MASQUERADE AND THE NAMELESS WOMEN -- POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE #4

Image from Goodreads

This one was a bit different from the rest. I didn't start to read it as one of the challenge books. I picked it up because it sounded twisted, which I admit, I needed considering all the lighthearted manga and books I've been reading.

Challenge four of the Pop Sugar Challenge is: A book you think should be turned into a movie.

I found that as soon as I got into the book, I actually said to myself (in my head) that I would love to watch this. It was then that I realized that there was a challenge that fit this idea.

I was attracted to the cover at first, but once I read the premise, I hesitated on buying it. I took the plunge and ate that puppy up in one day.

The premise isn't unfamiliar. Serial killer who works with police. The Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay is an example of this.

Masquerade and the Nameless Women was a fun read for me. I would really love to have a second book that pits the serial killer and the rookie cop obsessed with finding him together.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- YAMAUBA

You lead them through the forest.  They have lost their way.

You open your door for them, offer them food. You give them shelter.

You wait.  Anticipation courses through your veins.  Your mouth salivates.

You gaze upon them and grin.  They are asleep.

Rising, you stalk toward the man.  He barely opens his eyes when you strike.

Ah . . . Heaven.  Hot blood of your victim stains your mouth.  Man flesh tastes wonderful.



Yamauba (or Onibaba) is a Japanese demoness or ogress that was once human.  Usually these women fled because of their wicked deeds or were abandoned in times of famine, but they survive to become yokai.

They are classified in the kijo type yokai. They are cannibalistic and will 'help' travelers and shelter them for the night in their huts. They will attack after their guests have fallen asleep.

 They usually live in isolated mountains and forests far from civilization.

Yamauba may have once been kami before being demonized.

One story has a Yamauba raising Kintaro, a legendary hero.

They can also be found in Noh plays.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- WA NYŪDŌ (VERY DISTURBING. BEWARE!)

He is coming.  You can see the burning flames from the end of the street.  You know there is no mercy in the creature.

Don't look.  Don't look, you tell yourself as you huddle down in fear in your house.

The fire lights up the whole of the room from the window.  You can see the blazing of it even through your eyelids.

It passes by, and you relax.  You survived.  Your head rests against the wall in relief.

Screams sound.  You cringe, praying for those souls that were not so lucky as you.




The Wa Nyūdō is one of the deadliest yokai in the Japanese pantheon of them.

He's described as a flaming ox-cart wheel with a man's head at the hub.  This man was -- according to two different versions -- either a nasty daimyo or a corrupt monk that died and is serving penance.

He works for Hell and loves to haunt urban streets for whatever victims he can find.  This yokai haunts urban city streets.  To look at him will have your soul stolen and taken to Hell.  To fall into his path will have your body torn asunder.

One story had a woman looking at him.  The Wa Nyūdō yells at her that if she had time to look at him, then she had time to look after her baby.  When she turned back to the baby, its limbs had been ripped from its body by the creature.

He appears in the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki in 1779, but may come from an older work called the Shokoku Hyakumonogaturi from 1677, which is a collection of ghost stories. Evidence suggests that this yokai goes back even farther to the Heian Period (794 to 1185).

There is a specific ofuda that protects against it.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- VOUGH

You watch the human.  Hate fills your heart and you want to destroy him, but something stops you.

His glowing happy eyes are blue as your home. You want to rip them out of his head, but you can't seem to make yourself.

You want him, and you will have him.



The Vough are Scottish water spirits.  They inhabit both sea and fresh bodies of water.  They are nocturnal, but sources are conflicted if the sun can kill them or not.  Iron, on the other hand, they're pretty much goners.

The Vough are in a group of fey called the Fuath or Fuath-Arrchd.  Also they usually hate humans, but sometimes the want intellectual or sexual congress.  Some clans claim that they have Vough blood in their lineage.

With no noses, yellow shaggy hair or mane, and having a tail with a spike, they are described as deformed humanoids.  They are said to dress in green. Similar creatures ar Kelpie and Uisages.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- TENOME

Your friend was supposed to meet you here.  He is late.  You didn't even want to come out here.

You call out his name, hoping he's playing a trick on you.

Going against your better judgment, you enter the graveyard.  Your so going to beat the crap out your friend when you find him.

A strange sound reaches you.  You jump but ignore it as you get closer to the grave you guys wanted to see.

Closer now, the sound reaches you and you swear it's an inhalation like that of a scenting dog.  Strange.

There's something on the ground before the grave.  His jacket?  You shuffle closer.  And then you see it.  It's not just his jacket.

Pained terror stabs your chest as your heart accelerates when you see it's him.  His skin puddled on the ground.

You back up to run away.  As you turn, you see the eyeless face.



