The Long Hair in the Attic

[cyberghostface]

Warning: Some gore. Also be sure to read from right to left.

Chiemi's boyfriend breaks up with her, telling her that while she tried to look her best for him, he still isn't satisfied and believes that they don't belong together.



When she returns home, her sister, Eri, greets her, telling her that their house has mice in the attic.







She then falls asleep crying.

The next morning, Chiemi wakes up to find a dead mouse entangled in her hair. While washing it out, she decides once and for all to cut it off.

Later, while Eri goes to find scissors to give Chiemi a haircut, she and her mother hear Chiemi screaming.



The police are called, but no leads are found.

A week later, Chiemi's ex is awakened by a phone call with no one answering. He feels responsible for causing her death, believing that she committed suicide. He then starts hearing the sound of grinding teeth, followed by another phone call.

Sometime later, Eri asks her father for a flashlight so that she can check the attic for mice. Eri's father insists on going to check himself, while Eri warns him of his heart condition. After a while, Eri's father doesn't answer any of her calls.

Comments

[tugrul]

I love that these evils need no origin to work beyond the boy complimenting her hair in a flashback.

[silicondream]

Her sister is very good at coping with traumatic situations.

[q99]

It is interesting in Ito stuff how, aside from the horror, people being justifiably horrified, and even people going insane, you just run into some people who are *bizarrely* cool-headed :)

[cleome45]

Isn't there somebody like that on hand in every* horror story, though?

*Almost

[q99]

Generally not to the same amount., I'd say

[protogarrett]

This is completely rational on both the character, the hair, and for Ito.

[lissa_quon]

BRB - I'm going to go cut off my hair now.

[sharky_chan]

Don't do it!! Your hair will rise up and murder you! The real moral of the story is don't take good care of your hair, so if it does become sentient and murderous, it'll be too brittle to slice your head off anyway...

[tugrul]

Just make sure your shampoo contains sulfate and paraben. Your hair will never be strong and healthy enough to rise.

[donnblake]

So, her boyfriend complimented her hair and coaxed her to grow it out, and when he dumped her, said hair became animate, cut her head off, and went to seek vengeance. Makes perfect sense.

[moetushie]

Man, my hair isn't even motivated enough to stay in a ponytail.

[lissa_quon]

I'm suddenly lamenting the fact that dreamwidth doesn't have a "like" button.

[supermanda]

My thoughts.

[kurenai_tenka]

...I know this is a really stupid thing to be irked by considering everything else, but it would have taken her well over 10 years to grow her hair that long. :| It doesn't look like there was that much time from when he told her to do so?

[darkblade]

Maybe her hair was always evil, her family had her cut it short everyday for her own safety. Then like after a week of no cutting it turns into that.

[supermanda]

I will never leave this comm.

[althechi]

I'm probably going to be stoned or run out of town for saying this, but...


...I think Junji Ito could draw his flashback scenes better.

*flees*

[cyberghostface]

Well to be fair this was a fairly early story from him, almost 25 years old.

[beeyo]

Never just you, I couldn't tell that the guy in the flashback and the ex were the same person at first

[atom_punk]

Hahahahaha! I'm sorry, I can't take this remotely seriously when the disembodied head goes "SQUEEEEE" as it pulls a Spiderman and swings away on its hair XD

[supermanda]

I am just in love with this.

Also
it seemed to know where it was headed. ....heh heh

[palabradot]

What is in this writer's head, so I can bottle it...and put it in the deepest pits never to show hide nor hair of itself again? He can make the most ordinary thing seem absolutely horrifying.

*eyes her Tootsie Roll pop next to her, twitches*

[cleome45]

The evils of Tootsie Pops™ and their ilk have already been adequately explored in the Animaniacs' legendary "Be Careful What You Eat."

[superfangirl1]

I'm guessing the hair want to rip off ex boyfriend head and live happily ever after with his hair?

Will try to be more nicer to my hair from now on.....