The Last Bell

This is a continuation of books 1 and 5, using the same characters and setting. Previously, in book 1, Ren and his friends went to the shrine and met the priest. In book 5, Ren and his friends traveled through time to the late Edo era and helped a boy deliver a message.

"Why are we here so late?" Ren asked. "It's eleven at night, and I'm freezing. We never had to do anything like this back in London." Ren hugged himself as they walked up the stairs to the shrine at the top of the hill. He blew into his hands. The night stars twinkled in the cold air while the moon was bright in the sky.

"Hatsumode is a very important event. It's good luck to be one of the first to throw coins into the offering box and welcome in the new year," said Hana. She wore a thick down coat and a scarf. "You should have worn a warmer coat."

"I wore my warmest coat. I even put on two sweaters, I have two heat pads in my shoes, and a heat tech shirt from Uniko." Ren pulled his coat tighter.

Momo ate some dango. "I want to get an omikuji lucky charm. I've made it to the idol contest finals next week. I need all the luck I can get. Those dancers are tough." She danced up the stairs.

"You shouldn't eat and walk, Momo," said Hana. "It's bad manners."

"This is the one night of the year that it's okay to eat and walk," said Momo. "Look! They even have garbage cans out."

Sora shivered behind them. "Why are we coming back here? This place is bad luck. Last time, we traveled through time. I just know something bad is going to happen."

"Are you sure about that, Sora?" asked Momo. "That trip felt like a dream."

"I'm sure!" said Sora.

"Sora's right. This place is strange," said Ren. "But this time, I want to find out more secrets. I wish it weren't this cold, though."

A bell rang out.

At the top of the stairs, a long line of people waited to go into the shrine. Lanterns were lit along the side, and the top of the shrine was as bright as day.

"Hey? Is that kimono okay? I've only seen that style in an old anime," Ren said.

One girl stood to the side of the stairs, watching the faces of the people who passed. Her dress was a simple striped cloth kimono, wrapped around her. Apart from a scarf around her neck, she wore nothing else to keep warm. She blew into her hands, but didn't move. A piece of wood was sticking out of her sleeve.

"Are you all right?" Momo bent down. "It must be zero degrees out here. I bet you're freezing in that."

"I'm okay, thank you." The girl bowed. "But I'm looking for my brother, Kyo," she said. "He was going to meet me here."

"Do you want to come inside the shrine?" asked Momo.

She shook her head. "No. I must wait here for him."

Sora pushed the other three away through the torii. "She wants to wait. Let's go inside." He dragged the others deeper into the shrine.

"What are you doing, Sora?" Ren glanced back at the girl. She seemed to be shivering.

"There's something about her that I don't like," Sora said. "I got goosebumps just staring at her."

"But…" Ren couldn't see the girl anymore.

"Trust me on this, Ren." Sora shook his head.

"You have to stop worrying so much, Sora," said Momo.

"Maybe later, when I'm home under the kotatsu." Sora pulled them closer to some of the food stalls.

A loud bell rang out.

"That's the second time I've heard the bell. What is it?" asked Ren.

"The Joya no Kane," said Hana. "It's a bell. They ring it 108 times to celebrate and clear away the problems of the old year."

"Why are there food sellers up here?" asked Ren. "I thought they were all at the bottom."

"People get hungry up here, too," said Momo. She and Sora went to a crepe stand.

"Come on, we have to wash our hands," said Hana. "Do you remember what to do?"

Ren sighed. "Of course I remember."

They went to the fountain and washed their hands, pouring the freezing water over their left hands first, then their right. When they finished, Hana cupped some water in her hands and took a drink. She swished it, then spat it out. "You try it, Ren," she said.

"Huh?" Ren stuck out his tongue, but copied Hana and rinsed out his mouth. "We didn't do that the last time."

"This time is special," said Hana.

Momo and Sora joined him and washed their hands. "Let's get an omikuji before the bells finish," Momo said. "I want a daikichi."

"Daikichi?" Ren asked.

"It means great luck," said a voice in the darkness.

