I am very concerned about the dance mania that recently afflicted NT. It reminds me strongly of the Italian tarantella. That movement disorder is induced by the bite of a spider. The “dance” of the victim is described as agitated and lasting up to hours, or even days. The episodes are characterized by delirium and contortions. In Italy, entire communities of people would join hands, dance, leap, scream, and shake for hours. Victims in NT are similarly described as “twitching,” “shaking,” and becoming “delirious.”
A local spider could be responsible, or one could have come in due to river commerce. The fact that one victim used the phrase “the bug did seem to descend” suggests that the victim was subconsciously aware of some such creature. On the other hand, the bite of an alien might produce the same effect I hope that, with vigilance, citizens and visitors can avoid a full-blown epidemic. I have recently seen a large number of spiders in the bayou and am sending a photo of one of them.
Ravenstask Bayn
