The Hidden Passage Back in the Showa era, my family ran a shop in a shopping street. Above the arcade roof, there was a narrow passage only locals knew about. As kids, we would sneak out at night and walk across it. The street below would be dark and quiet, completely different from the daytime. The Floating Head One night, I saw something floating above the roof. At first, I thought it was a bag. But it was a woman’s head. Her long hair hung down, almost touching the ground. It drifted slowly. Then it came to my window and knocked. I hid under my blanket until morning. A Shared Sight The next day, my friend said, “I’ve seen it too.” Apparently, it appeared sometimes at night. We stopped going up there. Trapped An older man from the shopping street decided to check. He climbed up at night. Then he stopped and said, “It’s there.” He led it carefully toward an abandoned shop and forced it inside. After that, it never appeared above the arcade again. Not Gone But that empty shop never kept tenants for long. Every time, they said the same thing. “At night, a woman’s head flies around inside.”