Prototype Presentation
After a failed fishing expenditure, a child embarks on a journey through a dense and frigid forest to return to a Japanese Ainu village. Having grown up on the tales of the Yuki-Onna, or snow woman, the child fears the ghostly spirit may appear on this snowy evening as dusk approaches. After gathering the courage to pass through the haunted Torii Gate, a Yuki-Onna appears and begins to hunt the child. After being chased through the forest, past the Sacred Tree, and into the graveyard, the child finds a false sense of security once the frozen river comes into sight.
Paddling along chilly waters, an Ainu child heads to their village hidden within Hokkaido. An unsettling stillness encompasses the land, nothing heard but splashing water. Reaching ashore, the child secures their canoe to a small piling and hesitantly enters the woods. A Yuki-Onna lurks nearby, taking interest in the child. As legend goes, if anyone refuses to greet a Yuki-Onna she will haunt them, causing an untimely death.
As the Yuki-Onna swoops by, the child rushes into the forest. Finding the pathway home is blocked, the child is forced to backtrack to the Torii Gate. The gate signals an entrance to dangerous, sacred grounds. As the child walks through, the Yuki-Onna swoops past, scaring the child further into the forest.
The child winds up in an open clearing where the Sacred Tree resides. Crows swarm and attack until the child unwittingly backs into the Yuki-Onna. She reaches out to the child, as a greeting, but is instead threatened by the spear. Upset by the rudeness, the Yuki-Onna’s jaw unhinges, revealing razor sharp teeth.
Enraged, the Yuki-Onna chases the child into the misty graveyard, where the child finds solace behind a grave marker. The Yuki-Onna attempts to grab the child from behind, but misses as the child darts further into the woods.
As the frozen river comes into sight, the child sits down, exhausted. Once the Yuki-Onna appears again, the child helplessly runs onto the Frozen River. The child tumbles and accidently drops their spear causing the ice to crack. Inches from grabbing hold of the defenseless child, the Yuki-Onna falls into the icy river below. Finally feeling safe, the the child picks up the spear and begins walking back to shore. Passing by the opening in the ice, the Yuki-Onna’s hand shoots out of the water, reaching for the child.
