Voices from the Bamboo Grove
Patrick had been trembling under the eerie sound of the wind and rain, but the expensive bed and bedding proved their worth—he must have dozed off without realizing it. A soft murmur reached his ears. Who’s talking while someone’s trying to sleep? Just as he was sinking into a pleasant dream, he heard what sounded like children chattering. Thinking the kids had already arrived, he tried to muster his usual irritation, but when he cracked his eyes open, the room was still pitch black. The window showed that dawn had not yet come. It was one of those nights where even the rooster seemed to have lost track of time, with only the cool, steady patter of rain filling the air.
Gulp. Yet the whispering continued. The moment he realized the voices weren’t coming from children, every hair on his body stood on end. Ah, please. Don’t do this to me. I’m someone who doesn’t even watch horror movies. [It’s gone, it’s gone!] [It was there. It was right there!] [Someone must have taken it. It was ours! It was ours!]
The voices seemed to come from outside the house. When Patrick caught the meaning of the words, he nearly fainted. I can’t hear it! I can’t hear it! He covered his ears, burrowed under the blanket, and chewed on his nails, praying the voices would disappear. [Huh? There’s a delicious smell coming from inside! I smell something tasty!] [Let’s take it! We should take it!] [But there’s someone in there? I’m scared, I’m scared!]
Then, suddenly, the voices cut off. [Can’t we have this? Please?] “Aaaagh… gurgle.” The moment the distant voices sounded right beside his ear, Patrick foamed at the mouth and passed out.
***
“Teacher! Aren’t you getting up? The sun’s already high!” The ones waking the fainted Patrick were, as usual, the children who had turned his house into their hangout. Sizzle— “Want some too, Teacher? We made omelette.” “……Isn’t that my egg?” “We had a few extra. They’ll go bad if we don’t eat them soon.” Even half-conscious, Patrick’s first instinct was to question the ownership of the eggs in the children’s hands. Still, seeing them act as lively as ever made last night feel like nothing more than a bad dream. Maybe I’m just low on energy lately. Perhaps he should catch a chicken and restore his strength?
While he was lost in idle thoughts, the children finished setting the table. An omelette packed with colorful chopped vegetables, white fish fried in an egg coating, bread they had each brought from home, a bit of cheese, thinly sliced salted ham, dried fruit, and jam. “I’m not eating the salad.” “You have to eat a balanced meal!” “If I don’t like it, I don’t like it. Do you know what kind of nightmare I had last night? Salad won’t restore my energy.”
The children had even picked chicory and lettuce meant for wraps, along with some herbs, and dressed them with vinegar, salt, and olive oil. Every time he saw them, Patrick was amazed. The children of this island village were far more mature than their age suggested. Then again, even in the Joseon era, kids got married and were treated as adults around thirteen or fourteen. Maybe it’s wrong to see them as mere children. Of course, in the Empire, one had to be eighteen to be recognized as an adult. Still, commoner children in the countryside could pull their own weight by age ten, so in the end, the only one on Dunbrook Island who couldn’t manage on his own was Patrick.
“By the way, Teacher, we heard from Uncle Luca. You received a magic stone?” “That’s right.” “Can we see it? We’re curious what it looks like.” They weren’t asking for it, just to look, so Patrick nodded. It wasn’t like it would wear out from being seen, and they had cooked for him. Besides, he had planned to use the stone for their education anyway. I was going to use it to give Ben a little push, since he still can’t sense mana properly.
Ben was the type who, despite having awakened mana, couldn’t feel it in nature. Patrick had accepted the stone to help him get a sense of it. Today, he would show these students the greatness of their teacher. “Wait here.” He shoveled the last of the omelette into his mouth and went to rummage through the drawer where he had tossed the stone. “Huh? Where did it go?” No matter how much he searched, the magic stone was nowhere to be found. “Look more carefully.” “Maybe you put it somewhere else?” “No, I definitely left it here.”
The room was so bare that there was nowhere else to put it but the storage cabinet. “Strange. It’s not even valuable. Who would steal it?” A lowest-grade magic stone smaller than a fingernail was worth less than its weight in silver. Since no one wanted them, they didn’t even circulate as currency. There was no reason for anyone to steal it. [Can’t we have this? Please?] At that moment, a voice echoed in Patrick’s mind. “……It wasn’t a dream?” “A dream?” Ben’s eyes sparkled with interest at his teacher’s suddenly serious expression. “Did something happen?” “Nothing happened.” “Tell us. Maybe we can help?” “What would you know?” “Well, at least when it comes to this island, we know way more than you do.”
