Nuppeppō: The Lost Children

Once upon a time, there was a boy made of meat. Abe no Seimei was the greatest onmyoji in Japan until he was destroyed by grief. When his wife and son died under mysterious circumstances, he turned to necromancy, sacrificing his own eye and dozens of stolen bodies trying to bring them back. But the thing he woke from the grave was not his son. It was a barely-conscious mass of flesh with no mind, no heart, and no soul. Now, piece by piece, element by element, this flesh golem named Nuppeppō must earn a body of its own by rescuing lost children who have been twisted into monstrous forms in dark Japanese fairytales: a murdered boy turned vengeful creature, a girl who traded her ears to something ancient and hungry, two siblings who inherited the terrible cravings of the nightmare they once defeated. Each rescue brings him one step closer to humanity, but no closer to the family he most desires. Told by a warm, wicked, grandparental narrator who promises this story will be frightening, sad, and more than a little grotesque. Nuppeppō: The Lost Children is a dark horror fairy tale take on Pinocchio set against the backdrop of Ancient Japanese Folklore. Updates weekly. Illustrated by the author.