“What do you mean?” The woodcutter stammered.
The badger shook his head. “You cannot kill me if you try.” The badger nodded at the woodcutter. “You have proved to be a kind man. So I will show you kindness in return.” The badger waved behind the woodcutter. “There is a pine tree there. Beneath that you will find a flat white stone. Bring it here.”
The woodcutter nodded and turned to find the stone.
He was stunned because on the flat, white stone was the best feast that the woodcutter had ever seen in his life.
There was rice, sake and fish and other good food laid down there.
The woodcutter wished that he could take the food to his parents because he was sure that they would enjoy it.
The woodcutter turned to see the badger and the badger nodded at him. “If you eat this food here, your parents would find the same feast in their house.”
The woodcutter happily sat down to eat the food.
The woodcutter wanted to thank the badger who had been so kind to him.
But when the woodcutter turned to look at the badger, the badger was missing.
In the place where the badger had been there was a waterfall.
The waters in the fall sang a wonderful song and it was not water, but sake which flowed therein.
The woodcutter ate his food and filled his gourd with all the sake he could find to take it back to his parents.
When he reached home, he told his parents his story.
His parents were thrilled because they too had eaten a feast today because good food had appeared out of nowhere in their house too.
His parents drank the rich sake and were very happy.
Adapted from Japanese Folktales
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