within the memory of all the islanders no man had ever died there , and sickness was a thing unknown . priests had come over from india and china and told them of a beautiful country called paradise , where happiness and bliss and contentment fill all men 's hearts . but its gates could only be reached by dying . this tradition was handed down for ages from generation to generation - but none knew exactly what death was except that it led to paradise . quite unlike sentaro and other ordinary people , instead of having a great dread of death , they all , both rich and poor , longed for it as something good and desirable . they were all tired of their long , long lives , and longed to go to the happy land of contentment called paradise of which the priests had told them centuries ago .
no man had ever died there and sickness was a thing unknown .
what had never happened at the island within the memory of the islanders ?
what had never happened at the island within the memory of the islanders ?