by Ruskin Bond
Said Hojo: 'Men say that you can cure any affliction. If you wish to do me a favour, take this ugly lump off my neck, so that I may be like other men.'
The chief of the goblins waved a wand and touched Hojo's neck. No sooner did he do so than the lump disappeared. Hojo was then quite a handsome-looking man. 'No one will mock at you now,' said the chief goblin.
Hojo rubbed his neck, and, finding no lump there, felt so happy that he began to dance again. He danced with the goblins until daybreak, when they all vanished suddenly as dewdrops vanish before the bright sun. Then Hojo heaved a sigh, and walked through the forest towards his native village. Although he had danced all night he did not feel weary, so great was his joy because he had got rid of the lump.
As Hojo walked through the village street, everyone who saw him was greatly surprised, and one after another called out: 'Where is your lump, Hojo?' With a merry laugh he answered, saying: 'It is up yonder in the forest. I danced all night with the goblins, and they took it away.'
Every man, woman, and child in the village was pleased because Hojo had been cured of his trouble, except one person, and that was Tametomo. 'It is not fair,' he said, 'that Hojo should get rid of his lump, and that mine should be still left on my neck.'
He spoke to Hojo, saying: 'How came it about that the goblins cured you?'
Hojo told him all that had taken place, and then Tametomo said: 'I shall go to the forest tonight and dance with the goblins.'
He did as he said he would do. In the evening he walked to the forest, and hid himself in the hollow trunk of the old tree. Night came on, and the moon rose. Then the goblins came out to dance in the clearing. Tametomo watched them for a time, and when the single dancers came out, one after another, to show their skill, he walked towards the ring and called out: 'It is my turn now.'
He spoke gruffly, and the goblins all looked at him in silence.
Tametomo walked into the middle of the ring, and the goblin musicians, who had ceased playing when he had spoken, began to play again. Tametomo danced to their music, but he danced very badly, because there was no merriment in his heart.
When he was wearied he stopped dancing, and said to the chief of the goblins: 'Now that I have danced before you, take the lump off my neck as you took the lump off Hojo's neck last night.'
The goblins were angry with him because he spoke in so ill-tempered a manner, and had danced so badly.
Said the chief of the goblins: 'Hojo was a merry fellow, and gave us much delight; but you are a sour, disagreeable man. You have not earned a reward, but you deserve to be punished for coming here to spoil our fun. I shall not take the lump off your neck, but I shall give you the lump we took off the neck of Hojo.'
As the goblin chief spoke he waved his wand, and the next moment Tametomo found that he had two lumps—one on either side of his neck. Terror-stricken he ran away, and the goblins ran after him, raising shouts of anger. He did not stop running until he reached the village. The day was breaking, and several workers were leaving their houses. When they saw Tametomo, one said to the other: 'Here comes that ill-tempered fellow! He has quarrelled with the goblins, as he has always quarrelled with his fellows, and now he has two lumps instead of one.'
Thus it came about that Hojo, the good-tempered and merry-hearted man, was cured of his trouble, while Tametomo, who had an evil heart, was punished by the goblins. It is good for a man to be cheerful, even when in trouble, for, if he is, he will get sympathy and find friends who will be ready to help him. A spiteful and jealous man like Tametomo always makes enemies.
THE RED SPRING
A Traditional Tale from China
There is a saying that, while there is no banquet in the world that does not come to an end, there are husbands and wives whose love keeps on forever. And in illustration of this you have but to read the following story.
At one time in a certain village, never mind exactly where, there was a young man named Shi Dun who was a most able and hard-working fellow. In the spring he married a girl, Jade Flower, as pretty as you could imagine, and an excellent housewife. The young couple loved each other dearly.
But goodness, it seems, does not always win its reward. Shi Dun had a stepmother who was a cruel and unfeeling woman. She would always find fault with the food, no matter how much care Jade Flower had put into preparing it. She would scold Jade Flower, saying the rice was either too hot, or too cold, or served too late. No matter how much work Jade Flower did, and no matter how carefully she waited on her, she would always scold or beat her. Whenever this happened, Shi Dun would feel as much pain as if she had actually scolded or beaten him. But he was helpless, for in those days, it was an accepted custom for a mother-in-law to beat her daughter-in-law. The son could not interfere.
Jade Flower was getting thinner every day, and her face lost the freshness it once had.
One day when Shi Dun entered the house, he saw Jade Flower sitting on the edge of the bed with teardrops trickling down her cheeks. Shi Dun heaved a sigh.