“……Then do you know that legend too? The one about the woman who got lost in the bamboo grove and froze to death?” “Oh, that? Is that why you’re scared? You think the ghost from the legend took the magic stone?” “No, it’s not that. It didn’t sound like a woman…… more like children’s voices……” “Children?” “Tch, never mind. What am I even saying?” Patrick waved his hand dismissively, but Tommy’s eyes widened as he jumped in. “Are you talking about the stone ghost?” “What?” “There’s a stone ghost in the bamboo grove! We’ve seen it a few times, but the adults never listen!” “That’s right! We definitely saw the stones rolling around by themselves!” The children nodded. “When we told the adults, they said the stones were disturbed by the bamboo shoots growing.” Ben added an explanation. “But Ben said he heard the stones talking to each other!” “……You’re lying, right?” Patrick narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Ben puffed out his cheeks and frowned. “I really heard them!” “So what did they say?” “……I don’t know……” Ben’s shoulders slumped when Patrick pressed him. “I could tell they were saying something, but I couldn’t understand the words……” “You probably just misheard the wind.” “The adults said the same thing. The wind in the bamboo grove sometimes sounds like voices because of how it rises and falls.” “Right, right. That’s adult wisdom for you.” “Is that so……?” Ben nodded, but he didn’t look fully convinced. “Teacher, do bamboo shoots grow even in winter?” “Why are you asking me? Do I look like I’d know?” “Yeah, I figured.”
At Ben’s reaction, Patrick clicked his tongue and sat up straighter. “Why? Did the stones roll around even in winter?” “Yes.” “Did you hear voices too?” “Yes!” “It was winter, so the wind must have been strong. Stones could roll without any bamboo shoots pushing them.” “But Teacher, no matter how strong the wind is, stones don’t roll that easily.” “Exactly! And when the stones were rolling, we didn’t hear any bamboo leaves rustling!” “That’s right.” Though Patrick seemed annoyed by their persistence, the children each chimed in with their memories, grateful that he was at least listening. ……Something’s definitely strange. After piecing their stories together, Patrick finally reached a conclusion. “It seems like there really is something there.” “Really? You think so too, Teacher?” “So you kids kept going to the bamboo grove because of that?” “Yes!” “You’re not scared of ghosts?” “Ghosts aren’t scary. People are.” “……Don’t say things like that when you’re just kids.” “Who taught you to talk like that?” Patrick grumbled as he stood up with determination. “Let’s go. We’ll know when we get there.” “Woohoo! Adventure!” “It’s called exploration, you dummy!” “Let’s go!” The children chattered excitedly as they led the way. I need to figure this out while I’m with the kids. I can’t afford another sleepless night! If he couldn’t uncover the secret of the bamboo grove and the source of last night’s voices by tonight, Patrick resolved to start parent consultations tomorrow. Surely they wouldn’t turn away their child’s teacher in the middle of the night without offering a place to stay? The thought of his expensive bed brought tears to his eyes, but he absolutely could not sleep alone.
***
The bamboo grove looked as lush and green as ever. “We’re here, but……” The children had already scattered, pulling up bamboo shoots, making bamboo swords, and chasing squirrels, while Patrick sat alone, deep in thought. If this were a cliché, now would be the time for a spirit to appear. Listening to the children’s stories earlier, he had already formed a guess. Spirits! His house near the bamboo grove had an oddly high success rate with magic. The legend of the frozen woman’s grudge was proof that even ordinary people could sometimes feel the twisted forces of nature. “Most importantly, Ben said he heard voices.” When they had faced the human traffickers, Ben—overwhelmed by fear—had summoned lightning. That meant his talent was considerable. Even if their affinities differed, someone with that level of ability should be able to sense a spirit’s presence as well. “And the magic stone disappearing fits too.” Not much was known about spirits, but there was one thing everyone interested in them understood: spirits were drawn to places, objects, and people with strong mana. Even a lowest-grade magic stone would have been a tempting snack to them. “Just wait until I find you. I’ll make you pay for that stone—with interest.”
At that moment— [What’s interest? How do you add it?] “Aaaagh!” “Teacher!” The children, who had been playing scattered around, dropped their toys and came running at the sudden scream. Thanks to them, Patrick avoided fainting this time. “Uh…… ugh…… ah……” He had lost the ability to form words.