Yuki-onna (Snow Woman) - The White-Faced Woman Who Steals Breath in the Snowstorm
We should never have come down the mountain that night.
Mosaku and I had gone to gather wood when a blizzard hit.
At first, we thought it would pass quickly.
But the wind grew stronger, and the path vanished under the snow.
Snow that had reached our ankles rose to our knees.
My fingers went numb, and every breath felt like it was tearing my lungs.
Mosaku said,
“We can’t make it down tonight.”
We found a small hut near the river.
The door creaked, and there was no fire inside.
But it was better than being outside.
I lay on the floor hugging my wet clothes.
Mosaku fell asleep beside me almost immediately.
I don’t know how much time passed.
The sound of the blizzard made it impossible to sleep.
Wind slipped through the cracks in the walls, and the hut was nearly as cold as the outside.
Then the door opened.
At first, I thought the wind had blown it open.
But a woman stood in the doorway.
She wore white.
Her hair was long and black.
Her face was pale as snow.
She stepped inside, but her feet made no sound on the snow-covered floor.
I couldn’t move.
I didn’t know if it was fear or cold.
She went to Mosaku first.
He was asleep, mouth slightly open, breathing heavily.
The woman leaned over his face.
And she breathed