The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary

she?”
    â€œThe mountain witch, Yamanba.” The fox stood and took a step back, her yellow eyes glimmering. “Search every inch of her lair. Whatever form the artifact has taken, it will be the only thing untouched by decay. If you can take it from her, I might be inclined to help you again.”
    â€œWait!” Saki followed the fox a step into the forest. “I don’t understand! How do I find her?”
    The fox’s voice floated back through the trees, low and laughing. “Patience, girl. You are alone, scared, and so very human . She will find you .”
    Saki only closed her eyes to blink, but the fox had vanished. For minutes Saki waited, but no one came. She stood alone in the dark, only three heartbeats away from panic, when another light bobbed up and down between the trees. She turned her head and squinted into the forest. The light came closer every few seconds, heading straight toward her.
    A chill ran down Saki’s spine, and the wooden geta began to pull her feet away from the point of light. She held out a hand to steady herself against a tree before the shoes could drag her through the woods. With all of her weight pressing down on the geta, the tugging sensation dulled to an itch.
    â€œHello? Is someone out there?” a voice called through the trees. It sounded clear and grounded. It sounded human.
    Saki swallowed, her throat like sandpaper, and wiggled her toes at the itching of the geta. The shoes kept trying to nudge her away.
    â€œHello? I thought I heard someone crying out here…” The light moved closer, until it lit up the face of the little old woman who carried it.
    A wave of relief calmed the nervous thumping of Saki’s heart. The woman was half her height and looked like a strong breeze might knock her over. Saki raised her hand and waved. “Excuse me! I’m very lost!”
    The old woman jumped, and the oil lamp she held rattled in her grip. The light bounced back and forth off the tree trunks as the woman leaned forward and squinted. She was dressed much like Saki’s grandmother, in an old-fashioned yukata that had been worn thin by the years. “My, my, so someone really was out here! Come here, dear. Whatever are you doing out here so late?”
    If she was a witch, she didn’t seem like a particularly fearsome one. And the warm glow of the light was so much more inviting than the dark shadows of the forest. Saki moved toward the halo of the old woman’s light, fighting the pull of the geta. They were telling her to go another way, but the fox’s command was still firm in her mind.
    â€œI was walking, but I got lost. I can’t find the path anymore.”
    â€œYou poor dear. Just follow me, and I’ll take you somewhere safe and quiet.”
    Saki nodded and trailed two steps behind. The old woman led her back to a dirt path identical to the one the fox had first shown her, though all the daruma lanterns had been torn to tatters. Only the light of the old woman’s lantern shone through the woods, casting long, twisted shadows through the trees. Saki hugged her arms closer.
    They walked for a few minutes before they reached a little thatched hut tucked between the trees. A nervous energy filled Saki until words began to fall from her mouth.
    â€œIs that your house?” she asked. The hut didn’t look any more like a lair than the old woman looked like a witch.
    â€œIndeed it is, my dear. Come sit with me for a while, won’t you?”
    â€œUm, okay…but only for a while.” All Saki needed was enough time to figure out whether the fox’s words were true.
    The woman took Saki inside and made her take off her wooden geta just inside the door. The pulling sensation ceased the instant the sandals left her feet, but somehow that didn’t make Saki feel any less anxious.
    Inside the one-room hut, a small fire burned in the stove pit at the center of the room. There were no