Restlessness

House of liars, a den of desires, weaving forevermore to prey on naive fools. Whether it be within a sea of humans or in the wild unknown, patiently waiting for travellers or vagabonds who've exhausted themselves of contact. Jorogumos are just killer shams for a living.

Golden orb weavers, coiling at the end of their tongues and threads, a traditional Jorogumo who once was a spider begins their cravings for humans once centuries fold has passed. Their most popular hunting grounds were the streets in a bustling crowd, a shamisen in hand, the instrument of courting.

Luring, sweet lies. To the young men seeking compassion, tormented by the ever loneliness of life, how could they reject the lulls of a gorgeous woman? None the wiser, they become preservatives, their voices nullified by the cocoons wrapped around their bodies, their strugglings never-ending until the Jorogumo decides to spare them by chomping their heads off. That is to say, they didn't rip apart their stomachs and arms.

The curtain blinds were whisked aside by a thin arm.

"Pardon me!"

Izumi, the shortest figure of the three. In a sense, she acts like the youngest. Round puppy eyes, the ones that can entrap a man's heart before the words can smite them. It appears she behaves more on carnal desires, her loud mouth was just a hole for her stomach's cravings.

A dry smell of copper greeted my nostrils, reddish-brown scuffings around her lips. One of the trapped men was likely bitten off.

"Your mouth."

"Hm?"

Her hand touches the corner of her lips.

"No, right side."

"..Oh!" She wipes whatever is left of that man's guts from her face with her sleeve. "Sorry, I just ate."

Her stomach rumbles.

"Rationing."

"Rationing?"

"Yeah, rationing." She places the bowl of mixed herbs next to me. "We've just been eating wildlife as of late. Squirrels taste awful if you ask me."

"You'll still starve."

"I know."

Food was not a priority, meals often arrived meagerly. The only constant food in my hundred-thousand footsteps across this land was the lucky fruits ripe for pickings. Mayhaps even stealing from the villagers if the opportunity presents itself.

"I've thought about leaving, you know."

'Twas a natural statement from her. Although, there was an air of sombre from her breaths.

"But?"

"Ah, well, mom said I'm not ready yet. 'When you learn how to not scare away every common man because you keep exclaiming them as meat', she said." A half-hearted chuckled with a sidelong gaze. "But hey, you onis value honesty, right?"

Haphazard, no thought given, a spill of water before the dry stone. There is hidden intent behind her lousy speech.

"What is it?"

"Huh?"

"Indeed, I value the fair attitude of bluntness. But your honesty is just a terrible lie."

My left arm reached for the bowl. No answer was given till the last drop of medicine embellished my throat.

"My mom said to return this to you." From behind, she pulls out a red mask. Discoloured and worn out, one of the canine teeth had been broken apart. A mask without a strap to wrap around the head. Why would you need one when it's a face one replaces over their own?

"It's yours, right? This spirit mask."

"Yes, it is. Thank you."

She reclines her hand.

"Mom said that yokais who own spirit masks are human sorcerers who've carved out the faces of yokais themselves." Her tone grew bolder, more adamant. "Were you one of them?"

"I wouldn't be able to tell you myself. That mask wasn't mine at first. It's rubbish."

"Rubbish? Then why keep it?"

"It's a reminder of why I picked up a rusted sword in the first place." My hand snatched the mask away from her. "That is all."

The young spiderling shuts a grunt behind her lips. Then, her name roared across the underground cavern.

"Izumi! How many times do I have to say you have to clean up after you eat?! Do you want our rations to go bad?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

She stood up yet her eyes were aimed at me before her head fully turned.

"Yeesh, mom said to keep my mouth shut but then Mayumi could just shout across the place like it's nothing."

A final whine from her before the curtains closed.

Tiny embers to a formidable fire, as if the puddle beneath froze your feet. There was no mistake that the seeds of anger had been planted, the only pondering question is why? Mayhaps the young spiderling encountered one; her life was almost claimed in the process too.

If that was her opinion over them, what would be the rest of her family's?

That matriarch, if she shares the same vitriolic look her daughter shot at me, then this cave will be the last place I ever tread upon.

The flame flickered with residue staining the glass lantern, leaving an orange hue over my attire as I approached it. My fingers twitched, snuffing out the fire with my shaking breath. Whether they truly did lace my medicine with some sort of toxin or my body hasn't made a full recovery, I must leave this place.

My dusty yukata tightened, my false-face fastened, a heaving sigh escaped my lips. The underground system is unknown to me, spiders roaming the halls of their home, my only guide is the arch that leads up. Figuring that too, will be a difficult task.

Dark and darker, even moving the curtain blinds out of my way was harder than expected with such dimmed vision. Yet, there were tiny specks of stones stuck within these stone walls. There were few, but enough to light up a path.

Still, my eyes have never seen such a spectacle ore before. Perhaps this is simply one of the few secrets that lie beneath the mountain. My left hand slides across the walls, making sure to not get myself lost in this maze.

A single drop of water from the distance, losing touch with the walls, the chimes would trick the mind into thinking it were walking among the stars in a moonless sky. My heart was palpitating, every step taken while holding my breath. The darkness is one of the worst tricksters among them all.

What lies beneath the shadows is but a thought the mind fears.