The Rabbit and the Raccoon Dog
In Japanese: Kachi Kachi Yama
One day an old man went to the field to check on his vegetables. But there, to his surprise was the raccoon dog. And the raccoon dog had eaten all his vegetables! The old man was very mad, and he put the raccoon dog in ropes and took him home.
The next day the old man went out to the fields to
work again, leaving the old woman to work in the house. As the
old woman was working, the raccoon dog offered to help. Thinking
he had gotten over his bad streak, the old woman let him help. As
soon as he was free, The raccoon dog jumped upon her and bit her.
When the farmer came home he found his wife weeping over her
wounds. He nursed her over the days that followed.
Well, when the rabbit heard the news,
he decided to get rid of the raccoon dog once and for all. He got
up early in the morning with the raccoon dog and they went up in
the mountains to cut firewood. Then they headed down the
mountain, each walking with a big bundle of wood on their backs.
The raccoon dog led the way. While he was walking, the rabbit
lighted a match and started a fire on the raccoon’s back.
Pretty soon the raccoon dog felt a burning sensation on his back.
Once he found out that his back was on fire he ran to the nearest
water and put out the flames. Though it still hurt, the raccoon
dog asked what had caused the burn. And the rabbit answered
coolly, " It is just the mountain, raccoon dog,", and
the raccoon dog believed him, and so went home.
It took a while for the burns to heal, but the
rabbit decided to play another trick on the raccoon dog. He
offered him to come out in his boats. A clay boat for the raccoon
dog, and a wooden boat for the rabbit. The raccoon dog, seeing no
danger in this, hopped in the clay boat, and paddled out into the
river. Soon the clay boat got soft, and started to leak. Quickly
the boat filled with water, despite the desperate attempt of
trying to bail out the liquid. The raccoon dog waived his arms
helplessly, while the rabbit made him promise to never be mean
again. He agreed, barely saved from drowning, and peace reigned
once more in the woods.
The End
By Rosalind O.
May, 2000