Being Loved by a God

239 ：１：2008/02/24(日) 09:54:50 ID:7HEfDi1a0

I was once told by a fortune teller, “You won’t live a long life.”
I asked them why.

They said, “You’ve been to the mainland, haven’t you? I think something latched onto you there. But it’s not some mere evil spirit. It’s something close to a god. That’s why it can’t be exorcised, and anyone who tries would be too afraid of the consequences to do anything.”

It’s true—I’d lived in China for work for a few years.

“Still,” they continued, “as long as you’re in Japan, you’ll probably make it until your son becomes an adult. I can see a white fox behind you. It’s strong. Someone in your family worshipped Taira no Masakado, didn’t they? You should be grateful to your grandparents for that.

And... is it your aunt? Someone in a convent. She’s protecting you too, from afar.
But... you’ve only got a few more years.”

My son is fifteen. So I’ve got five years left before I die? How could they say that so casually?

I must have looked suspicious, because the fortune teller went on.
“Did you injure the tendons in your hand in the past and lose the ability to do something?”

They weren’t wrong.

I used to play jazz piano and had built a decent career. But after a car accident, I suffered nerve damage. My left hand barely moves now.
Playing piano is completely out of the question.

240 ：２：2008/02/24(日) 09:55:24 ID:7HEfDi1a0

She told me,
“What was taken from you was already claimed. But your life was spared—thanks to the ones protecting you.
Still, the next time, it will take everything.
…Sorry for saying such unpleasant things.“

With that, she didn’t charge me anything.

Five years until I die? I couldn’t believe it then, and I still don’t.
But apparently, she’s known for being accurate. Her readings are usually expensive too. And yet, after talking with me for so long, she just said, “Use the money for the rest of your life,” and refused payment.

When I got home, I told my husband and son. I said I didn’t believe it, but I wanted to tell them.
I said, “If I die, I’ll be worried about you two…”

And they told me, “That’s something we’ll deal with. You don’t need to worry about us. Just live the rest of your life however you want.”

Right now, I don’t have any health issues. But who knows what can kill someone, right?

Later on, I went to a famous shrine to ask about a purification.
Just like the fortune teller said, they told me, “We’d rather not mess with gods. It could cost us our lives.”

I asked, “What kind of god is attached to me?”
“…A god from the underworld. It has your left hand. And… it’s not a Japanese god.”

241 ：３：2008/02/24(日) 09:56:06 ID:7HEfDi1a0

The shrine priest told me there was no way to avoid it.

Still, I said, “Honestly, I don’t really believe in this stuff. I can’t see anything myself.”
He replied, “That kind of strong mindset is important too.”

“Why me?” I asked.
“It’s like with people—just preference,” he said.
“You know how they say those loved by the gods don't live long? It’s the same idea.”

I told him, “But I’m not even that young.”
He just said, “Compared to your lifespan, you’re still young enough.”

I visit the fox shrine at my family home and the local shrine to Masakado every day.
But lately, I’ve noticed a heavy feeling in my right shoulder.

I used to rarely dream, but now I do—
Always the same dream. I’m in some old mansion, playing the piano endlessly.
My left hand, which can’t move in real life, plays beautifully in the dream. It feels good.
I think, “I want to stay here forever.”

Then a hand rests on my right shoulder from behind, and I hear a voice:
“You can stay if you want.”

That’s when I wake up.

I wonder if one day, I just won’t wake up anymore.

242 ：Anonymous：2008/02/24(日) 13:53:44 ID:TM0uMcag0
Is this a true story?
If it is… holy crap, that’s terrifying!!

290 ：239-241：2008/02/25(月) 08:38:33 ID:FJoxHb7x0

>>242
Honestly, it is a true story.
I want to say I don’t believe it at all, but when two complete strangers tell you the same thing, it does shake you a bit.

Well, all I can really hope for is that when I go, I don’t trouble anyone.
I’ve already said I don’t want to be buried in a grave—just scatter my ashes somewhere. That’s all.
(I also included organ donation and donating my body to science in my will, but my husband and son are against it, so it’s probably not happening.)

Still, if some god’s going to come take someone away, wouldn’t it make more sense to go for a famous pianist or something?
Is it really just about “preference”? That part I don’t get.
It’s not like I’m so beautiful I’d catch a god’s attention or anything.

