Friendly House Spirits

 From near and far

  I'm sorry for not posting a letter last week, but I do intend to make up for my lack of attention next week. I will be writing another letter on the supernatural to be sent over the weekend, and hopefully it will not disappoint. In the mean time however...

  Now, straight to the point - I do not know and have never met a household spirit (to the best of my knowledge), and do not intend to let that bias my judgement. If you know these anomalies by different names than the ones that I have listed them by then, by all means, feel free to let me know. I do not speak some of these languages so please don't criticize me if I write the wrong names. I only know what I have read.

Zashiki Warashi - Japanese

  This small spirit may have different names depending on the region of Japan it is found in, but I know it by the name zashiki warashi. Japanese in origin, this friendly yokai (or supernatural monster/spirit) takes on the looks of a ghost-like child, sometimes with the appearance of only five to six years of age. Girl zashiki can be found wearing child-sized flowered kimonos, while the boys are dressed in small warrior costumes.

  Though they love mischief and are known for their childlike pranks, zashiki are actually good spirits. If treated with the proper respects, zashiki have been known to bring good fortunes and great wealth. On the other hand, when treated poorly, these friendly spirits may become fiendly, taking your good luck with them as they leave to find another residence.

Smok - Slavic

  Though the above picture might not be an accurate representation, a smok (or smotzi in the plural) is a fairly simple house spirits that come in the form of a snake. Usually the guardian of a house, smok only appear to children and those who own the home.

  Very similar to the zashiki, smok are able to bring tidings of both good luck and bad luck depending on how they are treated. But instead of candies, this spirit prefers to drink the milk that working parents leave out for their children.

  Stories say that when parents leave home to work in the fields they left some food out where their children could reach it - usually milk and bread - so that the children have something to eat. In many cases the food would disappear, but the child or children would grow thinner. When the parents find out that a smok has been drinking and eating the food instead, reactions become somewhat mixed. But, (since I'd like to look on the bright side), we'll see this to a positive end. If the parents see that the smok is not harming the child or children, they will leave it be; otherwise, on the rare occasion that the circumstances should differ for the worse, the parents would chase away the smok, driving it out of the house and all the good luck with it.

  Ah, but now I feel that I've been rambling a bit...

  It's a late hour and I haven't much more time before my eyes see only smeared blurs (I spent too long chasing a vampire around X St. last night. Before I knew what had happened, moonlight had become sunlight) so I'll say goodnight for now. I promise I'll write soon in a few short days.

        Sincerely for the sake of everything nonsensical,

              The Friendly Steampunk

Credits to Google Images for the pictures