Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction · Linda Gould

Hungry Ghost by Paul Walter

November 12, 2025·25 min·2 clips

On a forest lookout, the narrator feels a warm, seductive presence that whispers for him to stay forever.

1. Kaidankai host Linda Gould presents Hungry Ghost, a horror short story by Paul Walter, about a supernatural encounter in Japan's Aokigahara Forest. 2. Paul Walter is an Irish-born retired illustrator and art teacher who has had two children's books published by Penguin and whose literary novel Finn Rising was republished on Amazon in 2022. 3. The story's core purpose is to dramatize the terrifying atmosphere of the real Aokigahara Forest by placing two ordinary Australian tourists inside it. 4. The narrator Murphy is an Australian man on a ski holiday in Japan with his best friend Wayne, a senior financial advisor based in Martin Place, Sydney. 5. On the last day of the trip, Wayne — hungover and restless — persuades Murphy to visit Aokigahara after hearing about it from an American in the hotel lobby. 6. The American described hundreds of suicides per year in the forest, with hanging the most common method and pills second, and claimed it was haunted by spirits coercing the depressed to join them. 7. Murphy explicitly notes they are boarding a bus to 'the world's second most popular suicide destination,' framing the story's dread from the outset. 8. At the forest entrance, a Japanese man in charge of a local group grabs Wayne by the arm when he asks about a deeper trail, shakes his head, and says 'no, must not go there,' before the group quickly leaves. 9. The two men enter the forest alone, passing abandoned cars covered in leaf litter and bird droppings, warning signs reading 'Your life is a precious gift from your parents,' and a sickening sweet smell. 10. As they push deeper, the trail narrows, volcanic rocks jut from the ground, and Murphy begins finding remnants left by people who died there: mossy trainers, vodka bottles, clothing, dangling ropes, and sleeping pill packets. 11. The path eventually widens to a natural clearing with a narrow catwalk leading to a viewing platform six meters above the forest canopy. 12. Wayne stays at the edge due to his fear of heights while Murphy walks out onto the platform, sits cross-legged, and closes his eyes. 13. Murphy experiences a state resembling meditation that turns into what he describes as 'delightfully stoned' — a sensation of being lifted off the ground — before a presence floats up beside him. 14. The entity's communication is not speech but implanted thoughts, described as 'the voice of a child, but not exactly,' like the tinkling of a glass bell, repeatedly whispering 'Join us, stay here with us.' 15. Murphy feels warmth surging through his body, tears of bliss, and an overwhelming urge to sleep, before Wayne's screaming finally penetrates — 'Murph! Open your fucking eyes!' 16. When Murphy tries to resist the entity, its tone shifts from seductive to malevolent — 'a deep, resonant growl like a manhole cover dragged over flagstones' — commanding 'You will stay!' 17. Murphy crawls back along the narrow platform on all fours, trembling and fighting nausea, while Wayne lies flat and stretches out to push him back into the trees. 18. The two men run out of the forest, barely speak on the flight back to Sydney, and then part ways; Murphy's closing line is 'it's too late,' implying unresolved consequences. 19. Linda Gould follows the story with a brief personal note: she lived in Japan for 26 years and confirms that Aokigahara's volcanic soil does genuinely absorb sound, and she reflects with sadness on the people who travel there alone to die. 20. Best suited for listeners who enjoy atmospheric first-person horror fiction rooted in real-world locations and Japanese supernatural folklore; not for those who want upbeat or comedic dark fiction.

As heard by us

A quiet forest story that turns dread, folklore, and sadness into one uneasy walk.

Hungry Ghost follows two tourists whose easy ski trip to Japan slips into something far more unsettling once they choose to visit Aokigahara forest, a place marked by local warnings and a heavy, unnerving stillness.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a ski trip that drifts straight into the woods.

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