This creature is found in the first book of Toriyama Sekien's series, Gazu Hyakki Yakō, which translates to basically Night Parade of A Hundred Demons.  He did not write a single thing about this creature, but his inspiration may have come from older stories of a creature that fits this description.

One version of the origin story says that a blind man was murdered.  His lasts words stated he wished he saw the one/ones who did it even if his eyes were in his hands.  

Well, he got his wish. Tenome literally translates to eyes on hands.  They hang out in graveyards and open fields and they like to eat fresh from the body bones.  

The creature looks like a blind zato, a type of guildman.  They are quick but not powerful, blind as a bat, but with a vicious sense of smell.  

One story has a priest locking a victim in a chest to protect him, but the creature somehow sucked his bones out leaving the skin in the chest.

Yes, this nasty monster did inspire that blipping freaking s.o.b. in Pan's Labyrinth.  

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- SUIKO (UTTERLY GROSS AND SICK AND TWISTED! BE WARNED)

You look over at the small hut in the field and shudder.  The villagers hated the idea, but it was the one sure way of destroying the monster.

They had forbidden anyone from entering the field except for the one who must check the area around the hut.

The stench permeated the air even this far away, which makes your stomach churn. Why anyone would go near is beyond you.

You exit your house and find the elder waiting.  You are to check the hut.

When you near the field, you cover your nose and mouth with cloth.  It will keep out the stench -- barely.  Approaching, you gag at the smell of rotting flesh.  Then you it.  Footprints circling the hut.

You rush around to the other side, and stop.  There on the ground the monster lay dead.


This is how to kill a Suiko.  They are not Kappa, but they are related to them.  Suiko translates to water tiger.

They are more aggressive and have control of kappas, sort of like a mid level boss of mafia thugs, which means they have a hierarchy as do the kappa.  They report to Ryū-ō, the dragon king.

They have growths on their knees that resemble tiger paws.

These water goblins don't go after the shirikodama, aka the human's small anus ball. (No joke. Kappa may find it in the way of getting to the liver or something.  They may even want it. Plus, waterlogged dead bodies sometimes have pooched out bumoly holes.)  Nope, these bad boys like to suck the blood out of a human and eat the  reikon (soul).

They only way known to kill them is to put the dead body on a plank and in a hut of grass and straw and let the corpse rot.  The Suiko has no choice but to be drawn to their victim and will race around the hut until the corpse rots enough that the creature dies.  It is said that it is can become invisible until it dies.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- RED ROOM (AKAI HEYA)

You knock on her door, but there is no answer.  She never does.  You don't worry too much because her music is blaring.

You call out to tell her to go to sleep since it's late.  She heard because the music quiets instantly.

When you knock the next morning, she says nothing.  You go downstairs to make breakfast. Twenty minutes later, you begin to worry. She's usually stomping down the stairs by now.

You go check on her.  Your heart is doing flip-flops for some reason as you reach her door.  You knock and call out again then warn her that you're entering.

You hesitate turning the knob, but you finally do.  The streaming sunlight blinds you for a second.  Blinking, your eyesight adjusts and you see thick streaks of red on the wall closest to you.

Paint?  Then the rusty smell hits you and your gut clenches in fear and sickness.

Not paint.  Blood.  Red stained fingers are stretched out on the far side of the bed. You scream.



The Red Room is a Japanese urban legend in which a pop-up asks a series of questions and then a list of names appears at the bottom with your name added.  One specific question is: Do you like the red room?

When you see a specific pop-up, you commit suicide by using your own blood to paint your room.

This urban legend has an actual murder that is attached to it.  A girl murdered another girl.  Sasebo Slashing (as it is called) took place in 2004.  The girl viciously beat and cut up the victim.

Supposedly, one of her topped bookmarked site on her computer was the Red Room Curse.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- QANDISA

You smirk as you watch the fool stumble away. He cannot put two words together after what you did to him.

He was too easy to lure like all the others.  They want nothing but a beautiful face and body.  His lust will be his doom.

He will crave you until his is mad with it.

You melt back into the water as you wait for your next victim.

The Qandisa is a Jinn (or djinn, heh heh heh).  One story had her as a woman shaman who broke laws and was turned into a Jinn.  She is also associated with the goddess of love, Astarte, in which she maybe an updated or older version.

She is a demon of lust of Morocco.  She lures young men to seduce them and steals their sanity.  She can be found in rivers and springs.

Also called Aisa Qandisa or Quadias.  Her appearance is of a beautiful woman, but in one version I found, she may have mare or mule feet.

One region was said to sacrifice to her to prevent her from attacking.  It took place on the summer solstice.

gh

My second choice of the day isn't a monster.  I was having trouble finding a blood and guts killer like the rest of my posts. So I was going to settle with something less creepy.

