My name is Natalie Bennett. A few months ago I moved to Kyoto, Japan with my boyfriend Tom. He worked as a paramedic at the Kyoto Teishin Hospital, while I studied to become a veterinarian. Most people thought it was because I loved animals. But it was really because it was the only thing I could study that wouldn’t cause me brain damage.

In all honesty, I can’t say being in Japan was a breeze. I couldn’t speak Japanese to save my life, and I had zero friends. School was beyond stressful, Tom was drowning in work, and it would be years before I could go back to Idaho. The only thing that kept me sane was music. It was all I had besides Tom, who was usually working late and sleep-deprived. So more than half the time, I was alone in our two-bedroom apartment, filling my head with lyrics.

On one of my many lonely nights, I was prepping myself to go to bed. As usual, Tom wasn’t home and I was exhausted. I needed, more than anything, to close my eyes, go to sleep and prepare myself for another draining day. I was already covered up when I heard something outside my window. It was singing. It was one of my favorite songs, sung in the most beautiful voice I’d ever heard. I opened up my window and looked outside. At the far end of the lonely street, was the singing woman. I knew the song, I just didn’t think anyone in Japan knew it. I didn’t think anyone in Japan even knew Karen O. The woman kept singing anti-lullaby so sweetly, and I wanted to join in. Maybe, I’d make a new friend after this.

“Do not sleep my starling, sleep my doe. She is wrapped in curtains, laid in snow. She will bury you inside her fur”.

I closed my eyes and sang along

“Do not sleep, she waits for you to sleep. Do not sleep, she waits for you to sleep. My breath you breathe, it will carry you. My breath you breathe, it carries you”.

Her eyes met mine, and she kept singing

“ Do not sleep. She waits for you to sleep. Do not sleep, my starling, do not sleep”.

The song came to an end. She smiled at me. I’d never seen someone so beautiful. I don’t remember breathing At that moment. Not only that, but I wanted to jump out my window and go to her. But then, she turned and walked away into the dead of the night. For the next couple of nights, I waited for the lady to show up. She never did. I never bothered telling Tom, he would never believe me. I just wanted her to show up so bad, and when she didn’t, I decided to put her out of my mind. Furthermore, I had exams coming up in a few weeks and I needed to concentrate.

I thought that night would the last time I’d see her again. And then I saw at her at my organic chemistry class. She was right behind Mr. Takahashi, singing. Nobody else seemed to notice her, they just kept going about their business. She kept her eyes on me, singing the entire time. I kept looking around, how could they not see her? I squinted my eyes to take a proper look at her.

She looked different now. I couldn’t quite place it, but she looked different. There was no way I was the only one seeing this. I tapped the closest person to me and asked in broken Japanese if he could see the girl behind Mr. Takahashi. He simply gave me a condescending look and turned away. That was enough for me to know that he didn’t see her, and I needed to improve on my Japanese. I attempted to ignore her, but I couldn’t. Not when I could feel her staring at me and her singing to me, waiting for me to sing back.

Day after day, I’d see her staring at me, singing to me and smiling at me. That God awful wide grin. She didn’t look so pretty anymore, either. She looked pale, and her eyes looked sunken. Her hair was so incredibly thin, and she looked so skinny, I wondered how she was even able to stand. Her voice didn’t sound so good either. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. She messed with my head by just being around me, and I was going insane.

I set out to drown out her voice with my headphones, but it didn’t help. She was always there singing in that horrible voice and following me around. The more I saw her, the closer she got. I tried to tell Tom that I was being followed by something, that I wasn’t safe. He told me I was letting the school workload get to me and I needed some time off. Well, thank you very much, Tom. He did change the locks on the door to help me feel safe, but I knew she didn’t see doors and locks as an obstacle.

I’m not crazy, I don’t do drugs, and I don’t have any mental illness that I’m aware of. However, I’ve been taking several pills because I haven’t slept in days and the fear and paranoia have overwhelmed me. This thing was enjoying herself, toying with me, playing this twisted game just to watch me choke on my tears. Each time I heard her sing, my knees went weak, and I’d scream at her to leave me alone.

She’s outside my bedroom door now, singing that song again. The same one that started everything. But She’s stopped. Why? She never stops midway. Everywhere’s quiet. I went out to look, and she wasn’t there, she was gone, she’d left me alone. The smile on my face vanished when I felt her hands wrap around me, and she began to sing directly into my ear,

“Do not sleep, my starling.......”





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