Kouya Hijiri: CHAPTER 8

Though I still felt lonely, it was much more comfortable to walk in the coolness of the forest dark.

When I had passed halfway through the forest, something dropped on my hat.

At first I thought it was an acorn. I tried to shake it off but it stuck fast. I touched it and it was slippery and clammy. I looked at it closely. It was an animal of some kind but without a mouth or eyes. I felt eerie and tried to throw it away, but when I picked it up it bit my finger and drew blood! I examined it closely and discovered it was a huge leech! I suddenly saw another leech, four inches long hanging from my elbow all this time without my realizing it.