Well, if I’m still kicking five years from now, I’m absolutely going back to that fortune teller and that priest to give them a piece of my mind. LOL

But even if you don’t believe it, being told “You’re going to die soon”...
Yeah, that messes with your head more than you’d think.

322 ：291：2008/02/25(月) 22:21:38 ID:FJoxHb7x0

Thanks to everyone who's been worrying about me.
Honestly, part of me wrote all this hoping someone might suggest a way out,
and the other part just wanted to throw it out there because even I’m not sure I really believe it.

I guess organ donation might not be the best idea after all.
If something’s attached to me, I probably shouldn’t be passing it along.
Kind of a waste, though—I'm pretty confident my organs are in great shape.

There was another fortune teller who, just by seeing my face, told me,
"Sorry, but you need to leave. I can’t read you."
So yeah, it’s slowly starting to creep me out.

Still, even if they say “You’ve got five years,” I’m not sick or anything.
So what can you do? Just keep going through the motions of daily life.

When I got in that car accident, the Kannon statue on our family altar apparently split clean in two.
(They’ve had it repaired since.)
Everything the fortune teller said about my family turned out to be spot on.

It’s like… I’m being protected by all these different forces, but also almost being taken away.
I mean, if I could just die peacefully in my sleep during some dream, that might not be so bad.

On the other hand—hell no!
I’m definitely still going to be alive in five years!
And when I am, I’m barging into that fake-ass fortune teller’s place and chewing them out, lol.

I thought about trying this guy Masa, but he sounds expensive and kind of not my style.

Anyway—if I survive the next five years, I’ll come back here and let you all know.
Later!

(One and a half years later, She posts in the thread again.)

935 ：Anonymous ：2009/07/09(木) 09:56:27 ID:xWbqNCx70

I'm the person mentioned in post 913.
I haven't been checking Sharakowa lately—it’s way too scary for me—so I was just browsing this thread and suddenly saw my own story pop up. Totally caught me off guard.

Anyway, it’s been a year and a half, and I’m still alive for now.
A few things have happened since then, and I’ll come back sometime to report everything in one go.

947 ：Anonymous：2009/07/09(木) 16:47:05 ID:xWbqNCx70

I said I’d write up a full report, but honestly, there’s not that much to say. Sorry about that.
For now—yeah, I’m still alive.

That said, remember how I was all confident about my internal organs back then?
Well, I ended up having to get hospitalized and undergo surgery.
The procedure wasn’t supposed to be life-threatening, but it got botched.
Getting a front-row seat to a medical error? That’s way scarier than any curse.

Right now, I’m preparing for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
To be clear—it wasn’t “the thing behind me” that messed up. It was the actual surgeon holding the scalpel.
And I’m still here, alive.

You know, that spirit or whatever said “next time, I’ll take everything.”
Well, sorry to disappoint, but you only got a part of my insides.
Nice try, better luck next time.

So yeah, that’s pretty much the summary.
But for now—I’m doing fine.

I do have some light dietary restrictions, but I’m living my daily life as usual.
Still working and all.

I just read “Descendant of the Fox” for the first time—holy crap, that was wild.
Like, in so many ways.
Not gonna lie, I kinda want one of those jewels now.

My right shoulder? Still heavy.
Still have those dreams, too.
But I will survive.

Come February 2013, I’ll post in Sharakekowa:
“I’m alive!”

And I’ll say this loud and clear:
“Nobody dies from curses, hauntings, or possessions!”

Even if those things do exist, dying because of them?
That just shouldn’t be allowed. It’s wrong.

Thanks to everyone who kept me in their thoughts.
Later. waves

(Four years later She posts in the thread again.)

981 ：Anonymous：2012/02/10(金) 11:01:06.88 ID:CoUmgGiC0

I’m post #239 from thread 189—
I wonder if anyone still remembers me.
(The one who got told by a fortune teller I wouldn’t live long because of “something attached.”)

I think the last time I posted was around summer of 2009,
but—I'm still alive and kicking.

(And yeah, the medical lawsuit ended in a settlement.)

And this surprised even me, but…
My eldest son, who’ll be turning twenty next year,
now has a baby brother.

