落とし穴６９堀：夏の夜の納涼 お話し編 (Part1)
Summer Night Chills: The Storytelling
A summer night.
The hour when the sun has fully retreated, surrendering the world to a deep, ink-black shroud.
In a rare departure from the norm, the inn sat in darkness, save for a single, flickering flame that pulsed like a lonely heartbeat in the gloom.
***
This is a story from back when I used to go out for drives.
I was a fresh driver back then, having only just earned my license. My nightly ritual involved borrowing my parents' car to cruise through the dark with a friend.
That night was no different. I’d taken the keys from my folks, picked up my buddy, and we were enjoying the cool night air.
"Yeah, yeah. I’m heading that way. I know, I know. Catch you later."
"What was that? Your old man again?"
"Yeah. Telling me not to dent the car."
"Well, considering how you drive, I can’t blame him."
"Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? I’m a model of safety."
"You’re *too* safe. Nobody actually follows the speed limit to the letter. Still, I guess it’s good your dad checks in so often. If we ever did wreck, he’d probably have a search party out in minutes."
"I suppose I should be grateful for that."
"If it were me, I’d never let you behind the wheel. You owe your old man a thank-you."
"Talk to me after you actually get your own license, man."
"Don't go there."
We passed the time with that kind of idle chatter. Those late-night drives with a friend were always special—a time when you could talk about anything, from the most serious life goals to the most absolute nonsense, without any reservations.
Eventually, we reached a fork in the road.
"You know, I’ve never been down this way before," I remarked.
"True. Why not give it a shot?"
We were just wandering, really. Being a new driver, my sense of geography was hazy at best; I had only a vague idea of where we were. I figured that even if we got lost, we’d eventually hit a main road and find our bearings.
With that casual mindset, we turned onto the unknown path.
"Feels like we’re leaving the city behind," my friend noted.
"Yeah, looks like it."
The road began to wind upward into the mountains. Houses became sparse, then vanished altogether as the forest pressed in on both sides. But the pavement was still there, so we saw no reason to turn back.
After driving through the mountain dark for a while, we came across a small clearing—a rest stop of sorts, consisting of nothing more than a single vending machine and a small concrete restroom building.
"Hey, pull over. I really gotta use the head."
"Sure. I think I’ll grab a drink while we’re at it."
I pulled the car over without a second thought. My friend must have been holding it in for a while, because he practically sprinted toward the restroom the moment the door opened. I felt a pang of guilt; if he’d been that uncomfortable, he should have said something. I figured he hadn't wanted to speak up once we hit the mountain road, knowing it would mean a long trek back.
*I’ll buy him a juice as an apology,* I thought.
It felt like a meager peace offering for a guy who’d just been suffering in silence, but it was the best I could do. I was standing in front of the vending machine, scanning the rows of glowing buttons, when...
*Thud.*
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground echoed through the silence.
I jerked my head toward the noise. My friend had emerged from the restroom, but he was sprawled on all fours near the entrance.
"You okay? Did you trip?"
I started to walk toward him, but the moment he saw me, he scrambled to his feet with a look of pure terror. He bolted toward the car.
"Get us out of here! Now!"
"Huh?"
"Hurry up!"
The sheer intensity in his voice left me bewildered. I could only stand there, blinking in confusion.
"Wait, but... the juice... I already put the money in..."
"Forget the juice! Just go! It’s coming!"
"Coming? ...Wait."
The realization finally hit me. There is only one thing that can make a grown man react with that kind of primal dread.
I didn't wait for another word. I scrambled into the driver’s seat right after him. I hadn't seen whatever "it" was, but I wasn't about to laugh it off. Not when I saw the look on his face.
But, as if following some cruel script, the engine wouldn't turn over.
"You’ve got to be kidding me!"
"Move it! Move it!"
"The engine won't start!"
I twisted the key frantically. The starter groaned—a rhythmic, mechanical clicking that sounded like a death knell in the quiet woods.
*Chug-chug-chug-chug...*
It was a sound no driver ever wants to hear in the middle of nowhere.
"Damn it! Are the doors locked?!"
I didn't know if a lock would do anything against *that* kind of entity, but with the car dead in the water, I wanted every barrier I could get.
Both of us turned to look out the rear window at the same time.
*Schlick... schlick...*
The sound shouldn't have been audible through the glass, yet it echoed directly in my mind. Dragging herself out from the shadows of the restroom was a figure—a woman with long, matted hair that obscured her face, pulling herself across the pavement.
*That thing is dangerous.*
The thought screamed in the back of my mind.
At that exact moment, the engine finally roared to life.
"Got it! We're gone!"
"Go! Floor it!"
We tore down that mountain road in a blind panic. I have no memory of the turns I took or the speed I reached. The next thing I knew, I was swerving into the parking lot of a brightly lit convenience store.
"Are you two alright?"
The clerk had come outside, likely drawn by my erratic parking and the look of sheer desperation on our faces.
"Uh, yeah... we're..."
"It's just..."
We looked at each other, unable to find the words to explain that we’d just seen a ghost. But the clerk didn't wait for us to speak. He took one look at the car and his face went pale.
"You two should head to a temple. Right now."
"What? Why?" we asked in unison.
"Because," the clerk whispered, pointing at the side of the vehicle. "Your car is covered in red handprints."
"What?!"
We scrambled out to look. There, smeared across the doors and windows, were countless bloody handprints, as if a crowd had been trying to claw their way inside.
"You were at that restroom in the mountains, weren't you?"
"Yeah... is that place famous?"
"You didn't know? I thought you were daredevils out for a scare. Nobody goes there at night anymore."
"We just... we were driving and had to use the bathroom..."
"You actually went *inside*?!"
According to the clerk, the spot was a notorious haunt. Rumor had it a woman had committed suicide in those toilets years ago. Since then, anyone who visited late at night was met with some form of horror.
We didn't waste another second. We drove straight to a temple and had a priest perform an exorcism, the rhythmic chanting of the sutras finally calming our frayed nerves. By the time we made it back to our hometown, the red handprints had vanished completely, leaving us with the chilling realization that some stories are very, very real.
***
Side: Taiki
I finish my tale and lean forward, blowing out my candle with a soft puff.
"That wasn't really that scary," one voice pipes up.
"It was not scary at all," another adds.
"...I must say, it was a bit lacking in impact," a third chimes in.
"Yeah. I've seen scarier stuff on late-night TV specials," Seraria remarks.
"Maybe it's because it felt more like a prank than an actual attack?" Deryu suggests.
The reactions are... lukewarm, to say the least.
Honestly, I agree. The story lacks a certain punch. Maybe it’s the way I told it, or maybe it’s just because it’s a "we got away" type of story.
Still, this is exactly what I expected, so it’s fine.
"I-it's okay! I thought it was plenty scary!" Aslin stammers, her face a bit pale. At least I reached one person.