American Spring Break Horror Book

Chapter six

“Good morning, guys.” John Paul greets his friends on the w******p Group. It is almost 11, but there is no response. Yesterday, they discussed it until late. The last two days have been busy. Parents were curious to discover what made their children stick on the internet like that. Never before had they been this calm. To some, they were impressed. However, others felt insecure about their exposure to the internet for a longer time. Mr. Meera shares his fears with Dr. Roberts, who agrees. “Internet is without a doubt an enormously valuable resource for young people. However, continuous messaging, chat rooms, emails, and social networking sites can also bring about problems, such as cyberbullying and exposure to s****l predators.” Mr. Meera argued. “We must protect our children, you know.” Mr. Meera sighs. He was concerned about the recent obsession that Katrina had with her phone. When Mr. Meera learns that the rest of the children are using the internet to study in preparation to leave for South Korea, he is relieved.

“Katrina, be moderate while using the internet.” Mr. Meera warns his daughter as he leaves for work. “There is nothing bad that I am doing, dad?” Katrina cries out. “I understand, but….” Mr. Meera says. “It’s a caution.” Mr. Meera affirms as he closes the door. Katrina feels that his father is unfair, but she doesn’t understand that it is normal. While sharing her frustrations with her friends, she realized it was the same thing her friends faced at their homes. They took it positively and were keen to avoid those contaminated sites their parents warned them from visiting.

“You guys have been away for a long time.” John Paul says after Sandra Roberts sends an emoji to the group. Moments later, messages begin streaming into the group. They were running a few errands at home while Sandra, Katrina, and Della’s parents confronted them about using the internet too much. They had to create a tricky way that their parents don’t feel them becoming internet addicts. They had to pretend they were not using their phones during the morning hours until they left. The explanation made the rest of the group members laugh at their clever way. They also borrowed a leaf in case they encountered such a scenario. The discussion about Korean folklore seems to excite them. Some cannot fall asleep, not because they enjoy learning about them, but because they are afraid. What looked like a regular discussion turned nasty. Laura Martins wasn’t happy with the choice of the creepy sites. When Della Roberts complained about it, they all turned a deaf ear. The twelve friends couldn’t agree on a place to visit in South Korea. How they fell into the trap of one of them and decided to start learning about those haunted sites is something they can’t explain. Damian calls it magical.

Laura Martin's Nightmare

Nightmares are my worst experience. Usually, I get them after watching or reading bizarre articles and movies. Searching for Korean folklore has engrossed us on the internet for the past few days. I never imagined that those stories would later haunt me. The whole day, I sat on the couch chatting with my friends as we made jokes. However, as night falls, I get scared as I imagine the actualization of those events. My mother was drawn to my attention last night when I refused to go to my room when the lights went out. A technical hitch caused the abrupt blackout, but the screams raised the alarm. “Laura,” she screamed my name in anger after I awoke my younger brother, who wasn’t feeling well. “Yes, mom!” I answered fearfully. “What makes you do that?” she questioned. “I saw something scary standing at the door,” I explained to my mother, who denied those allegations. “What do you mean by that?” My mother further questioned. She was so furious about the screams I had to go and sleep. I used my torch on my phone to locate my bed. Fearfully, I dashed into the bed and covered my head. My mind was full of the day horrible stories we read on the internet. I wonder how my friends manage to juggle living amidst these crazy thoughts. Moments later, I masked a serial killer hunting me, and I ran for my dear life through a dark alley. I could feel the horror that came with it. Despite the desperate cries, no one could hear me. The masked assassin was right there in my face when I stumbled and fell. Awaking in the middle of the night, covered in sweat, I realized it was a dream. My mother and father were there, standing beside my bed. My mother encouraged me and told me it was customary to be afraid. On the contrary, my father differed from my mother’s reasoning. To him, he felt that there was a trigger that caused the several episodes of nightmares. My mother told him how I behaved in the evening after the lights went out. They agreed to take me to a specialist for a mental state check-up. In the morning, I shared my worst experience with my friends, who also confessed to having strange dreams. Shockingly, mine was intense. “We've all been there at some point or another.” Sandra Roberts claims as Della, her younger brother, disagrees vehemently. To Della Roberts, a nightmare might be frightening since it is difficult to grasp what causes it and why it acts in a particular way. However, the fact that everyone is reading the bizarre article is prone to experience them. After breakfast, my father couldn’t allow me to stay at home in my current state. He took me to the hospital. Fortunately, there was no cause for alarm. The doctor explained to my father what a nightmare meant and its causes. Although, he wasn’t convinced we had to leave the hospital. My father’s main concern was why the nightmare episodes. However, I never revealed what I spent my day doing on the internet, as he almost suspected. “Everybody has had a nightmare at some point in their lives.” The doctor told my father. Who left faint-heartedly? “What happens if nightmares become a daily occurrence?” I asked my father, who was not ready for the discussion. “Then we shall conclude that you have a problem,” he said. “Do you think so?” I questioned my father. “The doctor said the fact is that youngsters have more nightmares than adults.” My father added. “Then it shouldn’t be a problem for us, right?” I asked my father, who agreed. “I believe so,” he said. “Let me hope you are not hiding anything from us.” My father warned me scornfully. “There is nothing,” I told my father confidently.

