Japanese 2ch Ghost Story｜《Don't Look》👀 ①

This is a ghost story that appeared on Japan's 2ch in 2011. In the poster's family, there was a custom: after visiting ancestral graves, they would light a lantern at the gravesite and carry the flame back to the main house on foot. There were four rules to follow during the journey: ① The lantern's flame must not go out. If it does, you must immediately return to the gravesite and relight it. ② You cannot run. ③ The lantern must be carried by the youngest person among the companions. ④ You must absolutely not look at a small shrine along the way. The poster himself carried the lantern when he was a child. Each time they approached the small shrine, his mother would cover his eyes until they passed it. Years later, his grandmother told him the true meaning behind these rules. The lantern's flame is a 'yorishiro' (a medium for ancestors to attach to and return home); you can't run because doing so makes it easy for 'that thing' to notice you. (Note: 'Yorishiro (よりしろ/yorishiro)' is a concept in Shinto and folk beliefs, simply put, it's a medium or object that allows spirits, ancestral souls, etc., to 'attach and descend'.) 'That thing' preferentially attacks the weak, which is why the youngest child carries the lantern, positioned under the ancestors' strongest protection. As for the last rule— If you see 'that thing' directly, even the ancestors' protection will no longer be effective.