Some say that the three-day festival is a "good luck" ritual for those who are going through difficult times.
You arrive at the temple with your group of friends, and you come to find that it has been completely transformed into an extravagant party, complete with elaborate costumes, jewelry, masks, dancers, and music. Everyone's dressed up in their best outfits, and you're not surprised when they start dancing together. You look around and see people wearing all sorts of crazy hats and clothes, some of which have feathers on them, like so many birds flying above the trees.

They are not regular birds, of course, as they seem to be made out of air or water, though most of them aren't actually alive, just floating there, more or less still. Eerie music plays from behind the stage, sounding vaguely human, if ethereal. Your eyes wander over the masses of faces, with each person looking different from everyone else. It looks like every face here has had something done to it.
When one of your companions asks why this place exists, someone responds by saying that these ghostly birds are called "lifeforms." If you ask what happens if you meet one, another reply comes back: "If you die here, you'll become part of life itself!"

The next morning, after making sure to cleanse yourself of any bad spirits you may have left inside yourself (and perhaps by drinking plenty of alcohol), you set off again toward the village. As you walk along the road, you notice large bodies of water surrounding the area, where boats float lazily across. A few minutes later, you spot a boat coming towards you. Something about the way the boat moves makes you feel uneasy. When the boat pulls alongside you, you can clearly hear voices talking amongst themselves, but no one seems able to answer what exactly the conversation is about. That's when you see it, the birds' heads suddenly popping out of the water and landing right beside you. The birds are speaking! They begin waving their wings and giggling wildly. One bird even points at you and says, "Here you go!" before diving underwater once again.

A second time, you encounter the same scene, only now you see two fish slowly swimming past you. Both of the fish then turn into birds, and continue walking down the river. Again, you get the feeling that they don't know what they are doing. Just as quickly as they appeared, they vanish, leaving you wondering what happened.
Are these "lifeforms" really ghosts? Or did someone somehow trick these animals into appearing? Were they sent here to scare us away from our homes? Who knows. Maybe we should stop asking questions… maybe we shouldn't bother thinking about such things anymore.

But something about you attracts the "lifeforms", and soon enough, you too are surrounded by dozens upon dozens of strange creatures. Water cascading over the surface of the lake, bringing forth waves of foam, their fluttering wings shining brightly against the sky as water drips down onto their feathers. What does this mean? Is this some sort of religious ceremony? Are these ancient humans trying to communicate with us through dance and song? All we know for certain is that you've seen something quite extraordinary today. You cry tears of joy, seeing how happy and joyful everyone else is. People are singing songs of happiness, and holding lanterns aloft. Seeing everything happening so naturally, you wonder how long ago this was? How old were these beings? Did they exist thousands of years ago? This whole thing feels surreal, almost dreamlike, and you want to join in on the fun. But wait a minute, as you approach the edge of the lake, you realize you cannot swim very far, unless...

"Come, swim with us! We will teach you how to play!" cries the bird's voice in your ears.

Suddenly, you are sucked under the water, falling helplessly to the bottom. You don't struggle, instead simply accepting whatever fate throws your way.

You are flying above the trees. Stars are seen piercing through the clouds overhead, casting their brilliant light on the forest floor below. Birds chirp excitedly above you, calling out your name. You became part of life itself.