The troop reads about a nine-tailed fox spirit, the Kumiho or Gumiho. It is said in Korean folklore that after 1,000 years, foxes that have accumulated a lot of energy become Kumiho. According to Korean legend, if a fox lives beyond a thousand years, it transforms into a shape-shifting spirit. The legendary beast is comparable to those of China and Japan. Its favorite form is that of a young, beautiful woman who lures men to their deaths. The gumiho is commonly perceived as an evil fox that seduces and kills men for their hearts or liver. The modern gumiho is depicted as a beautiful woman capable of loving and caring for others, unlike the typical flesh-eating, cunning fox. In Korea, however, the gumiho is generally portrayed as a fox with nine tails that transforms into a lovely woman.

The earliest written record of the nine-tailed fox comes from the ancient Chinese Classic of Mountains and Seas (CCMS). It mentions that the fox with nine tails originated in the country of Qingqiu, located some three hundred miles to the east, where the term "green hill" was used historically to refer to the region of Korea, at least since the time of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Gojoseon (also known as Joseon in the record), a Korean kingdom that existed among other small powers on the Korean peninsula during the period, was introduced in the same document that claimed gumiho existed then. The nine-tailed fox myths and legends, such as Kumiho, are based on a similar idea. As a result of their long life spans, the spirits of foxes are thought to have the ability to change their appearance, most often taking on the form of a lady. They are also said to have the capability of shapeshifting. An example of ambiguous morality considers China's Huli Jing and Japan's Kitune, both of which are depicted to have similar characteristics. “When did Koreans begin to see kumiho as exclusively evil?” Sandra Roberts asks Uncle Chan Yeol, who was active in the w******p group. He wasn’t sure about the answer, but Koreans believe the Gumiho or Kumiho has existed for a long time.

Later works of fiction sometimes portrayed kumiho as savage half-human, half-fox creatures who prowled cemeteries at night and dug human hearts from graves. For instance, the fox spirit that preys on a family for their livers is depicted in the fairy tale ‘The Fox Sister.’ The existence of a "yeowoo guseul" ("fox marble/bead"), which is claimed to contain knowledge, distinguishes the kumiho from its two equivalents (the Japanese kitsune and the Chinese Huli jng) and is the most notable aspect that sets it apart from both. The yeo woo guseul, according to Korean legend, grants the kumiho power and, if stolen and swallowed, knowledge (and intellect) to people. The Kumiho can use it to absorb human energy. The way the "yeowoo guseul" absorbs energy is similar to a "deep kiss" (i.e., a kiss using a tongue). The yeowoo guseul is placed in peoples' mouths by the kumiho and then taken back with their tongues. However, if that person consumes the yeowoo guseul and observes "sky, land, and people," each observation provides the observer with esoteric knowledge. However, in most stories, the character doesn't pay attention to the "sky," so they only gain a unique ability, not the most crucial one.

According to most traditions, a gumiho might change its appearance. Still, despite this, there is something distinctly foxlike about it (such as a foxy face, a set of ears, or the characteristic nine tails) or a magical manner of forcing it; its visage changes, but its nature does not. When a bride's clothing is taken off, a kumiho is revealed to have changed into the exact likeness of one in the movie Transformation of the Kumiho’. In Bakh Mun-su and the Kumiho, Pak Munsu meets a female with a foxy appearance who is living by herself in the woods. The two become friends as time goes by, sharing what life offers. At first, Pak Munsu is disturbed by the foxy appearance of the lady; however, she is too beautiful to be neglected. Pak Munsu fell in love over heels with the female he met in the woods. He never imagined that she would be a Gumiho. During their courtship, they talk about everything and do everything together. They became best friends, and Pak Munsu felt the urge to introduce the beautiful lady to his family. Efforts to welcome her home were futile. Whenever they planned for such an event, something terrible happened between them. Pak Munsu became curious and felt that everything wasn’t normal. He gave the beautiful girl a last chance by threatening to abandon the relationship. The beautiful girl felt terrible about Pak Munsu’s utterances. She looked into his eyes and felt guilty, for she knew there was no marriage between them. The beautiful girl was a gumiho waiting for a prime to feast on Pak Munsu’s heart.

