Hachioji's Curse: A Folk Horror Tale of Seta

The car was stalled and the family was stranded in the middle of nowhere.

The father, who was driving, had just picked up his wife from work at the public school. They had stopped for dinner and when they left, the car abruptly died. Luckily, there was a gas station a few yards away. The husband went to get some help while his wife stayed with their son in their disabled vehicle.

The gas station attendant said he could try to fix the car. He asked them to wait outside while he checked it out. The mother and child did as they were told but it was not long until they started to wonder if they were being forgotten by their helpful stranger. The longer they waited, the more anxious they became until finally, the mother decided she couldn't wait any longer and went back in to check on her husband's progress.

She was shocked to find him standing over her dead husband's body. Her scream attracted the attention of other customers in the store but before she could say anything, he fled out the back door with her son in tow.

"He killed my husband!" she cried as she ran outside after them. She searched frantically for her child but saw no one nearby. "Where is my boy?" she screamed hysterically as she ran around like a mad woman searching for her beloved child. No one answered her frightened cries and finally, she fell to the ground sobbing loudly as voices called out, "Is everything okay?" Everyone came running to see what all the commotion was about but no one dared approach her except one young man who tried to give her some comfort until an officer arrived who took her into custody for questioning about what happened earlier at the gas station beside which lay a bloody corpse on the ground.

As the attending officer led her away, he attempted to reassure the gathered onlookers that his colleagues would soon arrive to sort out the chaotic scene. He advised them to remain calm and be prepared for a potential influx of curious bystanders once news of the incident spread. The officer also warned of possible traffic jams as they headed back to the small town.

Meanwhile, a local man present at the gas station began recounting his day, oblivious to the fact that no one was particularly interested in his narrative. He spoke about his job, the difficulties of parking during construction, and the tire shop where he worked – which was owned by a man named Tom. Despite numerous brands being available online, most people still purchased tires at Tom's shop as it carried every brand of tire under the sun. In his monotonous, ceaseless banter, he also touched upon car batteries dying, rush hour traffic jams, and accidents caused by inattentiveness or potholes.

Eventually, his rambling came to an end, bringing immense relief to those who had been listening politely throughout his narration. The peaceful silence finally gave everyone a chance to process the tragic events that had transpired earlier at the seemingly innocuous gas station.