When the 108th Bell Rings
The Shadow of the Bell Tower
Hey, have you ever heard of this? A story about the 108th bell. You know, the bell that rings at temples on New Year’s Eve. It’s a traditional ritual in Japan—ringing it 108 times to cleanse human desires and welcome the New Year with a pure heart. But, there’s a part of this ritual not many people know about.
It happened back when I used to live in the countryside. There was this small temple near my house, and people used to talk about it. They’d say, “When the 108th bell rings, something happens.” Me? Of course, I didn’t believe it. I mean, it sounds like just another superstition, right? But then… something happened to me. Would you like to hear about it? It’s a bit scarier than you might think.
New Year’s in the countryside is always lively. Relatives gather, drinks are poured, laughter fills the house. And when New Year’s Eve rolls around, everyone heads to the temple. It was our tradition. That year, I had returned home for the first time in ages and decided to join my family to hear the temple’s bell.
When we arrived, everything was as usual. Red lanterns glowed warmly, people clasped their hands in prayer, silently making their wishes for the coming year. Near the bell tower, a line had already formed. I got in line with everyone else, but then… I noticed something odd.
The shadow of the bell tower—it was strangely dark. Normally, shadows at night aren’t that clear, right? But this one stood out sharply on the ground, like it was etched there. “What’s this about?” I wondered, brushing it off as fatigue. Still, I couldn’t help but keep glancing at it.
As my turn to ring the bell approached, the shadow seemed to grow wider. Then, the man standing ahead of me took his turn. As he struck the bell, the sound echoed—"Gooooonnng…”—and for a split second, I could swear that shadow moved.
“Did it just… move?” I thought, glancing around. No one else seemed to notice. I told myself it was just my imagination, but I couldn’t shake a chill that ran down my spine.
That’s when the monk standing near the bell tower turned to look directly at me. He was an older man, smiling, but his eyes were sharp—almost as if he was trying to tell me something. Then, he spoke.
“The bell cleanses the soul,” he said. “Strike it with a pure heart. But… be cautious of the 108th bell.”
That warning sent a shiver through me. But before I could think too much about it, my turn came. I stepped up, took a deep breath, and struck the bell. “Gooooonnng…” The sound was deep and resonated through my entire body. There was something heavy about it, unlike any bell I’d heard before.
As the sound faded, I felt it—a subtle movement behind me. I turned around, but there was no one there. Then, my eyes fell to the ground… and I saw it.
And then I realized—it wasn’t mine.
The Presence Hidden in the Bell’s Sound
At that moment, a chill ran down my spine, freezing me in place. I’m not kidding—it was like my brain was screaming, “This is bad!” The moment I realized the shadow wasn’t mine, I froze. But at the same time, I couldn’t look away. That shadow stretched straight out from beneath the bell tower, like something was standing there.
“It’s just a shadow,” I told myself. “You’re just tired.” But no matter how hard I tried to rationalize it, it didn’t sit right. I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, but everyone was just going about their business. People were patiently waiting in line, murmuring things like, “Here’s to good health this year!” It was like I was the only one who sensed something was off—and that made it even scarier.
Then, the next person in line struck the bell. “Gooooonnng…” The deep sound echoed, and I saw it again. The shadow quivered—just barely—but it moved. “Hold on… did that thing just move?” I thought, turning quickly to see if anyone else had noticed. Nothing. Everyone else was oblivious. I told myself it was nothing, but that uneasy feeling stuck with me.
And then, out of nowhere, someone tapped me on the shoulder. “Ah!” I nearly jumped out of my skin. I spun around and saw a familiar face—a local I hadn’t seen in years. “Hey, long time no see!” they said cheerfully. Normally, I’d have been happy to catch up, but all I could manage was a weak, “Oh, yeah… hi.” I gave some half-hearted excuse and shuffled away to put some distance between me and the bell tower.
I found a spot a little farther from the crowd, sat down, and tried to calm my nerves. But no matter how much I tried, the sound of the bell lingered in my ears. Normally, the sound of a bell is supposed to feel soothing, almost cleansing, right? But this one felt different. It was heavy, unsettling, as if it were warning me to stop listening.
I stared back at the bell tower. That shadow—it moved again. This time, it wasn’t subtle. It was definitely moving, swaying gently like it was searching for something. Every time the bell rang, the shadow stretched further, creeping outward.
At first, it clung to the ground like any ordinary shadow. But then, it started shifting side to side, like it was alive. It wasn’t just my imagination anymore—I was sure of it. But when I glanced at the others, they were still chatting away, seemingly oblivious. If anything, they looked more annoyed by the cold than anything else.
