Once there was an old man and an old woman. The man wove hats from reeds and sold them to the farmers. However, the farmers were poor and couldn't buy much and so the old man was poorer. One year on New Year's Eve he and his wife were completely out of food. He had worked hard making five hats and set out to sell them so he and his wife would have a little rice and drink to welcome the New Year. He walked the streets all day trying to sell the hats. But everyone was busy preparing for the New Year and he didn't sell any of them. He began to walk back home, sad that he had nothing to bring to his wife, when it started to snow. The air became very cold and the snow piled up. On his way he passed six statues to the Gods that protect children.
Carefully, he brushed the snow from the statues. He was about to leave when he thought how sad it would be for the snow to pile back up on the statues. So he took the five hats that he had and put them on the statues heads. He only had five hats though and there were six statues. So for the last statue he took the hat from his own head and placed it on the statue of the God.
When he arrived home he told his wife what he had done and she said, "That was a very kind thing. I'm glad that you did it." They had no food but they gave thanks for the roof over their head and for one another. Then they went to sleep.
However, they were awaken from sleep by the sound of someone calling, "Yoi-sho! Hoi-sho! Yoi-sho! Hoi-sho! Where is the old man that gave us the hats?" They quickly put on their slippers and went to the door. There in a line were the Gods the old man had put the hats on. And each was lugging a large sack that he placed on the old man's steps before continuing on.
Later, when the old man and woman opened the sacks they found rice, and fish, and fabric for kimonos!
"Ojizo Sama, thank you," they shouted to the retreating statues.
But six statues did not turn to look back. They continued to walk down the road the way they had come, disappearing into the whiteness of falling snow, leaving only their footprints to show that they had been there.
found here
Books are the ultimate Dumpees:
put them down and they'll wait
for you forever; pay attention
to them and they always love you back.
from: The Abundance of Katherines
by: John Green
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