Sora shouted and ran behind Momo.

"Welcome back to the shrine." A priest stepped from behind the well. He was wearing a long, pale green robe and holding a tall, black hat. The bells rang out softly.

"You! Where did you come from?" Ren asked.

"My office. When I saw you four arrive, I knew it was time to come out. I need your help." The priest crossed his arms.

"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Ren stepped in front of the other three and faced the man. A shiver of excitement ran through him, but he had to protect his friends.

"I'm the priest of this shrine. It's my job to make sure everything is running smoothly," he said.

"What does that have to do with us?" asked Ren. This man knew the secrets of this place. Maybe he could tell them more.

"You four have been in the center of several strange events," said the priest. "First, you found the rabbit statue that was hidden away. Then you traveled back to the Edo period to help that boy."

"I knew it!" shouted Sora. "That time travel thing wasn't a dream." He paused. "How did you know about that?"

"Be quiet, Sora," Hana said. "He's not finished yet."

"I can explain everything in time, now that you've met Shinobu." The priest smiled.

"Shinobu?" Ren, Momo and Hana said at the same time. Sora pointed back to the entrance.

"The girl in the kimono! I knew she was strange." Sora started to shake. "Is she a ghost?"

Momo hugged him. "I knew something was different. She had that feeling about her."

"I don't believe that," said Hana, but she looked back at the entrance with a white face.

Sora closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"She won't hurt us, will she?" Momo asked the priest.

"No. She is quite harmless. New Year's Eve is a time of wonder. Our world and the next world become closer. She has appeared at the first bell for the last hundred years. She waits at the entrance in her old kimono and never speaks to anybody. Most people never even see her. When the bells finish ringing, she vanishes," said the priest.

"She said she was waiting for her brother," said Ren.

The priest clapped his hands. "She spoke to you! That's wonderful. And she's looking for her brother? That explains a lot. Maybe you'll be the ones who can help her," the priest said, putting on his black hat.

"US!" the four said at the same time. Momo looked back at the entrance while Sora covered his head.

"I tried many times, but failed every time. She talked to you. Maybe you can find out what she wants," the priest said.

"But how?" asked Hana. "I don't know what to do."

"Your friend has already started." The priest pointed back to the entrance. Momo had left and was already talking to the ghost, offering her a fish-shaped pastry.

"Where did she get that taiyaki?" Sora slapped his head. "Come on!"

The three ran back to the entrance.

"Momo, what are you doing?" asked Sora.

Momo put her hand on the ghost's head. "This is Shinobu. Her brother is very late." Momo turned to Shinobu. "Would you like some taiyaki?"

Shinobu shook her head. She wiped her cheeks. "It smells delicious. New Year's is the only time of year I get to eat taiyaki, but no. I want to share some with my brother."

"Why is your brother late?" Hana asked.

"He is a messenger for the city lord." Shinobu blew into her hands. "I don't get to see him much because he has an important job delivering messages to many people this evening."

The bells continued to ring.

Something about the story felt very familiar. "A messenger? Did he ever lose a message?" Ren's voice cracked.

Hana's eyes grew wide, her fingers twitching as she counted in the air.

"Oh, yes. One time, he dropped a very important message to the city lord about building this very shrine. Some kind strangers helped him find it." Shinobu clapped her hands. "I hope I can find them someday."

Sora shook harder.

"No way!" Hana opened and closed her mouth.

Ren rubbed his hands together.

Momo broke the taiyaki in two and handed Shinobu a piece. "I thought so. Your brother met us earlier and told us he was going to be late. He asked us to meet you, but didn't tell us what you were wearing."

The taiyaki slipped from Shinobu's fingers and fell to the ground. Her face turned dark for a moment. "Sorry."

"No worries." Momo threw the dirty piece away and handed Shinobu another small piece of taiyaki. "I have more."

"Thank you." Shinobu held it gently in her hands. "Thank you for the food." She started eating it. "He's always forgetting my clothing. Forgive my rudeness, but if I may ask, who are you?"

