Hello, gentle listener, and welcome to Nocturnal Transmissions, the fortnightly podcast that brings you dark tales, both old and new, performed by your humble narrator, Kristen Holland.

This episode's story centers on the now outlawed practice of Suku Shizu or self-mumification, as was practiced by certain Japanese

shingon monks many years ago.

You're probably thinking that's a bit of a dry topic.

Well, we shall see, gentle listener.

We shall see.

Nocturnal transmissions is proud to present the tended field of Ado Yamata by John Michael Kelly. In the Serenity, where he now found himself, Yamata still retained the vista of his previous life. Sitting meditatively,

he could recall every moment of that existence with uncommon clarity. However, he did not recognize

from those memories the child standing before him. A girl of obvious Japanese

descent about eight years old wearing a simple knee-length white dress that seemed remarkably

clean and bright, given that her bare legs and feet were black with dirt. A rice hat made of bamboo sat confidently atop her head,

and hooked in the bend of an arm was an Ikebana basket of similar weave.

But there were no flowers.

Except for not having a mouth, she appeared normal in every other way.

But then Yamata had to look no farther than his own desiccated body

to know that here, normal was not to be the dominant theme.

Obviously, the afterlife was amenable to showcasing his wasted form, one achieved in the previous life by self-mummumification.

But that such a gaunt and withered state had escorted him so authentically into the next realm was rousing

some concern, as he could only slightly turn his head, and to a slightly greater degree

move his right arm.

Am I to remain forever a rigid corpse?

He wondered.

...