Bonus Essay and Short Story

Fear of Death

“Have you ever felt like you were going to die?”

If you were to suddenly ask me something like that, I’d answer, “Yeah, about three times.”

I’m not exactly referring to stuff I can look back at and say, “Ah, I could’ve died...” like getting sick or anything. Those instances were fine, I never really treated death as a big deal and kind of took things like that in stride. But there were a few times where the fear of death was there, ready to overtake me...

The first time was when I was in elementary school. I grew up in the Tohoku region, and we didn’t typically get a lot of snowfall. But one year it just kept coming and it didn’t stop coming... It was amazing for us kids, though. We just went out and played in the snow all day. Before that point, I’d never even seen enough snow to make a snowman, and it was suddenly there for me to play with!

I remember sitting down on my butt by the side of the road and just watching the snow. I’d even made a little cushion of snow beneath me to rest on. I lowered myself onto my back and enjoyed the day, listening to my friends have a great time... I didn’t notice the snow plow rushing down the street. This thing couldn’t have been a regular plow, it was like a bulldozer! It went right by me and covered me in a tsunami of snow. It took half a second and I was completely engulfed, I remember little me thinking to himself, “Ah... I’m dead...” Snow’s seriously heavy, you know! I couldn’t move an inch.

Thankfully, the driver realized and immediately got out of his car to check if I was okay... But I still remember the feeling of being completely immobilized, and how scary it was to think that everything was about to end.

The second incident was when I was a high school student. It was a simple accident I might’ve mentioned before. I was riding down my hill on a bike when I lost control and was hit by a car. The bicycle was completely wrecked, but I came out of it unscathed. Even so, I remember thinking to myself at the moment of impact, “So this is it... This is how I die.” I turned out just fine, though.

The third incident was also when I was in high school. I ended up going to an abandoned amusement park with a couple of friends one evening. We were on this old rooftop that had this slope along the edge of it... And I guess we were gonna use it as a slide. I followed my friends along the concrete surface, but as I ran, I didn’t realize that I was running over a pane of glass. It was so dirty that it looked the same as the concrete around it. The glass broke right beneath me and revealed a ten-meter drop... That kind of thing would’ve led to a serious injury if I’d hit myself in a bad place. I could barely process what was happening, but I knew I couldn’t let myself fall... Thoughts like, “I’m gonna die...” gave way to, “Jump, you idiot!” and I pushed my legs off the floor and leaped toward the sloped area. It felt like time had slowed down as I soared through the air. Frankly, it was horrifying. I landed on another glass pane that thankfully didn’t break, and I distinctly remember feeling my own heartbeat in my ears... I was sweating like a madman and gasping wildly. Even thinking back to it now makes my heart speed up a little more... In a way, it really made me feel alive, probably because of how close I was to death.

As much as I’d want to experience that kind of thrill again, there’s a saying that goes, “A wise man keeps away from danger.”

But, you know, danger sometimes finds men, regardless of whether or not they’re wise.

Mortal Gods

“Fwuh...!”

The hoe came down upon the land, shaking up the roots and other plant matter beneath the earth. The god of agriculture, Mochizuki Kosuke, had been tilling soil since the early hours of the morning. His efforts were borne of an earnest desire to expand Brunhild’s farmland. He could’ve tilled the fields in the blink of an eye had he employed his divinity, but such powers were forbidden in the mortal realms. Rules were rules. He couldn’t very well call himself a god if he didn’t abide by them.

“Wowie... You did a lot...”

“Ah, Agricult— Er... Dad? Here, lunch.”

“Oh... If it ain’t Suika and Karina... Thanks fer this.”

The god of the hunt, Mochizuki Karina, along with the god of alcohol, Mochizuki Suika, had come to visit him. In this mortal realm, they were taking on the identity of Kosuke’s daughters.

He looked up to the sun and realized that it was noon. This was further evidenced by the fact that Suika was holding up a lunchbox toward him, and the fact that Karina had said “lunch.”

“Lu made us some lunch, which was nice... but there’s no booze...”

“Obviously. Touya wouldn’t be very happy if you were drinking in the middle of the day.”

“She’s right, lass. We’re relatives to the grand duke down here. Can’t go an’ make him look improper by playin’ the fool, can we?”

“Alright, I gotcha. I’ll be careful not to drink. Well, about as much as I can, anyway.”

Both gods had their own doubts as to just how “careful” Suika would be.

“Ah... Wait, that sound. Is that Sosuke?”

The little drunkard started glancing around like a curious gremlin, following the sounds of guitar-strums from a nearby tree. The three of them looked up and found none other than Mochizuki Sosuke, the god of music. He was draped across a tree branch and strumming his guitar. He hadn’t been there before, he’d simply used teleportation magic to get there without being noticed. There weren’t many in the mortal realms who could teleport, but it was one of the convenient tricks that gods could employ. He made the guitar vanish and then hopped down to the ground before pulling a large square box out of thin air. Then, he began to gently pat his hands on the top.

At first glance, it was a simple box, but it was actually an instrument as well. The box was an instrument from a location on Earth named Peru. The Peruvian instrument was known as a Cajon. This one had strings and bells attached to the inside that generated sounds that would echo through a hole on the front. It was a percussive instrument that could be played by hitting it at various angles. He hurriedly tapped it at a light rhythm, as if to say, “I’d like to eat now.”

They all sat by the field and spread out the two boxes that Karina and Suika had brought with them. There were a variety of delicious-looking riceballs and many a side dish to go with them.

“Whoa, looks great! I’m so glad I came down to the mortal world...”

“Yeah... It’s been really nice. I haven’t been to the mortal realm in like... ten thousand years? It’s nice to work, eat, and enjoy myself a little.”

Suika and Karina smiled and laughed as they made small-talk. They washed their hands in a magical orb of water that had been conjured up to float in midair.

“Don’t ferget that we’re here to support the kid. We ain’t just here to have a good time, got it?”

“...Aren’t you enjoying yourself the most by coming out into these fields all the time? I’m pretty sure you might be having the most fun. I haven’t even seen you come by the castle once!”

“Mh...” Kosuke quietened down and started shoveling food into his mouth as Sosuke’s drumming intensified.

“Well, I don’t mind so long as we’re all enjoying ourselves anyway.”

“We really have to thank Touya for all of this... Or perhaps we need to thank God Almighty’s mistake?”

“I still can’t believe he dropped that lightning on a fella by mistake... When I heard that, I laughed my ass off!”

“Ahaha... It might be sacrilege, but it is pretty funny—”

As the four gods laughed together, their smartphones began to ring at the same time. The four of them awkwardly checked who the incoming caller was... and the screens simply said “god of worlds.” These smartphones had been made by Dr. Babylon... Contacting God on them would’ve been impossible. Being called by the same person all at once should’ve also been impossible... However, the four of them knew one person who was truly beyond all possibilities, god himself.

It was likely that the old man was watching them right now on his television set... The four gods quietly muttered, “Don’t look at me!” in their heads as they averted their gazes and started to eat their lunch.

And so, the lives of the mortal gods of Brunhild carried on, carefree and relaxed as ever.