Narrator: They dwell, unseen in the shadows. A host of creatures completely different from the flora and fauna familiar to us. An invisible world of life within our own. Since the dawn of humanity, these phantoms have inspired fear in those who could not understand and have, over the ages, come to be known as "mushi."
Biki: Good morning, Sui.
Sui: Good morning, Biki.
MUSHI-SHI 02.
The Light of the Eyelid 瞼の光(まぶたのひかり)
Biki: How are you feeling today? Do your eyes still hurt?
Sui: Listen, Biki...
Biki: Hmm?
Sui: I want to tell you a secret. It's about my disease. I know what's causing it. I can feel them, you know... swimming around... mushi... living inside my eyes.
Biki: My cousin Sui is the youngest member of our family. About six months ago, she contracted a disease that made her eyes sensitive to light. It was a mystery. None of the eye doctors could figure out the cause of her illness, and before they could find a way to treat her, Sui's eyes became so sensitive that even the smallest amount of light would cause her great pain. When there was nothing they could do, her parents brought her to my house since we have a sturdy storage shed that blocks out light. They said it was for Sui's own good that they left her here, but to me it seemed more like they had given up, like they were abandoning her.
Sui: Did you know we have another eye lid? A second one behind our outer eyelid. Between them, there's a place where no outside light can ever get in. That's where the mushi live.
Biki: Between your eyelids?
Sui: That's right. Don't you know how to close your second eyelid? It's easy; I'll show you. First, close your eyes.
Biki: Mmm.
Sui: Do you see anything?
Biki: Mmmm... Nuh-uh, not a thing. Oh, hold on. I can still see some kind of flickering inside my eye.
Sui: That's right. Even after you close your eyes, you're still looking at the backs of your eyelids. Your eyes aren't really closed. So that's why, if I ever want to make it where I see nothing at all, all I do is close my eyes again... to shut out the flickering. That's when a curtain of darkness falls, and it becomes truly pitch-black.
Biki: ...Sorry, I can't do it.
Sui: You can't? Well, it's easy for me.
Biki: When I visit Sui, we play together in the dark. Even though I can't see anything when I first step into the shed, after a while, as my eyes adjust, the outlines of shapes gradually begin to appear.
Biki: How do you do that? It's almost like you can see the ball.
Sui: It's because of the light, a whole river of light that runs underground.
Biki: ...?
Sui: You can see it whenever you close your second eyelid. If you keep staring long enough into the true darkness... after a while, you start to see specks of light... off in the distance that slowly form into a river. If you're very still, you can see that the specks of light are actually tiny mushi. But... whenever I try to go closer to get a better look...
Ginko: Stop. Be careful. Don't get too close to the river.
Sui: A man is there that I've never met before. He only has one eye. He sits on the other side of the river and he always tells me the same thing. So I just look at the river from a distance... instead of going in.
Biki: I try to understand... but the more I think about, it worries me. The strange things that Sui sees when she closes her eyes... The lights... That man... What in the world could they be?
Biki's Mother: Biki! You're spending way too much time inside that shed.
Biki: It's okay, I burned the eye bandages just like you told me. And I washed my hands and all the dishes, so...
Biki's Mother: Biki... I still worry... I just couldn't bear it if you got infected, too.
Biki: But it's not fair... She's alone, she's already been abandoned by everyone else... So, if I don't go...
Biki's Mother: You're right, darling... It isn't fair to her... She's a good girl. It's not her fault this happened. I'll just have to try to set my worries aside. Keep being a friend to her, Biki, so she doesn't lose the light in her heart as well. But please... please, whatever you do... don't let yourself get infected with her disease...
Sui: Really? You're coming? Here?
Biki: (groans in pain) What's going on? What was that? Don't tell me... Oh, no... Oh, Mom... I'm sorry...
Biki's Mother: Biki? Come on, get up. Your breakfast is-- (gasps) Biki!
Sui: Biki? Is that you? Is something wrong?
Biki's Mother: I'm sorry... Biki... he won't be coming back. He's caught your illness, whatever it is. I know you didn't mean it... It's not your fault. It's my fault for feeling sorry for you.
Biki's Mother: Who's there?! If you leave the door open, Biki's eyes will...!
Ginko: It's okay. Don't worry, he's fine. I've dealt with cases like his before. I gave him some medicine and something to help with the pain. I know you meant well, but leaving him in the dark will only make the disease progress faster.
Biki's Mother: Now wait just a second, who are you?
Ginko: Ohhh, right, sorry 'bout that. I'm a mushi master, Ginko. I'm actually here because I heard about the girl you have locked in your shed. The eye doctors couldn't help her with her condition, could they? But I think I can.
Biki's Mother: Are you telling me... you can cure my son?
Ginko: Well, since he was so recently infected, the medicine alone should be enough. And if we're lucky, a few hours' sleep and he'll be as good as new.
Ginko: Good. Then it worked. The cause of Sui's illness is the darkness of Manako mushi. They multiply in the dark. You spent too much time with Sui out in that shed.
Biki: Wait, you mean you know Sui? Could he be the one?
Ginko: Whenever I close my second eyelid, she's there by the river.
