Saru stepped out of his lane onto the main road and started walking toward Red Rose Park. It was 8 PM; the streetlights were on, and only a single car or two passed by on the otherwise quiet road.
Saru mused as he walked: "This isn't new for me. I've seen many spirits before, and I've become used to their presence. I always ignore them to avoid getting noticed, which is the only way to stay safe. Since I've been seeing spirits since childhood, they are just a part of this world for me—nothing new."
Deep in thought, Saru reached the park. Lights were on inside, there were several swings, and all the cement benches were empty. The park was absolutely deserted. The only sound was the soft hooting of an owl. Saru scanned the area; he couldn't see any spirits outside the park perimeter.
Saru switched on the camera and entered the park. He began recording video footage of different areas. While recording, he reached the small pond inside the park. His gaze then fell upon the stone wall beside the pond where a Spirit was seated.
It appeared to be in a human form but looked quite terrifying. It had long black hair that reached its waist, while the body below the waist was a white, blurry mist. Its torso was entirely red, and the clothes on its body were moving in a turbulent motion of white-blur dark red color.
Saru's heart began to pound, but he quickly controlled himself. He tried to view the entity through the camera, but it didn't show up. "It's inactive," he realized. "When a Spirit becomes active, it means it doesn't like your presence in the area. That's the signal to run immediately."
Saru breathed a sigh of relief and turned the camera to record a different angle. Just then, an unbelievable voice whispered in his ears:
"Are you trying to see me?"
Saru's breath hitched. A shiver of fear ran through his body.
He forced himself to ignore it and quickly started walking toward the park gate. He thought: "How can a spirit speak? And in our local language? This has never happened to me before."
The Spirit's voice returned, sounding slightly melancholic this time:
"No one has been able to see me for the last 1300 years. He isn't looking at me either. I was just hoping..."
Hearing this, Saru slightly tilted his neck and glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye. His eyes locked directly with the Spirit's eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Saru began running frantically toward the gate.
Saru crashed into something invisible and fell to the ground. He looked up—the Spirit had appeared right next to him. In sheer terror, Saru peed his pants. His body began to tremble violently.
His first instinct was to turn off the camera, and then he tried to run again. Just then, a hand placed itself on his shoulder. The Spirit's voice kept repeating: "Can you see me?"
Saru gathered his courage. He checked the camera—the video recording had stopped. Trembling, he looked back and managed to say:
"Yes. Yes, I can... I can see you."
The Spirit burst into loud laughter, its terrifying cackle echoing in Saru's ears.
The Spirit laughed and replied: "You can hear me too! This is incredible! After a thousand years..."
The Spirit looked at Saru and said: "You're scared. Look, don't be afraid. I won't harm you. In fact, you are a diamond to me, a diamond!"
Its smile was deeply unsettling, but now its face slowly began to clarify. It started to look like a young, beautiful woman.
Saru, his voice trembling, managed to ask: "H-how can you speak? And in our local language? I have never seen a spirit talk before."
The Spirit answered: "I am not of this world. You are the only one who can see and hear me. I have come from the Spirits Realm."
Saru's fear slowly started to subside. He glanced down at his wet pants.
Saru said: "I need to go home. Can we... can we talk while we walk?" And he started moving.
The Spirit, floating in the air, walked right beside him.