The darkness from the ✻ has become stronger. I have scoured the records, but can find no mention of the darkness having been this strong before. Perhaps it is caused by the recent spate of deaths owing to poor harvests in the village. Perhaps it is demanding compensation for the failure of the Tachibana ceremony. We have started looking for offerings in other villages, but we must hurry.
Half of the mourners have already been driven mad by the darkness and thrown themselves into the ✻. We must replace them with new mourners, criminals will have to be used.
At this rate, it will only be a few short years before the ✻ overflows. I have no choice. My daughters must be given as offerings. Sae and Yae's purification must begin at once.
For the sake of the village...
Translation Note
The Deep Crimson Butterfly translation includes a mistranslated line: "We have started looking for offerings in other villages, but we must hurry." (This line is omitted entirely from the Fatal Frame II official translation.) The actual translation should be, "Offerings have been delivered from other villages wishing for the ritual. We must hurry." 'Offerings' (供物) in this context implies goods and supplies rather than sacrifices, and is not the same word as is used later to refer to Yae and Sae (紅贄). This is notable, as it shows that villages throughout the region were aware of the ritual and benefited from it, even going so far as to petition Minakami Village to perform the ritual in difficult times.