Yep—another boy.
Late pregnancy, but it was a smooth delivery.
He’s three months old now, super healthy.

My right shoulder’s still heavy, and my left hand’s still the same.
I have to be careful even just holding the baby.
But—we’re doing fine.

When I told the Shinto priest—who I’d been consulting with—about the pregnancy after last year's earthquake, he said,
"Looks like your lifespan just got extended."

I wondered...
Does that mean now that I’ve had another 'son,' the deadline got pushed back to “until this one becomes an adult” too?
I didn’t ask for the details, though.

According to the priest:
"Mothers are incredibly strong. The younger the child, the more power they generate.
Illness or accidents—physical stuff—you can’t do much about. But with things like this? Most of them get repelled."

I’m still having the dreams, though these days they often get cut short by my baby crying at night.
Sometimes I even hear a tongue click in the dream—annoyed I woke up.

I keep thinking maybe the dreams are all in my head.
Maybe dreams don’t mean anything at all?
But in the dream, both my hands move, and it feels amazing.
There’s no way I should still be able to play like that, but in the dream, it feels like my arms never lost their touch.

Still… I no longer feel like I’m going to die next year.
Someone mentioned me a few threads back, so I wanted to give this update after safely delivering my baby.

986 ：Anonymous：2012/02/10(金) 11:58:07.53 ID:2qknsncO0

Well, you know how it is with these occult stories—
people who keep getting told “You’re gonna die” almost never actually do.
So maybe we don’t really need the “I’m still alive” updates?

If anything, just set it up so someone reports it after you actually die.
That’d be way more interesting.

990 ：Anonymous：2012/02/10(金) 13:06:41.05 ID:CoUmgGiC0

Thanks to everyone who replied.
I’ll come back next February with one last “still alive” update.

And sorry to the person who said, “Let us know if you die”—
if I’m dead, I won’t exactly be able to report it myself.

737 ：Anonymous：2014/02/04(火) 10:58:26.91 ID:UmtlnoU60

Not sure if anyone remembers me,
but I’m the one who was told, “You’ve got five years left to live.”
Couldn’t even find my old post on any of the summary sites—sorry about that.

It’s been over five years now, and I’m still going strong.

Just wanted to drop by and give a quick update.
I’d actually forgotten all about the “five-year deadline,”
but it’s been around six years now, I think.

Still here, still healthy.

739 ：Anonymous：2014/02/04(火) 12:02:41.20 ID:NeZbyPNs0
>>737
Is this the person who couldn’t play piano anymore?
Do you still have those dreams?

741 ：Anonymous：2014/02/04(火) 12:30:59.93 ID:WKly7Vw40
>>737
Are you the one whose time limit might’ve been reset when your younger son was born—like, now it's “until he turns 18” instead?
Sorry if I got the wrong person.
Either way, really glad to hear you're safe and well!

745 ：737：2014/02/04(火) 17:57:45.12 ID:UmtlnoU60

That’s me. Yep, that’s exactly it.

I said I’d check in “next February,” and here we are… the year after that. Oof.
Having a little one at home has had me barely staying afloat, and around this time last year I was hospitalized for gallstones, so life’s been hectic and time slipped away.

Still doing rehab for my left hand, but it's nowhere near back to normal.
I still have those dreams, though less often now.

Saw a book from the “Master Series” in a bookstore and thought, “Wait, is it this year already?!” only to realize—nope, it was last year.
Checked the summary sites and saw folks were waiting for a survival update. I’m really sorry for the delay.

Also, that shrine priest’s comment—“Your lifespan has been extended”—turns out to be a kind of old-fashioned congratulatory phrase people still say locally when someone has a child at an older age.
So the whole “until your son comes of age” thing? That was just my interpretation.
But you know what? I'm alive now, so whether it was a misunderstanding or not—I’ll take it!

As for Lord Masakado’s protection… I may have broken a taboo, so I might not be under it anymore.
Still, I figure as long as I’m not cursed, I’m good.

And regarding my new son’s adulthood—next checkpoint’s in 18 years. I won’t be posting then.
Honestly, I’d rather just forget all this and keep on stubbornly living.

I’ll drop a comment on the summary site later, too. Wanted to reassure the person managing the “named posters” section.
Anyway—at some point, I am going to track down that fortune teller and have a word.