In this part of Japan, there is a local legend of the Bedhair Evil Laugh Man, who, as the story goes, surprises lone travellers, usually at night (because if you surprise a lone traveller at two in the afternoon they tend to just call their lawyer). The fate of the lone traveller is to hear a flesh-crawling laugh of hideous intent which, even though one fears the worst in these situations, still somehow provokes an initial reaction that the man is laughing at your trousers.
However, when the evil laugh is over – usually after a period of 20 to 30 seconds because you cannot hurry an evil laugh – the Bedhair Evil Laugh Man itemises for the traveller exactly what he is going to do to them. In the story The Bedhair Evil Laugh Man Meets A Landscape Historian In The Forest, the Landscape Historian, a busy man, makes the mistake of interrupting the list of frightful consequences in order to cut to the chase, resulting in two further dreadful things – face raked with an equine grooming brush and an ear squeeze – being added to the experience.
Finally the Bedhair Evil Laugh Man stops ambushing people because as he gets older he begins to find things less funny, even evil things, and is unable to force the laugh. ReinMeer Aomori commemorate this figure in their badge because there are only two mythical figures of note in the club’s region and the other one is Pop-Pop The Incontinent Hare. Cameron Carter