Master Series Episode 11: "What Happens to People After They Die?"

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(Translated and arranged by Saya)

Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) in Japan

In my university days, I would often take a walk in a particular park which had many pigeons. 

Those pigeons roamed around in the park and constantly pecked at the ground, although I had no idea how they could possibly find so many things to peck at on the tarmacked roads. 

There was one spot which was especially popular with the pigeon, and it was near the bench I would always sit on when I wanted to relax and daydream. 
Pigeons in droves would flock to the spot and peck enthusiastically at the ground. 
I just imagined there were some people who sat on the bench before me and who threw the leftover from their bento (Note: lunch box/ packed meal) *1 to the pigeons. 

It was in spring in my second year of university. 
My university club arranged to have a party in the park, which was held for hanami (Note: cheery blossom viewing) *2 as well as for the newcomers in the club.  
 We spread picnic blankets on the lawn; there was a canopy of beautiful sakura (Note: cherry blossoms) above us. 

It was just a regular sort of club, but there was one senpai (Note: A senior student. See the note on the previous episode ) there who was like a god of the occult; I called him Master, and sometimes I looked up to him while at other times I looked down on him. 

Master had been drinking a lot and he had passed out, which was a rare occurrence. 
One person, with a beer in one hand, said, "who was it that said there were dead bodies buried under sakura trees ?"*3
Master apparently heard that, and sat up suddenly, saying, "surely not everyone is so lucky as to have been buried under sakura trees, " talking rapidly with a slurred tongue. 

Quickly, other senpais held my master down so he wouldn't start getting excited and frighten the newcomers. I was a little disappointed. 

"Let me take care of him."
I said to them, and took him away to the bench I usually sit on. I let him lie down on it, went to fetch some water and came back, sitting next to him. 
"What were you trying to tell us before?" 

Master, wheezing, pointed his finger, saying, "look over there. You see those pigeons?" 

The sun had already set; I could just about make out the outlines of what looked like pigeons wriggling in semi darkness. 
The pigeons, noticing us, looked back at us with their small gleaming eyes. 

"I will tell you something important."
I didn't know if it was because he was drunk, but Master seemed a little different from his usual self. I straightened up and girded myself for his next words. 
"No, actually... we may have talked about this before... do you know where people will go after they die?" 
"Huh? To the netherworld?"
Master let out a deep sigh. 

"They won't go anywhere. They either disappear or they are just there."

I didn't understand his words. 
Master had taught me so many things before, but it was rare for him to tell me something so philosophical, or rather religious. 

"So, they are all around us."
It took me some moments to realise he was talking about spirits and that type of things. 
"The thing you see over there who is being pecked at by the pigeons will stay there too until he disappears, and that will be the end of him. " 

What? 
I rubbed my eyes but couldn't see a thing. 
"He is a very weak one. He is disappearing fast.
  The pigeons don't know what they are pecking at, but he is thinking "I will disappear when I am completely devoured." That is why he is disappearing." 

"I don't understand." 

"I guess you didn't know most birds can see the spirits of humans." Master murmured. 
Was he saying someone had died in the past at those places where pigeons often flocked? 

"The poor guy is just a tad too far away. *4
It would have been better for him to have gotten devoured by sakura rather than by pigeons." 

He gave a sigh that smelled of alcohol and said nothing more. 
The other members of the club continued their drunken party at a little distance away. 

People enjoying hanami at night

"Master, have you ever imagined your own death?" 
I asked the question I had always wanted to ask but never dared to. 

"It would be like everyone else. I would be turned into a monstrous evil spirit, and exist until I disappear, and then, THE END. " 
There seemed to be one extra step in the process, but I let it pass. 




--------------------------------
Note:

*1 bento --- See the note on this post: Bullying 

*2 Hanami --- cherry blossom viewing. A very important event in Japanese culture! 



