The Chimney

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A Chimney of a Sentō

(Translated and Arranged by Saya)

A few years ago, someone called K san transferred to my workplace.

K san moved into the same company housing I lived in, and one day, while we were chatting, he asked me:

“What is that tall chimney that you can see from the windows of this building?” 

He looked slightly pale as he asked the question. 

I had no idea what he meant. 

Although K san and I lived in the same company housing, our rooms were far apart, and the view from my room and the view from K san’s room were not necessarily the same. 

Besides, not being from here, I was not familiar with the area. 

So, without thinking much about it, I replied, it must be a chimney of a sentō (Note: public bath) or something. 

That was the end of the topic and we never talked about it again. 

However, about a month later, K san was found dead in a residential area not so far from the company housing.  

His body, I heard, was in a horrendous condition. 

Strangely, K san was thought to have died by falling from a very high place, but in the residential area where he was found, there were no tall buildings he could have jumped off of. 

Nevertheless, it was obvious that his death was not caused by a car accident, nor was there a reason to suspect foul play, so in the end, they simply concluded that it was an accidental death. 

In order to attend K san’s funeral, I had to travel all the way to his hometown. 

The town where K san was born was a certain seaside town in Kyūshū region. 

While I was in a car driven by one of K san’s relatives, heading towards K san’s parents’ home, my eyes riveted to an object that appeared before me. 

A colossal chimney projected from an old, ramshackle factory building. 

The relative told me that the chimney was referred to as“the Phantom Chimney “ by the locals, and it had been the symbol of the town for ages. 

I do not know why, but I somehow thought that perhaps the chimney K san saw from his room was identical to this chimney. 

By the way, recently, I have been living my day to day life in acute anxiety. 

It is because I have been seeing a tall chimney from a window of my room. 

It could be only my imagination, but the chimney resembles the one I saw in K san’s hometown. 

The chimney stands far in the distance, and it is possible it has always been there but I just never noticed it before. 

It could also be a structure that has been newly constructed.

But despite all these possibilities, I am convinced that it has suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 

I have asked around to see if any of my colleagues knew about it, but have only gotten ambiguous replies. 

I do not have the courage to go near the chimney and see it for myself. 

Everyone, please, I beg you, could you possibly, right now, look out the window of your room? 

If you spot a chimney that you have never hitherto seen before, please let me know. 

How on earth could this kind of thing ever happen? 

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Some videos on Sentō:

🌸How to Use a Sentō

🌸 Documentary | Sento of Life: The Warmth of the Twilight Years