Humor
Dr. Folklore’s Dating Advice for Mythical Folks (№16)
Botan Dōrō (or The Peony Lantern)
Original Story: A widowed man, Ogiwara, meets a beautiful lady holding a peony lantern on the night of Obon (Japan’s “Day of the Dead”), and they start a “nightly” relationship. One night, a suspicious neighbor peeks into their window one night to see the man sleeping with a skeleton. A Buddhist priest puts a protective charm on his house, but when he sees the lady that night, Ogiwara can’t resist. In the morning, his neighbors find Ogiwara dead on top of a skeleton in a grave... naked.
Dear Dr. Folklore,
Sorry if my writing is a bit sloppy — I’m on my third bottle of sake… no wait, forth bottle… right? Anyway, I‘ve been “seeing” this lady with a peony lantern for a couple nights (uknowwhatimsayin?), and I googly-eye love her, man. She only wants to see me at night, which, to me, is an indication she doesn’t want to put on any labels… fine by me! I mean, I’ve never met anyone living who can do the things we do in bed… which makes sense now because I found out she’s a skeleton ghost after townsfolk raided my home mid-climax…major cock-block. Now all of my friends and neighbors tell me that if I see her again, she’ll suck the life out of me (a thank-you). But what would you say if I wanted to ask her to marry me……