*3 Dead bodies under cherry blossom trees -- There is a short story written by Motojiro Kajii, entitled "Under Cheery Blossom Trees" which says that there are dead bodies buried under cheery blossom tress and that is why the flowers are so beautiful.  Kajii happens to be one of my favourite authors! Motojiro Kajii, Wikipedia

*4 Poor guy is a tad too far away --- I think the Master means that the spirit is too far away from cheery blossom tress. 

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You might also like to read this storyπŸ˜†⭐:



πŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’– NOTICEπŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’–
You may have noticed that I changed the series title from "My Master Series" to simply "Master Series." Because the latter translation seems now more appropriate for it. 

When I started the series, I was hooked on a certain anime in which a character called another character "My Master" continuously, so I was moved to give this series the name (a bit embarrassing to say this lol). In the translation of these stories, there are places where (for me) it sounds more appropriate to type "Master" instead of continuously making the protagonist say "my master." So I retyped many of them in the narratives too. Haha.


πŸ’ŽAlso for ALL RELIGIOUS READERS out there: 

Please don't get upset by Master's interpretation of life after death. This is only Mater's personal opinion! Also this is just a story .... I hope you don't feel offended by it! Peace and Much Love.πŸ™ πŸ˜ŠπŸ’“✨



Comments

The cherry blossoms near and in my house will be in bloom soon! I am really looking forward to it!😊🌸🌸🌸✨

Thank you for leaving comments! I appreciate all of you!πŸ’–✨πŸ’–✨πŸ’–✨⭐
Anonymous said…
OH. MY. GOD.

To be dead and then waiting for a second death while being eaten 'alive'?

This is officially the most horrifying story I have ever read on this blog.

More so than the story about the girlfriend of the fighting couple who fed her boyfriend her 'recycled' food.
This one: http://sayainunderworld.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-meals.html

But very good read, Saya-san. Thank you. If Senpai is right, I really don't want to think about my fate after my first death.

- nunu -
Does it scare you so much? πŸ˜†✨

I thought it was just an interesting but I guess if I imagined it happening to my own self, it would be scary 😱⭐

Yeah, that story is horrid πŸ˜†πŸŒˆ✨

You will go straight to heaven just like me, so don't worry 🀣✨

Thank you so much for your comment πŸ™πŸ’–✨
Anonymous said…
Another great entry to my favorite series!

I kinda like master's answer, it's straight forward and profound for me. We never really thought how are we gonna die. We tend to plan our lives and how to live it but we never planned anything beyond that. His master is such a complex and fascinating character, there's never a dull moment with him.

It's interesting to have someone like this as a teacher/guardian. One thing I learned in the supernatural is that you need to have someone who has a higher level of knowledge in the field to prevent any serious accidents or consequences. That's why you always need to be careful.

This series reminds me of the manga "Hyakki Yakoushou" by Ima Ichiko, though the difference is his guardian is a yokai.

Thank you so much Saya-san for the hard work of translating stories and publish them.

Wishing you a wonderful week! πŸ’•

I am so glad you like the series! πŸ˜†πŸ’“✨

Oh I know "Hyakki Yakoushou"! You make me want to read it again! I don't think I read it until the end!
I would recommend the manga to anyone who is interested in Japanese culture and yokai✨

I really appreciate your comment! I will be posting more Master episodes in the future! ⭐
Thank you so much πŸ™πŸ₯°❤️

Victoria said…
Very interesting interpretation of what happens after death! I've always really enjoyed this series over the years I've been reading your blog, so always happy to see an update! Thank you as always for your great work with sharing these stories 😊
Thank you ever so much! I am so happy and delighted to read your comment!πŸ˜ŠπŸ’–πŸŒˆ✨

I never had heard this type of explanation of live after death, so I find it interesting too!⭐✨


I hope I can post another episode of this series in the near future! πŸŽ΅πŸ’–πŸ™✨⭐
George V said…
Reminds of a movie about the danger of going under the Sakura trees in bloom. The Master definitely has a dark view of the afterlife.
Is there such a movie?πŸ˜†✨
I wonder what it is!

