Ai had been through an ordeal. Her hair ornaments were tangled, her kimono slightly off her shoulder, a sock partially off. She gripped the neck of her shamisen as she pressed herself against the wall.

Sprawled out on the floor were the strangely deflated remains of several men. They looked like the men had shed skin much like a snake would, paper thin and slightly wrinkled and very dry. Their clothes looked like they were drawn on, withered along with their bodies.

Tea stained the floor, littered with a broken teacup and half eaten sweets.

There had been an ordeal.

Mego felt panicked but she had to be strong. She was the head of this house and needed to support the panicked maiko and geisha now quivering in fear. She pushed off the wall, straightening her kimono and hair before extending her hands. "Come here, Ai."

The frightened geisha pushed against the wall, using her hands to practically drag herself up to a standing position. On wobbling legs, she rounded the husk shells and practically dove into Mego's arms, sobbing.

"It's okay," Mego rubbed Ai's back gingerly. "Let's get you some rest. We'll take care of these men."

Kayo purposely didn't glance at the room. The idea of people deflating was enough to make her stomach turn. She instead turned to watch Mego comfort Ai. The older geisha certainly was being calm about the situation, though the one heading a geisha house had to be the center of stability. She was the one who not only ran daily operations but also supported the geisha and maiko who worked and lived there.

But something about Mego struck her as too calm. Most reacted pretty sharply with the idea of a mononoke or just that there were now deflated men in that room. She hadn't even asked what a mononoke was, but perhaps the concern over Ai had stolen her attention for the moment.

Ai rubbed at her face as Mego released her from the embrace. She nodded wordlessly, placing a hand on the wall to steady herself. Mego reached forward, shutting the door.

"A pair of medicine sellers," the geisha greeted them. "Do come in."

Kayo opened her mouth to object, but the geisha had said the information correctly, not calling her his wife. "I'm Kayo and this is-"

"No one interesting," he interrupted, standing up from the bow and plucking the medicine chest up off the step.

The geisha grinned at the comment. "I'm sure. Come. I'm Mego. With all the rumors running rampant, you'll find we're terribly low on supplies."

The medicine seller watched the geisha as she led them down the hallway. Not even half an hour ago, the geisha invited them in. They exchanged formalities and spoke of the most popular geisha in the whole house, and then found the husks of men who had harassed Ai on the floor. He spoke of a mononoke and then found himself repeating the same event.

The hallway was familiar with the same tapestries as before depicting images of popular legends and tales told repeatedly throughout history. Open sliding doors invited in the afternoon light. Bamboo swayed at the edges of the gardens. The gentle hum of the populace outside on the busy streets wafted in through the doors.

A gentle, melancholy tune soon overcame the hum of people. A gentle pluck of the strings, a subdued voice barely audible through the bends of the hallways.

Once we were coveted.

Once we entertained.

Then came the fire

Down like rain.

The medicine seller paused, staring down the hallway. It was the same tune he'd heard before, but the words had changed. They no longer spoke of flowers but instead of fire.

"A beautiful tune, isn't it?" Mego turned, noticing he paused. "Ai's music is unparalleled. No one else quite plays the shamisen like she does."

"It must make her quite popular," Kayo reasoned.

"She is our most popular geisha even though she has only recently graduated from her maiko status," Mego nodded. "She is always in demand, playing her music for the local lords while they sip tea. Come, let us meet in private to discuss teas."

Once again, Mego led them into the kitchen. The teapots had been repositioned, the darker ones now on the top shelf and the more colorful ones on the bottom. A tea kettle sat on the stove. The kimono in the other room now showed red patterns instead of brilliant flowers.

"Miss Mego!" the maiko scampered to the doorway. "I'm sorry to interrupt but they're getting rough with Ai. And something…. Something's happened to them! They've turned into dried out deflated husks!"

"Not again," Mego huffed. "They're likely just drunk. Mr. Medicine Seller. Miss Kayo. Do you have anything which can knock their senses back into them?"

"A strong tonic," the medicine seller replied. He pulled the previously created concoction from his sleeve, handing it to the geisha.

"Perfect," the geisha took the tonic with a bow before following the maiko down the hallway.

Kayo went to follow but was quickly yanked back by the collar. "Hey! Let go! Shouldn't we follow them?"

He released her collar, standing statuesquely in the kitchen. "Just wait."

Kayo stared at him confused. "What's going on?"

It was just as he'd suspected. She was affected by whatever was happening in this geisha house and wasn't aware that they'd already gone through this event. He knelt down, pulling a few things from the medicine chest and quickly grinding them into a powder. He slipped the powder into a container, quickly slipping it into his sleeve. "Just wait."

The door shut.

"A pair of medicine sellers," the geisha greeted them. "How delightful. Come in."

This time, he followed Mego and the maiko from the kitchen. The men who had shriveled up were wearing different clothing than the first incident.

"A pair of medicine sellers," the geisha greeted them cheerfully. "We're dreadfully low on tea. Please come in."

He handed Mego a lemon peel in the kitchen.

"Perfect! A pair of medicine sellers," the geisha beckoned them inside. "Exactly what we need. Do come in."

This certainly was becoming troublesome.

He followed Mego and the maiko, finding that the shriveled men wore different clothing yet again.

"A pair of medicine sellers," the geisha slid open the door. "I hope you have a vast selection of teas. We're running low, so please come in."

No matter what he did, the result was always the same. The door shut and once again, they found themselves outside.

"A pair of medicine sellers," the geisha greeted them. "Do come in."

The medicine seller didn't follow Mego this time. Instead he snagged Kayo by the back of her kimono on the stairs outside.

She huffed, breathing in deeply then coughing and sputtering as she smelled something incredibly pungent. She blinked a few times finding the medicine seller holding a small container he'd pulled out of his sleeve. Memories of the repeating events with Mego and Ai flooded back to her. "How many times have we done this?" She placed a hand on her head, confused and disoriented. "Is this…. the mononoke's doing?"

"It is," he replied. "I believe we are caught in the web of a jorogumo."

The taima sword chattered in the medicine chest as a door slid shut in the distance.

...

Author's notes

Quite a curious situation they've found themselves in, isn't it?

A Jorogumo is an orb weaver spider. This is a real spider and they're quite pretty, coming in brilliant yellows, blacks, and browns. They can grow quite large and look a little spooky but they just want to do their business.

Much like pretty much anything in Japan, if something lives long enough, it becomes a yokai. The jorogumo is perhaps one of the best known spider yokai and likes to feed on people. I wonder what that could mean as a mononoke. Hmm.

I also wonder what the scenery could mean. It is symbolic. Guess we'll have to wait and find out!