Week 9 Story: The Pain of an Immortal

Source: True Happy

The Pain of an Immortal

A Japanese Sentaro, who had inherited a huge fortune from his parents, became a billionaire at the age of thirty two. He owned many endless rice fields, and many facilities as well as precious jewels. At first, he was happy because of his wealth, he bought a bigger house, a new car, and everything he wanted without considering the prices. He brought his little family (his wife and his son) to many different places and interested in trying different cuisine. They went on a lot of cruise to the West and celebrated a lot of parties just for risk people.

But, the joy and the pleasure did not last very long, Sentaro felt tired after so many days stay out all night for the parties. Sentaro's health did not allow that. He felt himself growing weaker with age. Then, he started worry about his death and his fortune after the death. Sentaro had heard about the legendary of the King who sought for prolong life with the "Elixir of Life" magic. Although he was not totally believe in the tale, he still prayed for it every night before sleep.

At the age of forty, his business went down a bit, but he didn't care much about it. He kept thinking about the Elixir of life. He wished if there was some power to give him what he wanted in exchange for the money.

At his Fifty year-old, he felt the pain when the Death eventually took his wife away.  She got a blood cancer. Despite of how much money he put on the treatment, there is no medical solution to cure. This was the first time he clearly experience the pain of losing his close relative. And he knew  that the Death would come for him, one day. He continued to pray.

Another ten year passed..

And another ten year had passed...Not only nothing happened to him, but also his business grew larger and larger. Sentano could not describe how happy he was to attending his son's wedding with his strength. He thanked to God that replied to his desire.

At the age of eighty, his friend, one after another passed. He eventually felt alone and he also forgot to wish every night for a Perpetual Life like before. He still lived with his son.

Then, one again he experience the pain of losing his only son when he turned to ninety. Sentano had never thought that he would be the only one saw his loves passed away with his own eyes. This was the first time he experienced the pain of a long-lived. He had quit to wish long time ago.

Now, only him was left in his big and luxury house. His business growth bigger. He had a lot of money, but there was no one joined him. People who belong to his generation had went to another life.

Now, he realized that he had been forgot how to live in a right way because he scared of the death, the thing that everybody would experience in some point in time, and valued money. He was supposed to be happy with his little family giving the chance that he had inherited, but he was not. He forgot to enjoyed his happy life with his wife and his son. He wished, one again, let him go with them so he could build a truly happy life forever. It is meaningless to live alone with the money.

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Author's Note: I modified the story based on The Man Who Did Not Wish to Die. This story is part of the Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) unit. Story source: Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908).Sentaro in the original version wishes to have a perpetual life, so he sought for a hermits, he could fill his desire. Then a God, Jofuku, ordered a paper crane to take him to the immortal life, where people had never died. However, in this world, people believed that the only truly happy life is the life after death, where they could come to the Paradise. Therefore, they sought for many way to die including drink a toxic chemical or eat the poisonous foods. However, despite of their desperate to die, they still alive. Sentaro after along time lived there, got bored and no longer wanted a immortal life.
It turned out that the whole adventure was just a Sentaro's dream that the God Jofuku relied to his desired. Jofuku wanted to show him that  his desired was not mortal.

Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) unit; Part B

The Ogre of Rashomon

Source: Fandom

This story is part of the Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) unit. Story source: Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908).

Watanabe was a brave warrior in the band of five knights. One time, he heard one of his friends saying that the residences in the Rashomon was terrified by the ogre. The ogre killed the people who set the foot to the occupied place.Watanabe could not ignored this. He prepared everything to find the orge.

At he headed to the gate of Rashomon, the ogre stood behind him and seized his helmet. He suddenly cut off the arm of the ogre as he grabbed it. Then, the ogre ran in painful. Watanabe brought the ogre's arm as a booty, but really worried that the ogre would be back one day to take the arm back. He made a steel box, hard and safe, and hid the arm in it so nobody would know it.

One day, Watanabe had a special guest coming to his house. He was very happy to meet his nany, who had been out of contact for so long. The nanny came and asked to see the ogre's arm for one last time. Although, Watanabe was skeptical to show, but could not denied the begging of his beloved nanny. He opened the box and allowed the nanny see it in the distance.Unfortunately, the nanny came closer to the box and picked up the arm and turned herself into the big ogre. 

Watanabe  realized that this was the same ogre he fought with last time, and aimed to cut off  the ogre's head this time. However, the ogre ran away and disappeared.

Although Watanabe lose a chance to kill the ogre, the people of Rashomon thanked to him since the ogre was no longer dared to come to this land.

Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) unit; Part A

The Man Who Did Not Wish To Die

Source: Google

This story is part if Japanese Fairy Tales Unit by Jei Theodora Ozaki (1908) along with the story of My Lord Bag of Rice and The Adventure of Kintaro. Among these three, i very much enjoy "The Man Who did not Wish to Die", since it teach me a mortal lesson, which is live in the present, and let go of the past or future.

The story told about a rich man named Sentaro. Although he lived in a prosperous life, he was not happy. He spent most of his time a day just worrying about the death, afraid he would lose everything he had because of the death. So, he seek for an immortal life.

Some legendary had told that there was a King, who also had the same desired, ordered his courtier to bring him the hermits living in the peak mountains. So they could teach the King how to have the "Elixir of Life".

Knowing that, Sentaro left the home and sought for the hermits.

Although there was no sign for the hermits, Sentaro still headed to a immortal world on the paper crane, which was created by a deity. In the place Sentaro headed, people all sought for the dead because they believe the life after dead is the most happy life in the Paradise. However, Sentaro still felt excited to begin his new perpetual life and to growth his business in this new land.

Time passed...things happened... Sentaro recalled his original life with his family. He got bored with this immortal life since time passed by with no impacts on him. He felt meaningless to live a life like that forever.

He really wanted to come back home.