That’s when I saw the monk again. He was staring straight at me from across the courtyard. His expression… I can’t even describe it. He was smiling, but it wasn’t a comforting smile. His eyes seemed to be pleading with me, like he was trying to warn me about something.
“You mustn’t stay here until the bell’s last sound fades,” he called out.
What? What was that supposed to mean? Before I could even think of what to say, another “Gooooonnng…” rang out, louder and deeper than before. The sound echoed through my head, and I swear, I could hear a voice whispering, “Listen.”
And then I saw it. The shadow wasn’t just moving—it was rising, slowly pulling itself up from the ground.
“Could it be… am I really the only one seeing this?”
The Shadow Draws Closer
I swear, this was truly terrifying. Shadows aren’t supposed to move, right? But what I saw… it was rising off the ground. That shadow, stretching out from under the bell tower, was shifting into a shape—something eerily human. At first, it was just a flat shadow, spreading out. But now, it was almost like it was trying to stand up.
“Am I the only one seeing this?” I thought, my mind racing in circles. But no matter how much I tried to figure it out, I couldn’t come up with an answer. Everyone else was acting like nothing was wrong. Some were even smiling and chatting, as if it were an ordinary New Year’s Eve. The fact that I was the only one sensing something strange made it even scarier.
Then, out of nowhere, a little kid standing near the bell tower clung to their mom and started crying. “Mommy, that’s scary!” the kid said, pointing toward the tower. My heart stopped. Could they see the shadow? But the mother just brushed it off, saying, “It’s okay, sweetie. You’re just cold—it’s nothing to worry about.” The kid didn’t seem convinced, though. They kept pointing, trembling as they stared at the bell tower.
I was trying to keep my composure, but I couldn’t look away. The shadow was unmistakably taking on the shape of… something. It was moving, swaying like it was alive, and inching closer to where people were gathered.
Then it hit me. The shadow was shifting with the rhythm of the bell. Every time the bell rang, the shadow shifted forward, as if it were taking a step.
“Gooooonnng…”
With the next strike of the bell, the shadow crept closer. I glanced around. The only other person who seemed to notice was that kid. But even though the others didn’t seem aware of the shadow itself, the atmosphere had changed. It was subtle, but I could feel it—an uneasiness had settled over the courtyard. People were still laughing and chatting, but their smiles looked forced, and their voices didn’t carry the same warmth as before. Was it the cold? Or maybe, deep down, they could sense something too.
I wanted to run. I wanted to turn around and get as far away as I could. But my legs wouldn’t move. No, that’s not it—I could move, but something was holding me back. It was like a voice in the back of my mind was whispering, “You can’t leave. Stay.”
Then it happened. The next time the bell rang, the shadow finally rose fully from the ground. It was human-shaped, but it wasn’t human. It didn’t have a face—just a dark, solid outline that seemed to absorb all the light around it. It was like the sound of the bell had taken on a physical form.
“Gooooonnng…”
Each time the bell rang, the shadow began to glide—no, it wasn’t walking, more like sliding—through the crowd. And as it passed, the people it neared started to change. They stopped smiling. Their faces became blank, their eyes empty. One by one, they went silent, their laughter fading into nothing.
I stood frozen, unable to move, as the shadow turned toward me. I can’t explain it—it didn’t have a face, so how could it “look” at me? But I knew. It was watching me.
Then, the monk’s voice boomed across the courtyard.
“Just a little longer! Do not make a sound!”
Don’t make a sound? What could that mean? I didn’t have time to figure it out. Instinctively, I slapped my hands over my mouth.
Before the monk could say another word, the bell rang again.
“Gooooonnng…”
And with that sound, the shadow turned fully toward me and started moving straight in my direction.
When the Bell’s Sound Fades
That shadow—it came straight for me. No hesitation, no pause. I knew I was in real danger. My brain was screaming, “Run!” but my body wouldn’t move. It was like my feet were rooted to the spot.
The shadow had fully taken on a human shape by then. But it had no face—just pure blackness. No eyes, no mouth, nothing. And somehow, that void made it even more terrifying. I felt it watching me—or maybe targeting me is a better word. I don’t know how to explain it, but I knew it was coming for me.
Then, “Gooooonnng…” The bell rang again. And with that sound, the shadow was suddenly right in front of me. Just a few steps away. Its movement was so smooth, so unnatural, like time had stopped, and then… there it was.
