Sunday, February 24, 2013

Onmyōza Hyakumonogatari Story I "Footfall"

This was a section on Onmyōza's radio show HOT ROCKIN' back in 2004-2006 where Matatabi and Kuroneko read stories related to the lyrics or to the things that inspired the lyrics in the first place.
Hyakumonogatari means a round of ghost stories.  (Wikipedia)

I've made the transcripts myself, so they may contain errors.

Onmyōza Hyakumonogatari Story I "Footfall"

(Ashioto begins at 1:45)

The man walked cautiously, yet at a quick pace, along the sheer mountain cliff. His job was to get the goods he carried on his back delivered by the time the cock first crowed in the morning. His greatest concern should have indeed been whether he could deliver the goods on time, but for a while now, there was something else that occupied his mind.

Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump...

Something kept making such a strange noise behind him. It sounded like something rolling; at any rate, it was a queer sound. He had turned around many times, but was unable to determine what the sound was. The reason for that was because, although the sound came from right behind him, he could not discern anything at all there. Albeit the night was dark, the fact that he could not see what was making that sound right behind him made the man grow more and more afraid. He quickened his pace, and getting the goods delivered on time was not the reason he did so.

Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump...

Then finally, the strange noise was coming from somewhere right next to his ears. The man could not take it anymore, which did not mean that he was going to turn around and witness what was making the sound; he was too afraid to do that. Instead, he ran like mad, trying to shake it off, whatever it was. He rushed as fast as he could along a cliff barely wide enough for one adult. However, the sound adjusted its speed to match that of his, and the man could hear it coming from exactly the same distance as before.

"Give me a break." The moment he prayed so in his mind, having lost his composure, he now lost his footing too, and wretchedly plunged from the precipitous slope into the abyss that spread before his eyes. It was a fall one possibly could not survive. After his plunge, only a few small rocks that had chipped off from the edge of the road came tumbling down after him.
What had made that mysterious sound remains in the dark...

陰陽座百物語 第壱話「跫音」


切り立ったその山の切岸を男は怖々と、しかし足早に歩いていた。背に背負った品物を何としても明日の朝、一番鶏が鳴くまでに送り届けるのが男の役目であった。その品物が定刻に届けられるか、確かにそれが男の最大の関心事である筈だったが、先刻よりそれ以上に男が気になっている物があった。

ぞろり ぞろり ぞろり…

男の背後からその奇妙な音はずっと聞こえていた。何かが転がるような、兎に角奇妙な物音であった。男は何度も振り返ったのだが、それが何の音なのか突き止める事は出来なかった。何故ならその音の源はそれが男の直ぐ後ろから聞こえるのにもかかわらず、全くその姿が見えなかったからである。暗い夜道とはいえ、背中にぴたりと張り付いたその音の主が見えぬ筈は無く、それが男の恐怖心を一層駆り立てる。品物を届ける為に急ぐのとは全く別の意味で男の歩調は高まるばかりであった。

ぞろり ぞろり ぞろりと…

そして遂にその奇妙な音は男の耳元で鳴った。男は矢も楯もたまらず、かと言って今更振り返って音の正体を目の当たりにするのも恐ろしく、夢中で走り、それを振り切ろうとした。大人一人が漸う通れるか狭い切岸を男は全力で駆けた。しかし、その音は男の走る速度に合わせ、全く変わらぬ間合いで聞こえ続けた。

「もう勘弁してくれ」、そう祈るように念じた刹那、取り乱した男は足を踏み外し、哀れにも切り立ったその斜面から一寸先の奈落へとその身を躍らせてしまった。到底助からぬ高さであった。男の転落した後にはその際に崩れた道の端からぱらぱらと小石が落ちるのみであった。
奇妙な音の正体は最後まで闇の中に伏した儘であったと言う…

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