"We're the ones who helped him find his message," said Ren.

Shinobu clapped her hands and bowed. "You were the kind strangers? He talks about you often. Thank you so much for all your help."

"Is this your first time here?" Hana's voice squeaked. She took a deep breath, repeating her question in a regular voice.

"Oh, yes. They just finished building it. We promised to meet here to celebrate the New Year together. This is my last chance before..." Shinobu looked up at the shrine as the wind grew a little stronger.

"Over here," Hana whispered to Sora and Ren. They huddled as the bells rang out.

"Momo lied to Shinobu," said Ren.

"It helped her trust us." Hana swallowed. She looked back at Momo and Shinobu. "Maybe she's the ghost, and the sister of the boy we helped, but there's no way she could meet him. I counted. That was over a hundred and fifty years ago. What do we do?"

"We have to get out of here," said Sora. "She could hurt us!"

"I can still hear you, and I didn't lie. He asked for our help, remember. I'm not going anywhere." Momo crossed her arms. The other three broke the huddle and went back to Momo. Shinobu continued to eat the taiyaki and didn't look at them.

"Shinobu hasn't done anything yet. When I heard she was a ghost, I was expecting chains and empty eyes. Japanese ghosts are weird." Ren glanced at Momo and Shinobu. "She said this was her last chance. What does that mean?"

Hana shrugged. "We traveled into the past last time. The priest said she's tied to the bells. Maybe that has something to do with it?"

Sora shook his head. "Don't you know about ghosts? They can't move on because they are stuck here. If we find that out, we can help her move on."

"You know a lot about ghosts for someone who wants to go home," said Ren.

"It helps keep me safe," said Sora. "But if Momo is staying, I guess, so will I."

"She wants to meet her brother," said Hana. "Maybe we can help?"

"That's impossible, even for a great detective," said Sora. He stepped away from the other two.

We need to do something. There are too many mysteries here. "Momo, do you still want to get an omikuji?" asked Ren suddenly.

"Yes. I need all the luck I can get. Why?" asked Momo.

Ren looked at the two. "Shinobu, do you want to come with us? Maybe get one for your brother?"

"Can I?" asked Shinobu. "This is my first time at such a big shrine. I don't know what to do, and I'm usually so sick that I can't come."

"We've already washed our hands," said Hana. "Do you need any help there?"

"That part's okay," said Shinobu.

"We'll go with you," said Ren.

The bells grew louder.

"How many rings is that?" asked Sora.

Hana looked at her watch. "Oh no! It's eleven thirty. The bells usually finish just after midnight. We've only got about thirty minutes left."

"Let's hurry," said Momo.

Sora walked away from the other three.

"Come on, Sora. We'll need your help," said Ren.

"But that's a ghost," Sora said. "She's dangerous!"

"Does she look dangerous?" Ren asked.

"No, but…" Sora bit his fingernails.

The four friends went to the shrine office with Shinobu after washing their hands. The miko sitting behind the glass smiled.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"Can we have five omikuji?" asked Hana.

"Sure. That will be one thousand yen." She handed Hana a big bamboo tube. There was a hole in the top and a rattling sound inside.

"What's that?" asked Ren.

"We shake it, and a stick pops out of the hole. The number on the stick tells us which lucky fortune to take," said Hana. She shook the tube.

A thin bamboo stick popped out. "Seventeen. Your turn, Momo." Hana handed the tube to Momo.

"Six. My favorite number." Momo handed it to Sora.

Sora tried next. "Four! Great, why do they have such a bad luck number here?" he groaned.

"Really?" said Ren. "Thirteen is bad luck back in London."

"Here it's four and sometimes nine," said Sora.

"Why is that?" Ren took the fortune tube from Sora and passed it to Shinobu.

Hana pointed to the kanji on the sticks. "Well, the word for four sounds like death and the word for nine can sound like pain."

"Thank you," said Shinobu. She shook the tube, and a stick popped out. "Twenty-three."

"My turn." Ren shook the tube and got a bamboo stick with the number nine.

