The Onryō was said to haunt the burnt ground for years , and it was told that if any person entered the defiled ground with a weapon , the Onryō would use the visitor ’ s weapon to kill its owner . When the site was rebuilt , this tradition was carried over — though none can say that the ghost has ever truly been sighted on the mountain .
After this , I learned that if one chose to attend the bath waters , one must bathe completely nude , which is right out , for wearing clothing into the waters is considered disrespectful . There were also to be women who scrub the visitors ’ backs , which is an unpardonable impertinence . I can bathe myself most successfully , and have been doing so for many years ! On top of all these shocking mandates is that the bath is not segregated by gender , meaning men and women bathe together !
I excused myself from this immodest entertainment to take some exercise alongside Percy . We wandered around the scenery and observed the fascinating buildings .
At this point it is necessary to take a break in order to explain that numerous things happened and to fully understand what followed , I must explain what was going on in various parts of the hotel , which is only something I learned later .
BRUNHILDE BAMFIELD BRINGS A GHOST
Brunhilde Bamfield had secretly smuggled a sleeve-gun into the hotel , just in case , which she was oiling in her room . She noticed that her spring-loaded gun would not stay fastened , no matter how hard she tightened the screws , and would invariably swing on its hinge and face her own body ! She set the gun aside to consult the manual whereupon it fired at her ! She continues to this day to swear that she never even loaded the thing .
SIR HAMMERHORN GIVES IT LIFE
Sir Hammerhorn had gone to his room about the time I was headed out on my walk with Percy . A Yuna , or hot water woman , had brought him some water for his tea , and he decided to show her his ghost machine .
They heard the firing of Bamfield ' s gun through the paper walls , and while I initially objected to the thinness of the walls upon arrival , I can safely say that in this instance it may have saved some lives .
The Yuna took a small break to go and check on the noise . Hammerhorn watched her go and then returned to his ghost machine . He heard the Yuna from the hall saying , “ I see nothing . I am returning .”
The Yuna entered the room while Hammerhorn was turned . She claimed that she intended to disrobe . He was quite flabbergasted at this , but refused to turn around for fear of appearing improper . He remained facing away and she said things such as , ‘ I am approaching from behind ,’ ‘ Do not look at me ,’ ‘ I am standing behind you ,’ ‘ Do not turn ,’ ‘ I can reach out and touch you ,’ and ‘ Do not look !’
This caused him to grow concerned because her movement was accompanied by a strange scraping or dragging , as if she had lost the use of one or more of her limbs . He turned to discover the corpse of the Yuna , eyes bleeding , as it was cast at his feet ! The indistinct specter of a woman stepped into his machine , which fitted around her waist like a corset , making her corporeal !
MY OWN ADVENTURE WITH THE GHOST
Percy and I were enjoying our time with the Mayor who told us of the most alarming Japanese custom . It seems there is an annual festival where the people of this nation gather magic beans and scatter them about in order