The sight was gruesome.
Skeletons and mummified corpses were spread equally apart hanging from the ceiling, entwined
in cobwebs.
I nearly vomited at the sight.
I knew that I would be next if I didn’t leave, but I froze at the sight of thousands
of spiders.
I closed my eyes and opened them again, hoping that when I did, all of this would prove to
be just a dream.
That’s when I heard the voice of a woman, singing the most beautiful, haunting melody.
I went to Japan to finish writing my book, a love story between a foreigner and a Japanese
woman, not knowing I would come across a different tragedy.
The Izu Peninsula is well-known for its beautiful coastlines and picturesque mountains.
I made it to my airbnb, a remote villa on a hill.
I needed a quiet place to concentrate on the last chapters of my novel.
As I waited for the host to welcome me, a gurgling sound, from behind the house caught
my attention.
I walked towards it.
For a moment, the dense, humid air made me feel as though I was choking, but then a sudden
breeze filled my lungs as I walked towards a cliff.
I found myself standing right next to a majestic waterfall.
I was admiring it when an old lady greeted me.
She turned out to be the host and mentioned that she was staying nearby with her daughter
in case I needed anything.
She handed me the keys to the guesthouse and walked away.
The airbnb was perfect and clean.
Tatami mats covered the floor and paper panels on the walls.
After I unpacked my belongings, I decided to go for a quick swim in the water.
On the way there, I noticed little spiders on the ground.
They were crawling towards an abandoned house, not far away from where I was staying.
I'm deathly afraid of spiders.
The sight of it made me queasy.
I tried my best to ignore the critters and went swimming.
Although quite cold, the water was refreshing.
When I got out, the heat from the sun warmed my skin.
I laid down for a bit to dry off.
I closed my eyes and ended up napping.
I was awakened when I felt something bite my arm.
I opened my eyes and saw a web-like string wrapped around it.
Slowly, I was dragged into the water.
I managed to free myself against some rock and pull myself to safety.
I looked at my arm and saw a red bump and passed out immediately after.
When I woke up, a pretty woman was taking care of me.
She introduced herself as Yumiko, the daughter of the old woman that I talked to earlier.
She was alluring, seductive, and intriguing.
Before I could introduce myself, she left and her mother entered the room with a bowl
of soup.
I devoured all the contents of the bowl as I was famished.
Her mother stepped out of the room and Yumiko returned.
I was careful not to make advances at Yumiko despite her flirting, but I couldn’t help
it.
The next few days were almost dream-like.
Yumiko and I had grown close.
I was welcomed into their home, where I was served delicious local dishes.
Afterwards, I’d feel drained but brushed it off as jet lag.
I noticed that she never went into the same room as her mother.
She would enter the room after her mother had left.
Maybe out of respect?
But then my health slowly deteriorated.
I was so confused but perhaps it was an allergic reaction.
I vomited blood in the old woman's presence, and for a second, caught her smiling.
I apologized and immediately went back to the airbnb because I was creeped out.
I was constantly uninspired and lethargic, so I decided to visit the nearest hospital.
After some testing, the doctor informed me that my symptoms were those of poisoning,
particularly caused by the venom of spiders.
I instantly remembered the spiders from when I first arrived, so I decided to do some investigation
as soon as I was discharged from the hospital.
I brought a lighter, pocket knife, and a fountain pen for protection and if I was hit with inspiration.
As I neared the abandoned house near the airbnb, I noticed a small trail of spiders making
its way through a small crack.
I turned the door knob and entered.
And saw several men mummified in spider webs.
Small spiders surrounded the room.
I stepped on the victims’ remains as the critters slowly crawled towards me.
At the same time, I heard a woman’s voice singing a beautiful tune.
I was mesmerized, but my phobia of spiders overpowered my desire to follow the music.
In my panicked state, I managed to set the room on fire with the lighter and run far
away.
As soon as the house burst into flames, I heard Yumiko’s mother scream.
The old woman saw me running away and cursed me.
I ran back to the airbnb and packed my things.
As I was about to head out the door, I heard the melody from earlier.
I was mesmerized.
It was Yumiko’s singing.
I thought of the spiders again, snapped out of it, and covered my ears.
When I opened the door, I was shocked to see that grinning in front of me was Yumiko’s
upper body attached to long, hairy spider legs.
I managed to squeeze past the half woman half spider demon and run away.
When I looked back, I saw that it was following me.
I sprinted.
Out of nowhere, Yumiko jumped in front of me.
She grinned.
She began producing blobs of silk, one after another and aimed them at me.
When she laughed, I realized she was attempting to ensnare me.
She snarled and shot another blob towards me.
It hit me right in the face.
I was blinded by it.
I fell to the floor, face down, terrified.
And just like any spider, she moved silently.
I felt her hairy legs on my body and the spinning web around my legs.
Then I felt a bite on my arm followed by an immediate, sharp pain.
My shirt became damp as blood seeped out.
Suddenly I remembered the items in my pocket.
I knew I didn’t have much time.
My hand was free, so I grabbed whatever I could and struck the beast with my pen.
Her hairy legs tried to strangle me.
I used the pocket knife to cut off her legs.
The creature stepped back.
She tried to flee but collapsed to the ground.
I pulled out my lighter, set the spider on fire, and ran into town.
Ironic.
I had neglected writing during this retreat, but my pen saved me.
My nerves were still on edge as I entered the plane.
I booked the first flight out of Japan.
I tried to smile at the crew as they welcomed me to the plane, but I could tell that they
could sense I was an anxious mess.
I walked to my seat.
I was relieved to have the whole row to myself.
I sat down, immediately asked the flight attendant for a glass of wine, and chugged it.
Soon, the plane took off.
I finally got a big sigh of relief when the captain announced that we were already cruising
twenty-thousand feet above the ground.
The wine hit me rather quickly since I had an empty stomach.
I knocked out almost instantly.
Then I awoke to the sound of screams.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the flight attendant staring at me in shock.
She didn't stop shrieking and pointing at me.
I looked down.
Hundreds of spiders were crawling out of the wound on my arm.