This story has been translated from Japanese into English by Saya.
This is not a scary story... but I want to share it with you.
It happened when I was about 7 years old.
When I was a child, I often had strange experiences.
The town in which I lived was called Shio-iri, in Yokosuka City.
It is the place with the one long slope. *1
On that particular day, we were playing hide-and-seek.
I had a hard time finding a good place to hide, but in the end decided to hide behind my friend's house.
The moment I ran to the back of the house, the scenery changed in an instant.
Before I knew, I was standing in the middle of a large meadow.
Where am I....?
I was stunned and at a loss about what to do. Then I saw ahead of me one flower rising from the ground, and also a little vase beside it.
Without thinking, I picked up the flower and put it inside the vase.
Soon, I spotted a small hill not far away, so I picked up the vase with the flower and walked towards it.
Then, young as I was, a sudden understanding dawned on me - that this hill was someone's tomb.
I put down the vase with the flower, closed my eyes and prayed. (It wasn't like a proper form of prayer. I just closed my eyes and pressed my palms together...lol)
Next moment I was back behind my friend's house again.
I was so startled that I was just sitting there in a stupor when I heard my friend shout,
"I found you, Ai chan!"*2
What was it just now...? A dream...?
That was what I thought.
Maybe I just daydreamed, but ever since then, strange things started happening to me even more frequently.
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*1 One long slope: This could be Chikoku-Saka (pictured second from the top). Chikoku means "to be late." The slope is so named because the story goes that the soldiers stationed there used to ran up the slope, in order not to be late for the curfew after being out downtown.
*2 Ai chan: Ai is the narrator's name, chan is a suffix indicating endearment. Judging by the name and the form of suffix, the narrator is probably a girl.
 |
| source |
It happened when I was about 7 years old.
When I was a child, I often had strange experiences.
The town in which I lived was called Shio-iri, in Yokosuka City.
It is the place with the one long slope. *1
On that particular day, we were playing hide-and-seek.
 |
| Chikoku-saka (source) |
The moment I ran to the back of the house, the scenery changed in an instant.
Before I knew, I was standing in the middle of a large meadow.
Where am I....?
I was stunned and at a loss about what to do. Then I saw ahead of me one flower rising from the ground, and also a little vase beside it.
Without thinking, I picked up the flower and put it inside the vase.
Soon, I spotted a small hill not far away, so I picked up the vase with the flower and walked towards it.
Then, young as I was, a sudden understanding dawned on me - that this hill was someone's tomb.
I put down the vase with the flower, closed my eyes and prayed. (It wasn't like a proper form of prayer. I just closed my eyes and pressed my palms together...lol)
Next moment I was back behind my friend's house again.
I was so startled that I was just sitting there in a stupor when I heard my friend shout,
"I found you, Ai chan!"*2
What was it just now...? A dream...?
That was what I thought.
Maybe I just daydreamed, but ever since then, strange things started happening to me even more frequently.
---------------------------------------------
*1 One long slope: This could be Chikoku-Saka (pictured second from the top). Chikoku means "to be late." The slope is so named because the story goes that the soldiers stationed there used to ran up the slope, in order not to be late for the curfew after being out downtown.
*2 Ai chan: Ai is the narrator's name, chan is a suffix indicating endearment. Judging by the name and the form of suffix, the narrator is probably a girl.
Comments
This remind me of the anime film "Spirited Away".
I wonder if the narrator is someone who has special abilities. Like a psychic. So she was allowed the view and this somehow triggers the strange things happening to her.
-nunu-
This is the first time I'm commenting on your post but I have been reading your blog since 2007 I think. Anyway, I really like your blog and thank you because of all the time you give for translating these stories.
BTW, I'm really confused by this one and I think I just didn't understand it.
-CreanJS-
@Farz Wolf: That's possible!
@Nunu: I think you're right, Nunu!
A spirit wanted someone to pray for it, and the narrator was at the right place at right time!
Thank you for sharing your thought!
@Sochii Kamiya: Haha so typical of me! Thank you for letting me know and giving me support too!
@Noino: I think so too! :)
@Haliemah Zahari: I find the story fascinating too! It's a pretty and heart-warming story.
@Danikka Fernandez: Hello, Danikka! Wow you've been following me since the inception of this blog? That's so amazing. I wonder how many people like you are around? :D
I think what happened in the story was like Nunu and Noino said. There was a lonely spirit that wanted someone to notice its presence and pray for it, and the narrator happened to be just the right person for that task.
Anyway, thanks a lot for your comment! I'm happy to hear from you :)
Ok...
This story seems really familiar, when I read chibi maruko-chan, the mangaka told us that she had this experience, when she was a little kid, she visited a beautiful meadow and by the next day, she tried to look for it but it was nowhere to be found.
Is this a common phenomenon in japan? I'm really interested to experience this, thanks for posting, Saya!
Have a good day ^^