He definitely has!

Thank you so much for your comment!πŸ™πŸ’Ž✨
George V said…
Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita) 1975 is the movie. According to the legend, it says one goes mad if they walk under the cherry trees in bloom. Of course it is more about the dynamics of the mountain man and the woman he had kidnapped.
Oh nice! Thank you very much!😊🌸✨

I looked it up and Wikipedia showed it was based on a short story by Ango Sakaguchi, a famous author! It says the short story was translated into English too, before it was turned into the movie!

I also read the plot and it sounds good too! 🌸✨
Jack said…
Master sounds a little depressed
Oh, you think so?πŸ˜†✨ Perhaps he is!

Thank you so much for your comment!πŸ’–✨
Anonymous said…
There's always this romantic but creepy image I associate with sakura trees...
Thank you for the translation :)
Exactly! Sakura in bloom, especially viewed at night, looks so otherworldly!

You are very welcome πŸ˜„πŸ’–✨ Thank you so much for commenting!
Anonymous said…
Romantic sakura trees, then this... I wonder if all of the gardens of sakura trees have some spiritual connection in them. They look so beautiful but mysterious at the same time. I can't actually think about the boy who was being pecked away by pigeons to die a second time. Sad and mysterious story of the Master series i'd say

-That one anonymous
I think sakura's mysterious beauty has captivated people's imagination from the time immemorial, and there have been so many stories and legends that sprang from it!😊🌸🌸🌸✨

I will see if I can find any other Sakura related stories!

Thank you so much for your comment πŸ™πŸ’“✨
Anonymous said…
The narrator let an extra step pass, which makes it even more interesting. I really like the master series! Thanks a lot!
Btw Saya, there was a story about 3 kids who do the elevator ritual multiple times, one of the turns into a girl and another dissapears. I searched for it but can't find it.
The extra step he talks about is where Master turns into an evil spirit, which is not normal part of the process after death. πŸ˜†✨

I know that story but I haven't translated it myself. You must have seen it on another site!

Thank you so much for your comment!🌈✨

Anonymous said…
Strange, I remember reading it on your site. Looks like I have also travelled to a parallel universe and Saya in another world has already translated that storyπŸ€«πŸ˜‚
Unknown said…
There's a manga version of the master series and they licensed it in my country. So happy to be able to read the story again :)
That's cool! I am glad you enjoy the series!πŸ˜†✨
claire said…
oh? what does the manga title called?
Steeple said…
its the ciiiiircle of liiiiiiife!
is it really better to be slowly eaten by a tree versus being pecked clean by birds? is one less painful than the other? who's to say. trees or birds, they both benefit from our decaying bodies, whether directly or indirectly (worms and bugs eat us, and are eaten by birds).

ahh, the sudden flush of flowers is always a captivating thing. Cherry trees are famous for that of course, having such a short blooming season, but i always think of desert flowers myself. one rain and the whole landscape changes to make use of that water.

ahhh i love that short story! there's this jovial melancholy in it that i really enjoy. like the joke about sweat, the almost rueful confession about seeing melancholy. and of course the wonderful mixture of life and death, beauty and decay, mating and dying. i was talking about this with my wife, who talked about like. its not enough to just see the flowers, true enjoyment comes from understanding the the death that fuels it.

"it's not just that there are corpses under the cherry blossoms, it's that he has to know and accept this to feel allowed to celebrate them"
"the reality that things must die for everything, even nature's beauty"

so, i think that comparison really fits this entry in the master series, and why i feel a kind of comfort even in the idea of pigeons pecking at a ghost.
I agree that the fact things must die eventually makes living things precious and beautiful. Cherry blossom us the symbol of memento mori in Japan! It reminds us that life is short and we should enjoy it while we can, and not get caught up in trivialities and waste the time remaining to us.

Thank you for your insightful words!πŸ˜ŠπŸ™✨