“You are… the last…”
I heard the voice. Not out loud, though. It resonated directly in my head. Low, heavy, like the bell itself was speaking to me.
And then the world shifted. The temple courtyard, the other visitors, even the red glow of the lanterns—all of it dissolved into darkness. Everything was swallowed by shadows. The only thing left was me and the shadow. I was completely frozen, unable to move, unable to think.
“Gooooonnng…”
The bell rang again. It was the same bell, but the sound was different—deeper, heavier, like it was echoing inside my skull.
“You carry too much… too many burdens…”
The voice came again, and the shadow extended itself toward me. Or maybe “extended” isn’t the right word. It wasn’t like a hand—it was the shadow itself, stretching toward me. It didn’t feel cold or hot. It just felt… heavy. Crushingly heavy, as if the weight of the world was pressing down on me.
Then I heard the monk’s voice, cutting through the darkness.
“Don’t make a sound! Endure it!”
Endure it? How? I was already at my limit. My body wouldn’t move, the shadow was enveloping me, and yet… somehow, I managed not to scream. Maybe I couldn’t scream. My throat felt tight, like something was choking me, keeping the sound locked in my throat.
The shadow completely engulfed me, and just as it did, the bell rang one last time.
“Gooooonnng…”
With that sound, the darkness shattered. In an instant, the world came back—the lanterns, the bell tower, the people. But something was different. The air felt wrong, unnaturally still, like everything had been frozen in time.
I collapsed to the ground, my legs giving out beneath me. I was trembling all over, unable to catch my breath. And the shadow? It was gone. Vanished. Or maybe… it had become part of me. I couldn’t tell.
When I looked up at the bell tower, the monk was standing there, staring down at me.
“That,” he said, “was your own burden to bear. Your own desires, your own sins.”
With those words, the monk turned and disappeared into the bell tower.
What the Bell’s Sound Left Behind
As dawn began to break, I found myself sitting on the temple steps. My whole body felt frozen, and my mind was clouded. Had it been a dream? Or had it all been real? I couldn’t tell anymore. But the bell tower in front of me was undeniably real, standing there with a quiet, imposing presence.
“Burden… huh.”
The monk’s final words kept echoing in my mind. My burden? What did he mean by that? It didn’t make sense—there’s no way I carried anything that heavy. And yet, when that shadow tried to engulf me, something deep inside me stirred. Regret, anger, resignation—all those feelings surged to the surface, choking me with their weight.
“The shadow is your own burden,” the monk had said. And, for the first time, I thought I might understand what he meant. That shadow was a reflection of something within me—something I’d been avoiding, ignoring, but that had always been there. Had I overcome it? Or had it consumed me? Even now, I’m not sure.
The other visitors had long since left. The temple courtyard was quiet, with only the monk remaining, cleaning near the bell tower. I worked up the courage to approach him.
“About last night… that shadow… what was it?”
The monk paused for a moment, his hands stilling. Then he looked at me, a faint smile on his face.
“That shadow was the bell’s reflection. The sound of the bell doesn’t just purify—it resonates with the depths of the heart. What you saw was a piece of yourself. And if you were able to face it, then it no longer holds power over you.”
“But… no one else seemed to notice anything.”
“They wouldn’t. The burdens we carry—our desires, our sins—they’re unique to each of us. You were simply… chosen.”
Chosen? I couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But somehow, I felt lighter. There was an unfamiliar sense of relief, like a weight I hadn’t even known I was carrying had been lifted.
After that, I left the temple and returned home. I spent the rest of the day with my family, sharing a meal and welcoming the New Year as if nothing had happened. But from that day forward, I never went back to hear the New Year’s Eve bell again. It wasn’t that I was scared or didn’t want to. It’s just… every time I hear that sound, I remember the shadow.
Years have passed, but sometimes I still dream about it. I’ll find myself in the dark, with the bell’s sound echoing, and the shadow creeping closer. But strangely, it’s not frightening. It feels… introspective, like the bell is helping me confront something within myself.
And so, I’ve come to believe this: the New Year’s Eve bell isn’t just a ritual. It’s a mirror, reflecting the deepest parts of the human soul.
So, when you hear the bell this New Year’s Eve, I wonder… what shadow will you see?
hat shadow will you see? Just remember—whatever it is, the sound of the bell will stir something deep inside you
This story is a work of fiction. Please enjoy it as entertainment.
Have you ever experienced a moment where you were forced to face your inner self? If so, what was it like? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
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