Biki: ...!
Ginko: The light that river gives off is very different from ordinary earth light. It can poison the eye if you look at it too closely.
Biki: No. He has both of his eyes. He can't be the one-eyed man Sui told me about.
Ginko: I'll begin Sui's treatment tonight after the sun sets.
Biki: Mm. Okay...
Ginko: (gasps) Sui! No, you didn't... Dammit, I told you not to go into the river.
Biki: Oh, Sui...
Ginko: Sui's eyeballs are both dead. But I'll try to do something for her if I can. If you close your second eyelid for too long, eventually your eyeballs are consumed by the darkness. Are you ready, Sui? We're going to use the moonlight to chase out the mushi. Now, keep your second eyelid closed, and slowly open your eyes.
Ginko: That's right, come on out. There's light out here, mushi.
Ginko: There! Sui, now! Close your eyes! Quickly!
Ginko: That should do it. Now then... let's see what we can do about her eyes.
Biki: Those are mushi! She was telling me the truth all along...! There really were mushi in there!
Ginko: Her eyes have been completely devoured. I don't know if this will work, but... I'll try giving her this. You know, you can stop freaking out now. You're gonna faint if you're not careful. Come on, it's just a glass eye. This is some of the liquid mushi we saw a minute ago. If I inject this into the glass eye, it should turn into a functioning eyeball.
Biki: Say, um, can I ask you something? This river of light you mentioned that the two of you say you can see... well, what is it exactly?
Narrator: Try now, if you can, to close your second eyelid.
Ginko: What do you mean? Are you saying that you've forgotten?
Narrator: Only then will the path to true darkness be revealed.
Ginko: You too could see it once, in the past...
Narrator: From the time that man first emerged into the light, it is said that he forgot how to close his second eyelid. However, this development was perhaps for the best, for before that time, many a man had lost his sight from staring too long into the underground river of light. The second eyelid, true darkness, alien light... Each of these names refers to the sea of infinite life forms swimming beneath our feet...
Biki: Suddenly, there was a big flash that lit up everything around us, and we were plunged into darkness. It felt like the ground fell out beneath me and I thought I could see a river of light flowing far down below. It was only for a second after the mushi master gave you the glass eye. But it was so beautiful. I felt as though I was being pulled into it. I wanted to stare at it forever.
Sui: I'm ready.
Biki: Sui was finally able to come out of the shed. She's so happy now, she spends her time admiring the trees and the flowers in the sunlight. I don't think she'll ever be tempted to look for that strange light in the darkness again. I never did ask him, but I wonder if the mushi master lost his real eye the same way Sui did...
Biki: Good morning, Sui.
Sui: Good morning, Biki.
MUSHI-SHI 02.
The Light of the Eyelid 瞼の光(まぶたのひかり)
Biki: How are you feeling today? Do your eyes still hurt?
Sui: Listen, Biki...
Biki: Hmm?
Sui: I want to tell you a secret. It's about my disease. I know what's causing it. I can feel them, you know... swimming around... mushi... living inside my eyes.
Biki: My cousin Sui is the youngest member of our family. About six months ago, she contracted a disease that made her eyes sensitive to light. It was a mystery. None of the eye doctors could figure out the cause of her illness, and before they could find a way to treat her, Sui's eyes became so sensitive that even the smallest amount of light would cause her great pain. When there was nothing they could do, her parents brought her to my house since we have a sturdy storage shed that blocks out light. They said it was for Sui's own good that they left her here, but to me it seemed more like they had given up, like they were abandoning her.
Sui: Did you know we have another eye lid? A second one behind our outer eyelid. Between them, there's a place where no outside light can ever get in. That's where the mushi live.
Biki: Between your eyelids?
Sui: That's right. Don't you know how to close your second eyelid? It's easy; I'll show you. First, close your eyes.
Biki: Mmm.
Sui: Do you see anything?
Biki: Mmmm... Nuh-uh, not a thing. Oh, hold on. I can still see some kind of flickering inside my eye.
Sui: That's right. Even after you close your eyes, you're still looking at the backs of your eyelids. Your eyes aren't really closed. So that's why, if I ever want to make it where I see nothing at all, all I do is close my eyes again... to shut out the flickering. That's when a curtain of darkness falls, and it becomes truly pitch-black.
Biki: ...Sorry, I can't do it.
Sui: You can't? Well, it's easy for me.
Biki: When I visit Sui, we play together in the dark. Even though I can't see anything when I first step into the shed, after a while, as my eyes adjust, the outlines of shapes gradually begin to appear.
Biki: How do you do that? It's almost like you can see the ball.
Sui: It's because of the light, a whole river of light that runs underground.
Biki: ...?
Sui: You can see it whenever you close your second eyelid. If you keep staring long enough into the true darkness... after a while, you start to see specks of light... off in the distance that slowly form into a river. If you're very still, you can see that the specks of light are actually tiny mushi. But... whenever I try to go closer to get a better look...
Ginko: Stop. Be careful. Don't get too close to the river.
Sui: A man is there that I've never met before. He only has one eye. He sits on the other side of the river and he always tells me the same thing. So I just look at the river from a distance... instead of going in.