"Yours is also bad luck," said Sora. He stepped away from the others.

"Really?" Ren shivered. "Can I pick another number?" He handed the tube and stick back to the miko.

Hana smiled. "Don't worry about old superstitions. Come on, let's get our fortunes."

Along a small wall next to the shrine office was a cabinet with many small doors. They opened the tiny doors with their numbers. Inside each was a small strip of paper with kanji at the top and a long explanation down the side.

"Look. Mine says good luck," said Sora. "I'm surprised. I thought it would be daikyo or big-bad-luck for sure."

Momo puffed out her cheeks. "I got a daikyo."

"I got small luck," said Ren.

"Me too," said Hana. "What did you get, Shinobu?"

Shinobu looked down. Her fortune flapped in the wind. "I can't read mine. I never learned how. Reading is for boys."

"It's okay," said Ren. "I have trouble reading Japanese, too. My friends have been a big help. Let us help you." He opened the fortune paper, showing it to Hana.

Hana frowned. "You also have bad luck."

"I knew it. I'll never meet my brother." Shinobu started shaking.

"Hold on," said Momo. "The best way to stop that bad luck is to tie a knot in it." She took Shinobu's hand and brought her to a tree.

"What's this?" Ren asked.

"When you get a bad fortune, you're supposed to tie it to this tree. It keeps the fortune here and stops it from hurting you," said Momo. "Like this." She folded her paper into a strip and tied it to the tree.

"Can I do that?" asked Shinobu.

"Of course," said Hana. "I'm tying mine here as well. I wanted a bigger luck."

"Me too," said Ren.

Shinobu tied her fortune to the tree. "I feel better. Thank you."

The bell continued to ring.

"How much time is left?" asked Ren.

"About fifteen minutes," said Hana.

"What can we do?" asked Momo. "This wasn't enough to help Shinobu."

"When do you put the money in the box?" asked Ren.

"After the countdown," said Hana. "Then you make a wish, but that will be too late. After midnight, the bells will only ring eight more times. That'll be maybe two minutes."

"Thank you very much for bringing me inside." Shinobu wiped a tear from her eye. "I wish I could meet my brother, but it isn't possible."

"What's that in your sleeve?" asked Sora.

"This?" Shinobu pulled out a flat piece of wood. "It's an ema. I wanted to write a prayer for my brother, but I don't know how to write. He was going to help me."

"Here. Let me do that," said Hana. "What do you want to write?"

"I really want to meet him," said Shinobu. She smiled. "He always made my day feel better. I was going to ask him to write that."

Hana picked up the pen, but Sora stopped her.

"Don't write that," Sora said.

"Why not?" Hana asked.

Sora looked at Shinobu. "You know you're a ghost, don't you?" he asked.

Shinobu bit her lip. Clouds blocked the moon. Suddenly, a small glow surrounded Shinobu. "I don't think so. That's silly."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Sora asked.

"I remember getting very sick. It was New Year's Eve. I tried to come here to meet my brother. I don't remember what happened afterward, and I woke up here. It happened many times. Each time, I tried to meet my brother, but it got harder each time."

The wind grew stronger. More people moved closer to the shrine, fighting the wind while the bells continued ringing. Ren's heart beat faster.

"How many rings is that?" asked Ren.

"Maybe close to a hundred," said Hana. She held her hair down.

"It's been over a hundred years since we helped your brother find his message," Sora said. "He probably grew up and had a family. It's time you found a new prayer to give him."

"But I want to meet him," Shinobu said.

Sora shook. Ren grabbed Sora's shoulders. "You can do this," Ren said.

"I know, but look at yourself," Sora said. "Look at us. Our clothes are so different from yours. You know this isn't possible. How many times have you come here?"

"What do you mean?" Shinobu shook her head.

The bell continued to ring.

"How many times have you come here?" asked Sora again. Sweat rolled down his cheek, turning to steam in the cold air.

Shinobu looked away. "This is my hundred and seventh time," she said softly.

