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The Phantom Bird of the Abandoned LighthouseAuthor: Yamamoto Shūgorō
| Original Title | 廃灯台の怪鳥 |
|---|---|
| Author | 山本 周五郎 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | On a desolate island off Japan’s Sotobō Coast, an abandoned lighthouse towers over waves that crash like roaring demons. Inside its crumbling walls, Dr. Munekata and his team study bioluminescent noctiluca, their work interrupted by a chilling mystery. Keiko, the doctor’s daughter, hears screams piercing the stormy night—a bloodied assistant lies wounded, his neck gashed by claw-like marks matching a taxidermied bird mounted on the wall. The creature’s talons drip with fresh blood, yet no intruder could scale the sheer tower or evade its single spiral staircase. \nThe local physician, Dr. Kanamori, reveals a grim history: decades prior, four keepers died identically, each pointing accusingly at the same avian relic. Legends whisper of a phantom curse, but Munekata’s team clings to reason. When another attack strikes—wings materializing from darkness, claws slashing throats—fear clashes with scientific resolve. Clues emerge: lichen fragments, cryptic receipts, and a smuggler’s motive hidden beneath ghostly theatrics. \nAs storms rage and noctiluca illuminate the sea in eerie blue, the group races to unravel a truth far more human than supernatural. But in this isolated fortress where walls hold ancient secrets, survival hinges on distinguishing myth from malice—before the lighthouse claims its next victim. |
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