Biki: I try to understand... but the more I think about, it worries me. The strange things that Sui sees when she closes her eyes... The lights... That man... What in the world could they be?
Biki's Mother: Biki! You're spending way too much time inside that shed.
Biki: It's okay, I burned the eye bandages just like you told me. And I washed my hands and all the dishes, so...
Biki's Mother: Biki... I still worry... I just couldn't bear it if you got infected, too.
Biki: But it's not fair... She's alone, she's already been abandoned by everyone else... So, if I don't go...
Biki's Mother: You're right, darling... It isn't fair to her... She's a good girl. It's not her fault this happened. I'll just have to try to set my worries aside. Keep being a friend to her, Biki, so she doesn't lose the light in her heart as well. But please... please, whatever you do... don't let yourself get infected with her disease...
Sui: Really? You're coming? Here?
Biki: (groans in pain) What's going on? What was that? Don't tell me... Oh, no... Oh, Mom... I'm sorry...
Biki's Mother: Biki? Come on, get up. Your breakfast is-- (gasps) Biki!
Sui: Biki? Is that you? Is something wrong?
Biki's Mother: I'm sorry... Biki... he won't be coming back. He's caught your illness, whatever it is. I know you didn't mean it... It's not your fault. It's my fault for feeling sorry for you.
Biki's Mother: Who's there?! If you leave the door open, Biki's eyes will...!
Ginko: It's okay. Don't worry, he's fine. I've dealt with cases like his before. I gave him some medicine and something to help with the pain. I know you meant well, but leaving him in the dark will only make the disease progress faster.
Biki's Mother: Now wait just a second, who are you?
Ginko: Ohhh, right, sorry 'bout that. I'm a mushi master, Ginko. I'm actually here because I heard about the girl you have locked in your shed. The eye doctors couldn't help her with her condition, could they? But I think I can.
Biki's Mother: Are you telling me... you can cure my son?
Ginko: Well, since he was so recently infected, the medicine alone should be enough. And if we're lucky, a few hours' sleep and he'll be as good as new.
Sui: Biki... Biki... Biki... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry.
Biki: Sui!
Ginko: So, you're awake.
Biki: ...?
Ginko: Are your eyes still bothering you?
Biki: ...? Mm-mm.
Ginko: Good. Then it worked. The cause of Sui's illness is the darkness of Manako mushi. They multiply in the dark. You spent too much time with Sui out in that shed.
Biki: Wait, you mean you know Sui? Could he be the one?
Ginko: Whenever I close my second eyelid, she's there by the river.
Biki: ...!
Ginko: The light that river gives off is very different from ordinary earth light. It can poison the eye if you look at it too closely.
Biki: No. He has both of his eyes. He can't be the one-eyed man Sui told me about.
Ginko: I'll begin Sui's treatment tonight after the sun sets.
Biki: Mm. Okay...
Ginko: (gasps) Sui! No, you didn't... Dammit, I told you not to go into the river.
Biki: Oh, Sui...
Ginko: Sui's eyeballs are both dead. But I'll try to do something for her if I can. If you close your second eyelid for too long, eventually your eyeballs are consumed by the darkness. Are you ready, Sui? We're going to use the moonlight to chase out the mushi. Now, keep your second eyelid closed, and slowly open your eyes.
Ginko: That's right, come on out. There's light out here, mushi.
Ginko: There! Sui, now! Close your eyes! Quickly!
Ginko: That should do it. Now then... let's see what we can do about her eyes.
Biki: Those are mushi! She was telling me the truth all along...! There really were mushi in there!
Ginko: Her eyes have been completely devoured. I don't know if this will work, but... I'll try giving her this. You know, you can stop freaking out now. You're gonna faint if you're not careful. Come on, it's just a glass eye. This is some of the liquid mushi we saw a minute ago. If I inject this into the glass eye, it should turn into a functioning eyeball.
Biki: Say, um, can I ask you something? This river of light you mentioned that the two of you say you can see... well, what is it exactly?
Narrator: Try now, if you can, to close your second eyelid.
Ginko: What do you mean? Are you saying that you've forgotten?
Narrator: Only then will the path to true darkness be revealed.
Ginko: You too could see it once, in the past...
Narrator: From the time that man first emerged into the light, it is said that he forgot how to close his second eyelid. However, this development was perhaps for the best, for before that time, many a man had lost his sight from staring too long into the underground river of light. The second eyelid, true darkness, alien light... Each of these names refers to the sea of infinite life forms swimming beneath our feet...
Biki: Suddenly, there was a big flash that lit up everything around us, and we were plunged into darkness. It felt like the ground fell out beneath me and I thought I could see a river of light flowing far down below. It was only for a second after the mushi master gave you the glass eye. But it was so beautiful. I felt as though I was being pulled into it. I wanted to stare at it forever.
Sui: I'm ready.
Biki: Sui was finally able to come out of the shed. She's so happy now, she spends her time admiring the trees and the flowers in the sunlight. I don't think she'll ever be tempted to look for that strange light in the darkness again. I never did ask him, but I wonder if the mushi master lost his real eye the same way Sui did...