The Little Boy and the Three Charms

Once in a temple there lived a priest and a little boy.

During the autumn the little boy saw the chestnut tree from far away. The chestnut tree was bearing fruits and looked very delicious to the little boy. 

"Master, can I please go and have a chestnut?"

The priest gravely shook his head. "I have heard that there are witches in the mountains, who will eat you."

"Please master!" The boy repeatedly asked the priest.

Finally the priest agreed.

The priest however gave three charms to the little boy which would help him in case he had any trouble.

There in the mountain the little boy found delicious chestnuts everywhere. He gathered as many chestnuts as he could and soon he forgot all about getting back to the temple on time.

"Who are you?"

The boy was frightened when he heard the voice because that was when he remembered the instructions of the priest of the temple. However the boy found a gentle looking woman studying him. The woman looked at the chestnut in the hands of the boy and smiled. “You like chestnuts! Why don't you come to my home? I will cook them for you.” 

The boy happily followed the old woman to her home. 

The old woman cooked and gave him even more delicious chestnuts and soon he felt very sleepy. He woke up in the middle of the night where it was raining. The rains seem to be warning him that something was not right with the woman.

The boy peered in the front of the house and he saw the woman sharpening a knife. 

The little boy was terrified and he screamed.

The witch looked at the boy. “I am a mountain witch and I am going to eat you!” Panicking, the boy shook his head. “I must wash myself first please!” 

The witch did not want to let him go but finally agreed. 

The witch tied one end of the rope to the boy so that the boy was not able to escape. Once in the room the boy placed one of the charms on the rope.

He snuck out of the place as the charm gave his voice to the witch. Every time when the witch asked whether the boy was done the charm replied, “Not yet.” 

This way the boy was able to run and put some distance between him and the witch's house. 

However the witch was suspicious because it was taking too long for the boy. 

She found out that the boy had escaped from the window of the room. 

She followed the boy and that was when the boy used the second charm that he had been given.

“Charm please create a huge river so that the witch drowns in it and she is not able to follow me.” 

This time a huge river came up before the witch and the boy ran faster. 

However the witch did not give up. She swallowed up all the water in the river so that she could easily walk through and the witch chased the little boy again. 

This time the boy used his third charm to create a sea of fire.

However, using the water that the witch had swallowed from the river, the witch put out the fire. She was still chasing the boy.

The boy finally was gasping for breath as he reached the temple.

Meanwhile in the temple the priest was baking rice cakes and was about to eat them when the boy barged in. “The mountain witch is coming. She will eat me! Please protect me, master.” 

The priest waved at the cupboard. “I will protect you from the witch.”

The witch suspiciously looked around the place. “A boy came running here. Where is he?”

The priest shook his head. “I do not know.” 

The witch looked very angry. “If you do not tell me I will eat you first.” 

Then the priest studied the witch. “Fine! Let us compare our powers. If you have better powers than me, I will tell you where the boy is.” 

The witch agreed to this.

“Can you become big?” The priest asked the witch. 

The witch snorted and soon she became huge.

The priest really nodded. “You are very powerful.” 

The witch proudly looked at the priest. 

The priest nodded. “Can you become small like the size of a pea?” 

The witch then became the size of a pea. 

The priest suddenly grabbed her tiny body and put her in a rice cake and he ate the witch with the rice cake. 

The boy watched how the priest had gotten rid of the witch and he was very happy and stayed obedient to the older man after that.

Adapted from folktales of Japan