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Chapter 8
As it turned out, becoming an exorcist wasn't as exciting as I expected. Akito said that I was nowhere near ready to face a real Obake, so I had to spend some time studying about different monsters and learning simple skills.
On the first day Akito took me on a field trip to the museum. The aim was to rock my world and show me everything I'd ever known was a lie. Those were his words, not mine.
“Obake have existed since ancient times, and have since spread to all corners of the globe. They take on animal form and hide themselves within nature, feeding on human kind wherever they may go,” he said as we walked through the ancient history room. “But if you look closely, there's much historical evidence of their existence which has been overlooked for centuries,” he pointed to a picture of an ancient cave paining. “Take this picture for example.”
“Cave drawings?” I questioned.
“This is more than just an ordinary cave painting. This picture depicts large cat Obake in their transformed state. The men you see on the left are some of the first exorcists attempting to destroy them with the use of primitive anti-Obake weapons.”
“Really?” I asked while squinting at the picture. To me it just looked like a bunch of men hunting deers with spears.
“And this one,” he indicated to a small stone statue behind a glass case.
“An Aztec goddess of oceans, rivers, birth, and the patron of women in labor, ” I said while reading the small name plate below it.
“No, an Obake,” Akito replied.
“And this Australian Aboriginal painting?” I asked.
“Clearly an early record of an Obake infestation.”
Akito then proceeded to lead me around the room criticizing half the artifacts and how humanity had misinterpreted them. After an hour I finally began to catch on to what he was talking about.
“I get it now! So this stuffed wombat is also an Obake,” I said. “I always thought these guys were weird.”
“No, that's just a wombat Daisuke.”
The museum attendant followed us everywhere we went. Staring at Akito oddly like he was crazy. It made me realize why the man at reception gritted his teeth as soon as we entered the foyer.
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