Mahaha

"The weather had changed rapidly, almost without warning. Nivi had gotten under shelter before the storm struck, but now she was stuck far from home until it passed. She and the dogs kept close together for warmth and waited. Outside, night fell and the wind shook the tupiq walls, threatening to tear the sealskins from the frame. Nivi tried to sleep, but despite her exhaustion, sleep would not come. She was finally about to drift off when a new sound jolted her awake. From somewhere in the storm came the sound of laughter. She sat up and strained her ears. A low growl started up from her lead dog Siku, as the laughter grew louder, closer. Something beyond the tent drew its claws down the skins and giggled, and Nivi shivered with fear - she knew what was outside, and that it would leave her as a frozen corpse in the snow if she let it. But that was not how her story was going to end." - an excerpt from Nivi and the Mahaha, an Unughuit folktale

The Mahaha is a demon that roams the northern islands, particularly the island of Umingmak. Its name translates to 'the Tickler' in Unugtitut, and it is best known for its crazed laughter. It appears as an emaciated blue-skinned human wearing little or no clothing, with long claw-like fingernails that it uses to tickle its victims to death. Its eyes are completely white, and it has a wide, frozen grin stretched painfully across its face. It preys upon lone travelers, pinning them with supernatural strength. Its touch sends a deep chill through a person's body, and then it proceeds to tickle them, shredding their clothing with its nails to reach the skin underneath. The victim finds themselves laughing uncontrollably in the snow, as the cold sinks deeper into their flesh. Bodies left behind by the Mahaha are frozen solid, with a painful grin distorting their face.

It takes quick thinking to escape a Mahaha. If you can convince the Mahaha to give you a last request, you can try to fool it into some kind of trap or peril that will allow you to escape. One classic method is to ask to share a final drink from a watering hole, and then push the Mahaha in when it bends to drink, letting the currents carry the demon away while the hero escapes.