"You know you're a ghost, don't you? This is your last time, right?" Sora said. "Your brother would want you to move on. He wouldn't be happy if you were stuck here."

The ringing bell broke the silence.

Shinobu looked at Sora. Another tear rolled down her cheek as the wind died. The moonlight came back as well. "You may be right. It's been so long since I've seen him."

"He's still waiting for you." Momo looked at Sora. "You just have to let go."

Shinobu looked at Hana. "Can you wish my brother a happy life?"

Hana's hand shook. "O… of course," she said. "Here you are." She gave the ema to Shinobu.

"Thank you." Shinobu held it tight.

"What time is it?" asked Ren.

"Eleven fifty-eight," said Hana. "We should go to the offering box."

Sora walked behind everybody, breathing heavily. Sweat soaked his collar.

"You were pretty brave back there," said Ren. "How did you know what to say?"

"I read a lot of books. They always talk about this kind of thing." Sora wiped his forehead.

"Do you think I could read some of them?" asked Ren. "Japanese ghosts are so different than the ones back home."

Sora smiled. "I'll give you a couple next week." He held out his fist, and Ren bumped it.

The five stood behind a big crowd standing silently in front of the offering box. Parents were holding their children's hands and whispering to them. Ren took Shinobu's cold hand in his and moved through the crowd, pushing closer to the box. "Excuse me."

Families moved away from him, leaving a space that closed up behind him until they stood in front of the box.

"What now?" asked Ren.

"We wait," whispered Hana.

Suddenly, the priest from earlier walked along the platform in front of the offering box. At that moment, the bells rang a little faster, and voices rang out.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One! Happy New Year!" Everyone shouted at the same time.

Ren tossed his coin into the offering box. He gave five yen to Shinobu. "Make a wish."

Shinobu looked at the coin. "I think I already have my wish." She tossed the coin and clapped.

Ren clapped his hands, closed his eyes and made a wish. A warm feeling spread up from his toes. When he opened his eyes, Shinobu was gone, but the ema board lay on the ground. The bells had stopped, and a fresh wind blew through the shrine. Ren opened his coat.

"I thought you were cold?" said Hana.

"Not anymore. I feel great," said Ren.

"Where's Shinobu?" asked Momo. "I was going to share some takoyaki with her next."

Ren picked up the ema board. A sense of peace flowed through him. "She's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" asked Hana.

"She left this prayer board. What should I do with it?" Ren held it up.

They saw the priest walking towards them. "I see you were able to help her." He smiled.

"How did you know we could do it?" asked Hana.

"I had a hunch," said the priest. "Sometimes you just have a feeling about people." He pointed to the prayer wall and handed Ren a string. "You should hang that board on the wall. I think she'll like that."

Ren nodded. They went over to the wall. After tying the board to the front, he turned to the priest. "Why is this shrine doing this to us?"

The priest smiled. "Sorry, I cannot tell you everything yet. However, it is testing you."

"Me?" asked Ren.

"All four of you," said the priest.

Sora grabbed his head, groaning.

"I thought so. Why is the shrine doing that?" Momo asked.

"I don't know," said the priest. "When it's ready, the shrine will let you know." He looked at the main temple. "If you'll excuse me, I must take care of some things. Please come back soon. We have much to talk about." He bowed.

The four friends returned the bow and went back to the entrance. "It's quiet without the bells," said Ren.

"Thank goodness. I don't ever want to come back here," said Sora.

"Why?" asked Momo. "You were the bravest I've ever seen you. When you figured out what the problem was with her ema board, I was proud of you."

"I was ready to faint," said Sora. "I only helped her because it was the right thing to do."

"You're quiet, Hana. What do you think about the shrine? Is it testing us?" asked Ren.

Hana stared at the building. "I'm not sure what to believe, but I think we have to come back very soon. Are you coming with us, Momo?"

"Of course," Momo said. "How about you, Sora?"

"Do I have a choice?" Sora groaned.

"No!" the other three laughed. Sora shook his head, but the others didn't stop.