Emails

(Translated from Japanese by Saya)

This is a cryptic story! 

I have received 4 emails today.

The first email was from my mother, telling me that sister gave birth to a baby.
"I will visit the hospital to see them tomorrow," I replied.

The second email was from the father and included an invitation to a family gathering this weekend.
"I'm too busy with work to go home," I replied.

The third mail was from a female (?) friend, saying that she was worried because she tried to call but no one would answer the phone.
"I have a flu and feel dizzy. I'm hungry but can't move at all...," I took a chance and replied.

Then the fourth mail arrived.
She says, as soon as she finishes work,  she will come visit, bringing with her some cakes.

So I have decided to clean it all up tomorrow. I bet I'll be so busy that I won't be able to go see the baby.


Comments

Incognito said…
Hmmm... My theory: the narrator is a serial killer. He's going to kill his friend when she visits him today so that she doesn't find out what he's been up to. Then tomorrow he'll be so busy getting rid of the bodies (the one he's working on today and his friend's)that he probably won't have time to go see his nephew/niece.
Spectra said…
Yes! I agree with Myriam.
Nice one x>
Gabriel said…
Oh, this one made me scratch my head for a bit! I agree with the others that she will kill the friend and will be busy disposing of her body, but I can't help but think that there's something more to this story.
It's really just two details - how the friend said she called and no one answered, and how the narrator "took a chance" when replying that particular mail.

This makes me think that the narrator is at someone else's house, after having murdered said person. And the killer just happened upon the victim's email open in their computer, and decided to have some "fun". Really creepy.

Loved this story too. Thanks a bunch for it, Saya! Stay safe
Yasumio said…
Hello, Saya. First time commenting after being a frequent reader of your blog for years.

Before I haven't been good with cryptic stories, but now I've improved a bit. Cryptic stories have subtle details that tend to get lost in writing. Well, at least that's what I often think.

This is what I hypothesized of this one: The first two e-mails are for OP. The third one's intended for the person OP supposedly killed in their house. He'll be busy cleaning two bodies after the friend comes over to visit so OP won't be able to visit his sister's baby at the hospital.

There could be another way to interpret the story though. I'm interested to read what others initially thought.
Yukari said…
I agree with everyone that something evil is going on here and the narrator is a murderer who will probably kill the friend who sent the third and fourth mail. I think, Yasumio and Gabriel, you nailed it that the later e-mails are read at the victim´s house and were intended for the victim. I would like to include the second one, though, since it says it was from "the" father (not "my" father or just "Father") who did not "invite me" but "included an invitation". Also, it would be a bit odd for the father to send a vague invitation like this when the mother is calling at the same time about the new baby, so father and mother probably belong to two different families. The narrator intends to meet his own family (sister and baby) but declines to meet the other one (his victim´s?). Since the friend apparently offers to come by the same day after work and the narrator expects to be busy cleaning "it all" up tomorrow, it looks like he is purposely trying to lure her in as his next victim.
George V said…
Now that I reread after noting other people's comments, it make sense. I can only hope that the victims suspect something and avoids the place.
Unknown said…
I partly agree with the comments.

HOWEVER, I think that the narrator is a psychotic individual, and not an already established serial killer.
The first two E-mails, and the nonchalant replies of the narrator suggest that he does not like social gatherings at all. I don't know much about the weekend habits of the Japanese, but by the standards of my country, it sounds rather eluding.
Much resembling my own social avoidance. I write replies like that all the time :p

The phrase "Clean it all up tomorrow" makes me believe that the narrator tried to lie his way out of his friend's question, and since she's coming to visit, he plans on killing her just to "hide" his lie. That just makes this guy creepier :/

Although his "I'm hungry and can't move at all" sounds pretty much like bait for a concerned friend, the previous e-mails just made me assume otherwise.

That's the charm of cryptics, variable interpretations everywhere xD
Unknown said…
@Yukari

It could also be that "the father" refers to the father of the victim, and not the baby, and the narrator replied as such so that the victim would be excused from the gathering and the murder would go unnoticed for a longer time. Pretty clever if you ask me.
Good afternoon, underworld readers! :D Thank you all for your comments!


One theory I heard on the internet was that the first email is for the narrator but the rest are for the person whom the narrator has murdered.

The first clue is how he says "my mother" in the first email but "the father" in the second email. That implies the father is the father of the victim.

The second clue is how he puts the question mark "(?)" next the "female" friend. He knows it's a friend of the victim, but doesn't know the person's sex.

At the end of the story he says he'll clean it up all tomorrow, meaning he will dispose of the bodies of the victim and friend tomorrow.


@Myriam C. Very good! Well done! :D


@Spectra Thank you dear! :)


@Gabriel Yes, "took a chance" is another clue! The narrator is probably not acquainted with this friend.

Thank you! I'm glad you like the story! :D <3


@Yasumio Oh hello! Nice to meet you! Thank you for leaving a comment!
You certainly are very good at solving it! I always look at other people's answers before thinking it out by myself, so you are much better than me! I'm so lazy! LOL
Well done!


@Yukari Very clever! I'm so impressed! :D I have nothing to add. Well done!


@George VanMeter I'll make sure I never go to any of my friends' houses on my own!


@Sir Calvin Taylor The weekend habits of the Japanese, sir, is the same as all other people on earth, that is to say "drink and be merry!" XD
It's a shame I don't drink and generally avoid social gatherings (just like you! LOL).



THANK YOU EVERYONE AGAIN. I wish you happiness and prosperity! :D