Haunted Charm Shop
A recent urban legend that's cropped up about the remains of the Dusty Jinja Shop in the Sakura Retreat. Mostly spoken about during October because of Halloween for those who know about the holiday.
Story
People mostly ignore the remnants of the old shop, a place to buy such mystical and occult items like crystal balls and omamoris, various charms and such. But some on the other hand pay it heed and are wary of the old structure. Whispered tales speak of the place being haunted. The story goes that a young woman started seeking advice from the shop owner. Purchasing many of the charms and seeking her fortune told and such advice. It's said one day her girlfriend left her, and while no one is clear why many assume it's due to the girl's obsession with fortune telling and charms even after she was banned from the shop. The girl started camping outside the shop, begging the owner to make a love charm for her to help win her girlfriend back. Again and again she was refused, and yet she continued waiting. Eventually the owner broke down and granted the girl her request. But she was clear to her that the charm would not make someone fall in love with her, only grant her luck in love. Like the rest of her charms, they were never a guarantee, just offered luck. The girl didn't care, she was just happy to get her charm believing it would make everything better.
No one really knows what happened next. Many say she confronted her girlfriend clutching the charm and begging her to come back. When she refused the girl grew angry and many say she attacked her ex, others say she attacked the girl her ex was now with. Still some say the girl burst into tears and ran off crying. Whatever happened the various stories agree that she returned to the shop demanding the owner make her a new charm, one more power than the one before. The owner had had enough and refused her but once again the girl wouldn't leave and stayed out across from the shop watching it whenever she was awake. Many became fearful of her wild appearance and actions. If she was chased off she'd just return shortly after. Eventually the girl passed away, but it wasn't long before people started claiming they heard noises and felt chills near the shop. Some nights people even claimed to see the ghost of the girl wandering around the area, begging for her love to return to her or cursing the shop owner and blaming her for losing her love. Eventually the shop closed down, and some say it's because of the girl's ghost haunting the place scaring away customers. Who'd want to buy a charm from a shop that couldn't protect itself from ghosts huh?
Still though people claim to sometimes feel chills, and even see the girl's ghost wandering around the remains of the shop. Many claim that's why the ruins still remain unlike other old island businesses that get cleared away to make room for new buildings. This is especially true on Halloween, when it's said the ghost will come after anyone who goes near the remains, demanding her old girlfriend back or cursing the shop owner. She seems especially drawn to couples. Those that claim to have seen her all say she has long, tangled hair and wears a blouse and skirt that looks old and tattered.
Accuracy of Claims
The one thing the story has going for it is that the ruins of the old shop do in fact remain there in the Sakura Retreat. Aside from this it's hard to prove many of the claims. The owner of the shop no longer is around it seems, to confirm or deny anything. And like in other worlds, ghostly experiences can often be mistaken for totally normal occurrences like temperature changes, rattling of tree branches and shifting rubble. As for the claims that people have seem some girl's ghost wandering around the ruins of the shop? Well most of those claims come from people who say they heard it from someone who heard it from someone who swears they saw her, those kind of witnesses. There's also the fact that it's rare to find a wandering ghost haunting the island due to the nature of the goddesses as well as the island's defenders who often take care of such spirits especially if they're causing trouble. But maybe it's true, and the ghost just can't be banished so easily. Or her appearances are so infrequent many assume she's passed on, who can say?