 Q'wati is the Quileute creation being.  Well, he didn't just create them.  The story I found had him creating other tribes like the Hoh.  You can go HERE to read a version of the story.

What is truly fascinating is that when Q'wati came upon two wolves he turned them into humans.  He named them the Quileute.  Although they are not the werewolves of the Stephenie Meyers' books.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- PHI TAI HONG TONG KLOM

 He will pay!  The matra goes through your head over and over.  How could he do this to you? How dare he?!

He will pay!

You look for him. You want him to suffer as he made you suffer.

He killed us. 

Only your revenge matters.  Only that.



This ghost is the a subcategory of the most evil of Thai ghosts called Phi Tai Hong.  She is known by Phi Tai Hong Tong Klom, Phi Tai Hong Tong Glom, Phi Tai Thang Klom, and other names.

This ghost is the is one of the most feared.  She was a pregnant woman that has been violently killed or murdered, killed too quickly, or has been abandoned by her lover and committed suicide.

In some stories, she is a vengeful to track down her lover and kill him.  In others, she is said to kill indiscriminately.

She is the most powerful of evil and manevolent ghosts since she has the power of herself and of her child to use.

Undertakers will sew the lips shut of women who have died like this to prevent them.  Even in modern day Thailand, these ghosts are still feared.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- LOIRA DO BANHEIRO

You were dared by your friend to perform the ritual.  You think it's stupid.  Flush three times, kick three times.  Yeah, like that's going to do anything.

You leave the stall and turn on the tap and curse three time.

You swear this is the last time you take a dare from your friends.

A flick in the mirror has you turning around.  You gasp, startled by the girl.  Blonde hair streams down her back.  You apologize.

She says nothing.  Then she turns and attacks.


The Blonde in the Bathroom or Loira do Banheiro is Brazillan.  She is the urban legend that is similar to Bloody Mary and Hanako-san.

She is said to be either a deliquent girl that slipped, a teacher murdered by her husband for betraying him with a student, or she was a viscount's daughter that died after being forced to marry and then dying of pnemonia after running off to Europe with her lover.  Some versions have the girl raped.

No matter what version, Loria do Banheiro will terrify a person with her bloodied appearance.  She has no eyes and is cut up.

She may or may not attack the summoner.  

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- KEE-WAKW

The stew fills the air with its delicious odor.  You dish some into an eating vessel. 

Your eyes flick the person far across the clearing. Sadness and pity are in the eyes as he watches you partake your meal.

He is weak from starvation.  Barely alive.  A smirk turns your lips cruel as he looks to what's left of his wife.  Horror fills his gaze in realization as you continue to eat the stew.

You watch as the the breaths become shallower.  The eyes grow dim as the spirit leaves the body.

You laugh.  The frigid coldness grows in your chest as you contemplate your next meal.


This is one of the ways that a Kee-wakw are created.  They are creatures that were once human that have committed some terrible crime, especially of the taboo act of cannibalism or allowing a person to starve.  Another way to turn into these horrible creatures is to have been possessed.

Their hearts turn to ice and they become cannabilistic ice giants.  These creatures are from the North Eastern tribes like  Abenaki, Penobscot, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy

They have many names including Giwakwa. Its pronounced gee-wock-wah (in Abenaki-Penobscot) and keh-wah-kwoo (in Maliseet-Passamaquoddy.)

They are related to these others creatures Chenoos (Micmac), Windigos (Anishinabe), Witikos (Cree), Stonecoats (Iroquois) because of their similar characteristics.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- EKEK (WARNING THIS ONE IS REALLY GROSS)

"Ek. Ek. Ek."

This strange sound wakes you.  Blinking, you turn to check on your wife.

"Ek. Ek. Ek."

A horrified cry lodges in your throat.  You're paralyzed by the gruesome sight.

The humanoid creature has invaded your wife's body.

"Ek. Ek. Ek."

It has taken the most precious from you as she sleeps.  It has killed your unborn child.

This dark, vampiric creature comes from the Philippines.  It has it's origins from the Visayan culture, which is located on the southern end of the archipelago.  The Ekek is similar to the Wak Wak and the Manananggal.  They all crave flesh and blood especially from pregnant women.

The Ekek is described as being a bird like human. They have wings and a long proboscis into the woman and to the womb to drain the blood from the fetus. (think something like elephant nose or butterfly's nectar sucker!  le ick!)

They are shape shifters and have the ability to transform into bat or bird at night to prowl for prey.

Their name comes from the sound they make as they suck the blood.  Ek Ek Ek.

Wak Waks are said not to have a beak like Ekeks,  and manananggals are said to have the ability to split themselves.

In any case, they are all vampiric ghoulish creatures that have similarities to European vampires, which could come from when the Phillipines was colonized.