LORD BAG OF RICE

Long time ago, there was a soldier in Japan. The soldier was once about to cross a bridge near a lake when he saw a huge snake coiled on the bridge so that no one could pass. Now, do you think that this soldier turned and ran away, as many others had that day? No, indeed! He knew that a bridge was not the place for a snake, so he walked up and stamped on its head.
As he stepped on him, the snake was gone. Only a dwarf stood before him, who at once began bowing his head to the ground with respect.
"Now, at last I have found some one who is not a coward!'' cried the dwarf. "Here I have been waiting for days to find a man who was brave enough to help me, but none dared cross the bridge. Everyone turned and ran at the sight of me. But you are strong-hearted. Will you do me a great kindness and save many lives?"
The soldier answered: "I am a soldier of the Emperor, and I am here to save life and right wrong. Tell me your trouble and I will see what can be done to help it."
"There is a terrible centipede," said the dwarf, "and he lives in the woods on the mountain. Every day he comes down to the shore to drink. He dips his thousand poisonous feet into the beautiful water, turning it all foul and dirty. It kills all the fishes in the lake, too. I am the king of the lake, and I am trying to find some way to save my fishes."
"I do not know that I can help you," said the soldier, ''but I will gladly go with you and try. "
The dwarf took him to his home in the bottom of the lake. It was a beautiful house, all made of coral and pearl. His servants, the crabs and sunfishes, brought them rice, fruit, and tea, served on tiny green leaves. The tea looked like water and the rice looked like sea foam, but they tasted all right, so what matter?
Just as they were in the middle of their feast they heard a mighty roaring and rumbling. It sounded as though a mountain were being torn up.
''There he is!" he cried. "That is the noise of his thousand feet as they crunch on the stones of the mountain side. We must hurry or he will get to the water and poison it again. "
They hurried to the edge of the lake and saw the centipede already very near. He looked. like an army marching with colored lanterns, for each one of his thousand legs glowed with many beautiful shades of crimson and green and gold.
The soldier drew his great bow and let an arrow fly at the monster's head. He never missed his aim, and the arrow struck the ugly head of the centipede, but bounced away. A second arrow flew, but that, too, bounced away.
He had but one arrow left and the monster was almost at the water's edge.
Suddenly he remembered that when he was a boy his grandfather had told him that if you wet the head of an arrow in your mouth it will kill any monster.
It took just a second to wet the head of his last precious arrow and send it whizzing at the centipede. It struck him on the forehead and he fell over dead.
Suddenly the soldier found himself back in his own house, which was now changed into a castle. Before him were five gifts, on each of which he read, ''With the loving thanks of the Dwarf."
The first of these gifts was a huge bronze bell, on the outside of which was told in pictures the story of the centipede. The second was a sword which would always give its owner the victory. The third was a suit of armor so strong that no swords or arrows could go through it.
The last two were the most wonderful of all. One was a roll of silk of any color he wished, and the more he used of the silk the more the roll grew. The other was a bag of rice which never grew less, although he used all he wished for his friends and himself.
This last gift seemed so wonderful to the people that they called him Lord Bag of Rice from that day.

The Frog and The Mouse

A long time ago, there were live a mouse and a frog. They were good friends. One day they decided to go on a pilgrimage. They set out for a distant holy place and centre of pilgrimage. They walked together and enjoyed the trip. But, the frog began to get tired sooner than the mouse. Because the frog rarely walked for a long distance. He found it difficult to walked as fast as the mouse. The frog suggested to tied one of his fore legs to one of the hind legs of the mouse with a string. The mouse agreed with him. Then the frog could follow the mouse easily. A problem came again when they reached a wide river. “How am I to cross the stream?” asked worried mouse. The mouse couldn’t swim well. “Well, don’t worry.” replied the frog. “Just ride on my back, and I’ll take you across the stream.” said the frog.
Then the mouse sat on the frog’s back. The frog swam across the stream with the mouse over him. They had covered some distance when a big log of wood came floating by. The frog dived under the log to avoid it. Unfortunately, the mouse fell off the frog’s back and was instantly drowned. Poor mouse. Suddenly a kite swooped down and carried of the mouse in his talons. The frog who tied with a string with the mouse also went up. The kite took away this couple of friends. The kite soon made a good meal of them.



Advice of The Story:
Better be alone than in incompatible company