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A Strange Tale from the PeninsulaAuthor: Izumi Kyoka
| Original Title | 半島一奇抄 |
|---|---|
| Author | 泉 鏡花 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | A journalist and an innkeeper traverse a rugged coastal peninsula by automobile, their journey punctuated by cryptic tales that blur reality and myth. As late spring rains give way to clear skies, they navigate winding paths flanked by stone railings and crashing waves, exchanging stories of local oddities: a cursed statue of a barefoot goddess, enshrined in a seaside cave after washing ashore in a sealed bamboo tube, whose presence draws swarms of relentless rats. The innkeeper recounts eerie fishermen’s lore—phantom monks devouring sardines, spectral rodents haunting temple grounds—while the journalist shares his own unsettling encounter with a monstrous rat masquerading as a horse in a moonlit stream. Each twist in their route deepens the mystery, from shadowed tunnels echoing with bestial cries to cliffs where offerings of scarlet camellias hint at unseen forces. As their vehicle races along serpentine coasts, the line between folklore and lived experience frays, leaving whispers of ancient dragons and unresolved enigmas lingering in the salt-kissed air. |
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