The Night of Bad Things

[This story was inspired by how polite people are in Japan, always bowing and profusely apologizing if there even seems to be the slightest misunderstanding. It makes you wonder. The photo is a creature that greeted my upstairs neighbor, Frank, at 2 AM after a night of heavy drinking.]


Damaris: You’ll want the deadbolt lock.

Nan: Damaris, I’m so glad that you could help us out here I would feel lost without you guys.

Damaris: No prob. You’ll want some of those window locks, too.

Nan: Why am I getting all these locks and things now? I was told that East Choppu was a safe place to live.

Damaris: It is. It’s paradise. You don’t know true freedom until you’ve lived here. I’m telling you, Nan, Sam and I never plan on returning to the States. The crime rate is practically nothing. Oh, you may want to grab some candles or a kerosene lamp. It’s just that with the holiday here you may want to take some precautions.

Nan: What holiday is that? New Year’s is still a ways off. I know that is a big deal around here. What holiday?

Damaris: Tonight is Akubutsu no Yoru. Literally, it means bad thing’s night or the night of bad things. It is sort of a day of reckoning around here. Not so much a celebration as it is a day where enemies are free to settle their accounts.

Nan: What?!? I’ve never heard of this. You would think that this would make it to a news program back home or something.

Damaris: It probably won’t…they keep a lid on stuff like that and you’d be wise not to attempt to get the word out, they watch Westerners very closely about it.

Nan: This is surreal. You’re joking right? No?

Damaris: No need to worry, Nan. You and Paul are Westerners and you haven’t ticked anybody off around here. Akubutsu no yoru or aku yoru is the day when the police basically turn their heads and everybody is allowed to have at each other. Didn’t you notice how everyone around here is so polite and overly concerned with not offending each other?

Nan: Yeah.

Cashier: 700 niin somasete…Dimaninato.

Damarisa: Buchi Dimaninato. Anyway, it can get to be mayhem around here. You just lock yourselves in and play some loud music and try to shut it out. The government cleans up the next morning. But only on this one day a year. That is why it is so peaceful the rest of the time.

Nan: Wait, clean up?

Damaris: Yes, clean up. Bodies, broken windows and things like that.

Nan: Oh my. We’ll you know me I couldn’t hurt a fly.

Damaris: Good thing, too.

Nan: Whaddya mean?

Damaris: Well, it’s said, but I hardly believe it, that even the animals take part in the holiday. It’s said that the remains of animals and/or humans mauled by animals have been cleaned up on such a day, but I’m sure that is just an urban legend. I wouldn’t put stock in it though.

Nan: Oh, my…

Damaris: Nan, what’s wrong, you’re white as a ghost.

Nan: I stepped on a baby spider this morning. I wonder if it's mother is still alive.