

  appreciation for lovely creatures. I am human after all. At the time her visage was so startling all I could

  do was stare. As far as I knew, neither of them had noticed me so I stood for a moment watching and

  wondering what would happen next.”

  Kichiru impatiently tapped his foot and jiggled his leg. From the expression on his father's face he knew

  that whatever he saw he felt to be true.

  After another sip of tea and a second deep breath, Isamu continued. “The woman was so intent on

  Kumo that she failed to notice me. Her face was that of sculptured porcelain and her lips were painted

  ruby. The wind and snow raged around the two of them and for a moment, both were untouched. The

  child has stopped screaming and the woman very slowly and carefully placed the child in Kumo's arms.

  I thought perhaps he had agreed to care for the child or lead the two toward the village. I was not

  prepared for what happened next. As the child was laid to rest in my friends arms, the woman drew

  nearer to Kumo. It was at this time that I noticed her kimono had fallen open entirely and she completely naked beneath the unblemished material. Now, there had been some lovely women in my

  home village but none compared to this otherworldly creature. It was as if time had stopped and all that

  existed was this woman and her taut, bare flesh.”

  Kichiru took interest in the dream like expression that spread over his father's face. It was as if for that

  moment he appeared almost young again. Isamu's cheeks were flush at the memory of the nubile, naked

  woman in the woods and Kichiru felt almost uncomfortable in the sharing of this intimate moment.

  Isamu coughed and once again shifted in his chair as it trying to find a comfortable spot. He sighed

  heavily, leaned back and clasped his hands in his lap.

  “This woman drew as close to Kumo as two people can in that situation. Kumo draped the child over his

  shoulder and smiled into her eyes. As she leaned over him I could tell they were about to kiss.

  Unfortunately for Kumo he did not know it would be the kiss of death!”

  “Why chichi? Did your friend die in the snow storm? Did the woman and child perish with him?”

  Isamu shook his head. “You don't understand. No, he did not die; at least not at that moment. Literally

  this woman was trying to give him the kiss of death. She wanted to suck the living soul from his body.”

  Kichiru's mouth dropped open in surprise. “What? Surely you don't believe this?” Even with his

  knowledge of Japanese myth and ancient lore Kichiru could not believe that any rational man,

  especially his father would believe any of this.

  “Yuki-Onna,” Isamu's voice grew soft and low as if whispering a lover's name and not that of a horrid,

  soul sucking spirit. “The Snow Maiden? Chichi, do you really think this mythical creature existed? Are you sure you were

  not snow blind or so cold you imagined her?”

  Isamu chuckled under his breath. He knew this would be hard for his son to understand but he had to

  finish and make him believe.

  “She was as real as you are to me. Please let me finish and perhaps you will better understand.”

  Kichiru stayed silent but wondered silently if his father had lost his senses.

  “I watched in horror and awe as the Snow Maiden slowly reached forward and placed one petite, reed

  thin, pale hand under Kuro's chin. He seemed entranced but still had a strong hold on the child in his

  arms. His eyes were wide as saucers as Yuki-Onna pressed her ruby coloured lips to his own. I could see

  her close her eyes; her bare chest remained motionless as if she had stopped breathing.”

  Kichiru was suddenly very uncomfortable and stood up and placing his hands on the table. “Enough

  father! I thought you brought me here to tell me about my mother. I don't have time for ancient faerie

  stories!”

  “Sit down,” Isamu's voice was deep and controlled as he bade his son sit back down at the table. “You

  will not disrespect me or your mother's memory. Have you no patience for an old man's story? Give me

  another moment and all will be revealed to you.”

  Sufficiently chastised, the young man sat down with a thud on his chair. He lifted his own tea cup to his

  lips and drank deeply before nodding his head. “Forgive me again chichi.”

  Isamu continued on as if there had been no interruption. “There was a a remarkable change in both as

  the kiss continued. Kumo's cheeks became angular as if the skull within was straining to come free of his flesh and the Snow Maiden began to glow with such an intense light I had to turn my head away for

  fear of going blind.” Isamu stopped to take a breath and eyed his son to make sure he was still paying

  attention. “It was then I heard an awful scream. It sounded like a man or a creature was being savagely

  tortured. I braved the light to look back at Kumo. He was terrified and trying desperately to remove

  himself from the woman's vice like grip on his head. I finally shook free of my own fear and charged

  forward, yelling and shouting like a man possessed!”

  Despite his disbelief, Kichiru encouraged his father to tell him more. The story was becoming

  fascinating whether he thought it was truth or not.

  “At first neither seemed to hear or see me. Suddenly the Yuki-Onna dropped Kumo as if he were a hot

  coal in her hand. She turned to face me; still naked and her face was contorted in rage. “Bongu!” The

  creature shouted at me. I knew she was right. I had been foolish to interfere but I could not stand by and

  watch her murder my best friend. I thought my life was over. Kumo dropped to the ground in a heap and

  the child seemingly disappeared into the winter snow. Yuki-Onna moved forward as if floating on air

  and faced me. Her lovely face was suddenly calm and serene. I had never seen any woman more

  beautiful or ethereal or horrifying. It was then I had a full
view of just how incredible a creature she was.

  Her skin was unblemished and as pale as the snow that swirled around her. I was dumbfounded with

  awe and terror.”

  Isamu stopped talking and moaned as he recalled the affect Yuki-Onna's figure had on him. At that time

  he had yet to experience any pleasure a human woman could offer him. He was still a virgin lest for a

  few stolen kisses here and there from a sweet, young village girl. Isamu's body betrayed him at that

  moment. He was shocked that in his present age and condition that his worn out body yearned for her

  touch once more. “Father? Are you alright?” Kichiru asked. He had noticed his father's flushed cheeks and rapid breath

  and thought perhaps he was ill or the recollection of the death of his friend was too much for him.

  “Yes, yes I'm fine,” Isamu finally answered with a wave of his hand. “Even an old man can sometimes

  react to certain memories. Do you think young men are the only ones to enjoy pleasures of the flesh?”

  Kichiru's face grew pink as it finally dawned on him what his father was saying. The old man chuckled

  again and started to speak.

  “The Yuki-Onna finally stood in front of me in solid form. She no longer part of the storm but as a flesh

  and blood woman. I could not move as she reached forward to stroke my face and my neck. Her tongue

  darted out from between her red lips and she cooed like a bird in mating season. Her fingers felt warm,

  almost burning to my cold flesh as she continued to stroke and coo. “So human and so handsome. Your

  friend is lucky to have such a brave friend.” Her breath was warm and seductive in my ear as she spoke.

  “He will not live but I will allow you to live if you promise never to reveal to anyone what you have seen

  here. You have to vow never to reveal having seen or had contact with me. Do I have your honour on

  this? Can I trust you?”

  “How could I possibly say no to this entrancing creature? I did not want to die as I had yet to marry or

  have children. She leaned in and and kissed my cheek, leaving a sensation as if I had been branded.

  Then, in swirl of frigid, winter wind and ice she was gone. When I was finally in my right mind, I

  noticed even her footprints had disappeared.”

  “And Kumo?” Kichiru asked gently.