When I was little, I thought I was someone special. It sounds arrogant, but apparently, everyone goes through a phase like that. Through a series of failures, we learn to find the right distance between ourselves and the outside world.
I didn't think I would ever die. I just vaguely assumed that there was no way I could die. But when I was in the lower grades of elementary school, an event turned that way of thinking completely upside down.
I had come home from school and was reading manga at home, just like any other day. Being a precocious kid, I used to look forward to the special horror features running in *Big Comic Original* back then.
Before I knew it, while lying down, I found myself experiencing sleep paralysis. I hadn't intended to go to sleep. A black shape loomed up over my confused head. It was a wrinkled old man, peering down at me with an amused look in his eyes.
The old man's mouth was moving. Looking closer, I saw that he was eating his own index and ring fingers. I intuitively understood: once he finished eating his fingers, I would be next.
I tried to call my family, but no voice came out. The old man brought his hands—each now reduced to just three fingers—close, as if to cover my face. For the very first time, I understood that I, too, would die.
When I suddenly snapped to awareness, I was lying flat on my back with a manga magazine resting right on my face. I bolted upright, but there was nothing wrong with any part of my body. Rather than relief at being saved, a skin-crawling terror at having brushed against the reality of death made my body shake.
Now, I am the old man. And naturally, what I recommend to my grandson is *Big Comic Original*. Because he, too, is someone special.
To be continued in "Mermaid"
Comments (-)