the futakuchi-onna

There was an especially stingy man who lived without the companionship of a wife. He insisted that, were he to marry, the woman would consume too much food, throwing off his miserly budget.

 

One day, a beautiful, young woman appeared in town. Though many men courted her, all of them withdrew their romantic advances when she refused to eat anything. The stingy man was delighted to hear about this curious quirk, and he courted her. Indeed, she never ate, and he asked her to be his wife.

 

Not long after, the man began to notice that food in his house was missing. He entered his pantry every morning and found that most of his stock was gone. Suspecting his wife, he watched her, but never saw her consume even a grain of rice. One night, he awoke to find himself alone in bed. He crept into the kitchen to find his wife sitting in the middle of the room. Her hair swirled around her like tentacles, grabbing food, then shoving the morsels into a wide mouth that had opened on the back of her head.

 

Done