In the evening, Pak Munsu informed his people that he would go with his betrothed wife. Strangely, the two had always met along the road. Pak Munsu tells his mother and siblings about his relationship with the lady; they are shocked by the revelation. They suspected that Pak Munsu had fallen in love with a spirit. Efforts to stop him from pursuing her are futile. That evening, Pak Munsu dresses in his favorite suit and promises his family to be back in a short while. He ordered his aunties to begin preparations as he believed that evening he would introduce his betrothed wife to his family.

On the other hand, Pak’s mother felt terrible. Her heart began pounding faster than usual. It was a sign of danger. Immediately, the nauseous feeling went away; when she went out to fetch her son, Pak Munsu, she couldn’t find him. Tears begin rolling down her cheeks. It draws the attention of everyone around her. When they persuade her to speak, she doesn’t reveal her worries. There is a heavy downpour, and some feel it signifies greatness. They were all wrong. Pak Munsu is caught up in the middle of the rain. He never knew it was a trap by the beautiful girl. Under the leaves, Pak Munsu struggled, but the rain was massive. He was wet and began shaking from the cold. He then saw the beautiful girl coming toward him. However, her face became like a fox, and Pak Munsu became scared. He wasn’t sure anymore: he thought it was a dream, but It wasn’t. Pak Munsu remembered his mother’s words. He felt terrible for failing to listen. From afar, Pak Munsu would see several tails at the back of the beautiful girl. It dawned on his mind that the lovely lady was a spirit. It was too late for Pak Munsu: he couldn’t save himself; he saw death and wept bitterly as the beautiful lady approached him.

Mercilessly, the beautiful lady grabbed Pak Munsu by the hand and took him to her hut. There were several foxes in his thoughts, ready to feast on him. Just as Pak Munsu looked at them, he felt sharp objects piercing his heart, and he met his death. The foxes then feasted on Pak Munsu’s heart and liver: his family members waited for him at his home but never returned. One evening, his mother was preparing dinner for her family. He saw a shadow standing at the door, wailing. Then there was a voice that resembled Pak Munsu asking for forgiveness for failing to heed her bits of advice that caused his death. Pak Munsu’s mother was convinced that her son was dead. After seven days, she plucked banana stalks and buried them in memory of her son. He pleaded with the spirit of Pak Munsu to rest in peace and not haunt people.

The kumiho is ultimately disclosed in ‘The Maiden’, who discovered a Kumiho through a Chinese Poem when a hunting hound detects the scent of a fox and strikes. The true identity of a kumiho was thought to be carefully guarded by the kumiho themselves, even though they have the power to alter shapes. Some legends claim that a kumiho can become human if it refrains from killing and devouring humans for a thousand days. Depending on the liberties, there are always several versions of the myth: each story takes with the legend, much like changelings, werewolves, or vampires in Western lore. Due to their inferior status compared to Yeoiju-wielding dragons, kumiho were not believed to be endowed with omnipotence or the ability to create at will. However, according to one interpretation of the mythology, a kumiho has the power to further climb from its yogoe (spirit) form, become permanently human, and remove its evil nature. There are many different ways to do this. Still, some involve not eating or killing animals for a thousand days, getting a Kintamani, or making sure the Yeoiju sees the full moon at least once a month throughout the ordeal.

Like the adage that goes, not all that glitters is gold. Koreans believe the folklore as it teaches them moral lessons. For instance, the story of Pak Munsu and the gumiho warned the men in Korea to be careful while looking for a wife to marry. A good number of men had lost their lives in Korea while seeking a hand in marriage as they ended up with spirits where they met their death. Uncle Chan Yeol lies to the troop that he hasn’t married yet because he isn’t sure of the beautiful girls in Korea. They laughed at his jokes, anticipating meeting him.