The Forest

---

1

(panting)

Oh, God, help me! Somebody help! Help me!

(gasps)

(woman speaking Japanese on PA)

(chattering in Japanese)

WOMAN (on PA):
Attention, please.

Japan Airlines Flight

3400 from Honolulu...

- (woman on PA continues)

- (line ringing)

WOMAN (on phone): Konnichiwa.

It's Jess. Leave a message.

- (beeps)

- FEMALE VOICE:
The mailbox is full

and cannot accept any

messages at this time.

Good-bye.

(beeping)

WOMAN:
Hello?

MAN (on phone):
Is this Sara Price?

I am with the Yamanashi Police.

The school where

your sister teaches,

they've filed a missing

persons report with us.

Look, Jess has done this

before. I'm sure she's okay.

The last time I talked

to her she sounded... off.

Hey. You know Jess.

Everything's great. Then it's terrible.

No, it wasn't just a bad mood.

Okay, look, let's forget about dinner.

- I'll take them to a restaurant.

- No.

It's your boss. We're going to

impress her. I'll be fine. I promise.

(all laughing)

WOMAN:
Sara, it is nice

to finally meet you.

Baby, are you okay?

- (beeping)

- (line clicks)

SARA:
I don't understand.

If you know she went there, why

aren't you already looking for her?

JAPANESE POLICE OFFICER: Your sister

was last seen in Aokigahara Forest.

I'm sorry to say this, but it is a

place where some people commit suicide.

What?

She was seen leaving the path

to go into the forest alone.

When we see this,

it means the person does

not want to be found.

JAPANESE POLICE OFFICER:

Miss? Are you there?

I'm here.

After 48 hours

we have to assume a person has gone

through with their suicide plan.

No, she's alive.

What's going on?

I'm going to Japan. The

police think Jess is dead.

MAN:
What?

Apparently, they have a forest in

Japan where people go to kill themselves

and Jess went into it.

Sounds like exactly the kind of place

your sister would go hiking for fun.

Rob, she's my twin,

she's in trouble and she needs me.

She always needs you.

She makes a bad decision

and you clean up her mess.

SARA:
I don't know, Rob. It

feels different this time.

ROB:
It's your call.

Why don't you just sleep on it, okay?

If she doesn't call you

by morning, reassess.

If you still want to go, you can go. Okay?

- Okay.

- Okay. All right.

- I love you.

- I love you too.

It's gonna be all right.

Everything's gonna be fine.

(laughing)

(sighs)

- (speakers:
upbeat pop)

- (people chattering, laughing)

- (fades)

- (chattering continues)

(speaks Japanese)

- You wouldn't happen to have a dead one, would you?

- (Japanese)

- Okay.

- (women laughing, chattering in Japanese)

SARA:
Happy birthday to us

Stop... Stop messing around. Smile.

Happy birthday to us

(blows)

CHILD'S VOICE (faint,

singsongy):
Sara.

- (latch clicks)

- (hinge creaking)

CHILD'S VOICE (faint,

singsongy):
Sara.

(gasps)

(shrieks)

(alarm beeping)

- WOMAN:
On a longboat.

- STUDENTS:
I went on a longboat.

WOMAN:
I am going on a longboat.

STUDENTS:
I am going on a longboat.

WOMAN:
I will go on a longboat.

STUDENTS:
I will go on a longboat.

WOMAN:
He went to London.

STUDENTS:
He went to London.

He is going to London.

He is going to London.

- (all gasping)

- (screaming)

(speaks Japanese)

(speaking Japanese)

She thought you were Miss Jess.

- She's ashamed.

- We're twins.

I am... sorry.

It's okay.

But why were you scared?

(translating into Japanese)

(Japanese)

She knows your sister went into Aokigahara.

She thought you were a

yurei. A ghost.

Aokigahara. Th-The suicide forest?

In old times it was a

place for ubasute.

When there was not enough food,

families would bring elderly women,

the blind or sick to the forest

and leave them to die.

That's awful. I don't understand.

Why would the school

take a class trip there?

Mount Fuji is very beautiful

and important to history.

Aokigahara is simply part of the mountain.

(speaking Japanese)

People say spirits cannot rest there.

They come back.

(Japanese)

Angry.

They come back angry.

- (Japanese)

- Hai.

Hai.

Can I see Jess's room before I go?

Hai.

Normally I would respect privacy,

but because you're family...

Thank you.

(door opens)

Jess, do you have the packing tape?

- Hey. Those could be worth something.

- They're from the Stone Age.

Didn't Grandma say they

were collectors items?

She also said Rob was gay 'cause

he parted his hair to the right.

Point taken.

Be careful with that jar.

- Why? She keep her stash in it?

- She kept Grandpa in it.

(both laughing)

SARA:
You're terrible.

JESS:
So, when was the

last time you saw Grandma?

Six months ago.

I feel bad.

We just abandoned her, went

off to do our own thing.

She understood. We

needed to start our lives.

I'm about to start mine all over again.

I'm sure it'll be great,

Jess. I'm proud of you.

Tokyo isn't exactly the next town over.

It'll be good for you.

Plus, it'll give me an excuse to

get on a plane every once in a while.

You'd better.

(man on PA speaking Japanese)

(station bell clanging)

- Konnichiwa.

- Hi.

I'm, uh...

I'm looking for my sister.

She came here on a trip with

her school and disappeared.

- Have you seen her?

- Yes. We find.

You... You found Jess?

Oh, my... Wh-Where is she?

She here. I take you.

Sakura. (Japanese)

- (chattering in Japanese)

- I...

What is this?

Basement.

You come?

Keep the bodies here when we find.

- Keep them cold.

- The bodies?

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