Nopperabō (Faceless Ghost) - The Faceless Face That Follows After the Crying Stops
It happened on my way back from Edo after finishing work late.
Even though it was night, the road wasn’t completely deserted.
A little farther ahead were shops, and I could see lanterns glowing in the distance.
The problem was the path beside the moat.
During the day, many people passed through, but at night, only the sound of water remained.
Whenever the wind blew, the grass by the water rustled, and the road felt strangely long.
That was when I saw a woman sitting ahead.
A young woman.
She was covering her face with her sleeve and crying.
At first, I planned to walk past her.
Talking to someone crying alone at night could easily turn into trouble.
But her crying sounded too close.
Even though she was several steps away, it felt like she was weeping right beside me.
I stopped.
“Are you all right?”
She didn’t answer.
I took a step closer.
“Where is your home? Should I call someone for you?”
The woman stopped crying.
Slowly, she lifted her head.
She had no face.
No eyes, no nose, no mouth.
Just smooth flesh.
Where a human face should have been, there was nothing.
I couldn’t even scream—I fell backward.
The woman didn’t move.
She simply stared at me with that faceless face.
I can only describe it as “staring.”