'Shi Dun!' Jade Flower said, gazing at him. 'I have suffered more than enough. I can bear the cruelty and misery no longer; the only thing is I can't bear leaving you alone!'
Shi Dun felt a great pain in his heart. 'Jade Flower!' he said, after thinking a while, 'you will come to a tragic end if you remain with this stepmother of mine. Let us run away this evening to some other place.'
Jade Flower brightened at the suggestion. After midnight, they led two thin horses from the stable, opened the back gate silently, and galloped off towards the northwest.
There is a common saying: 'A swift horse is faster than a meteor.' The two horses, though thin, could run very fast. They passed through they didn't know how many villages. Actually, they didn't know where they were, nor did they care. Shi Dun said: 'Horses, don't run on the broad road; follow the narrow, mountain path.'
It seemed the horses understood him, for they turned on to a steep slope and their hooves beat loudly on the rocky track.
As day dawned they came to an uninhabited mountain. It was spring. The grass was green and the flowers were in bloom. Cranes glided in the sky and birds sang and chirped in the branches.
Jade Flower sighed. 'Even the birds have a nest,' she said, 'but where shall our home be?'
Shi Dun smiled. 'We can pass the night in a cave or in the shelter of trees.'
Jade Flower said: 'I want nothing else in my life if I can be with you forever.' She no longer felt sad.
They crossed a fog-shrouded gully and a high cliff and came to a dew-soaked mountain peak.
Early next day they continued their journey. As the sun rose they came to a hollow. The horses halted. They were surprised to see a fair-sized spring, the water of which looked as red as a petal of the cherry-apple flower, with a sheen as bright as the moon in an azure sky. Even the wild flowers and grass around it sparkled as with a red light.
Jade Flower caught a strange, fragrant smell. Whether it came from the red spring or from the flowers, she did not know. 'We are tired,' she told Shi Dun, 'and the horses too. Let us have a rest.'
Shi Dun agreeing, they jumped down from the horses which began to munch the red grass beside the spring. When Shi Dun and Jade Flower came near the spring, they found the red water crystal clear. Jade Flower felt thirsty. Dipping her cupped hands into the spring, she drank a mouthful of the red water. It was sweeter than honey. As the cool liquid went down her throat, she felt a great warmth spread over her body. When she stood erect, Shi Dun saw that she looked more fresh than the peach blossom. They heard the horses neigh. Looking around, they were amazed to find that the horses had changed—their coats were glossy, their bodies round and fat. Not knowing the reason for the extraordinary change, they were at once astonished and afraid. Hastily mounting, they rode out of the hollow and galloped on their way.
The horses now became swifter of feet, galloping over the rugged mountain path as if it was a smooth, broad road, and jumping over gullies dozens of feet wide. They raced
on thus for days and nights. They could not reckon the distance they had covered. At last, when they looked back, the big mountain, blue and misty, was fading into the horizon.
In the evening of that day, Shi Dun and Jade Flower came to a hamlet. At the head of it stood three cottages, within which lamps were burning. Dismounting from their horses, they knocked at the first door. It was opened by an old woman who surveyed them briefly and said: 'You don't seem to be local people. What do you mean by knocking at my door?'
'Old lady,' Jade Flower hurried to explain, 'we come from far away. Now that it's dark, we have little chance of finding a lodging house. Please, can you let us pass the night here?'
The old lady was delighted. 'Certainly!' she said. 'I'm living alone. If you don't mind, I'll sleep in the east room and you two in the west.'
They were very happy that the old lady had accepted their request, and followed her into the cottage. The old lady cooked rice and made soup for them.
She was an alert and kind-hearted woman, and Shi Dun and Jade Flower soon looked upon her as their dear mother. They told her everything—how they had run away from home, what experiences they had had during the trip, and the story of the red spring. Before she had heard the story of the red spring through, the old mother was in tears.
'Children,' she said sadly, her tears still flowing, 'I fear you two will not be together long.'
Completely bewildered, they were about to ask her to explain when she went on: 'The red spring you saw, children, leads from a red mountain. On top of this mountain is a large maple tree from whose roots oozes juice which becomes the water in the red spring. Every year when the maple leaves redden, the maple tree changes into a red-faced devil, with a pair of fire-stars for eyes which can see through a thousand rock walls and ten big mountains. This red devil goes to the top of the red mountain and sees the girls who have drunk the red spring water. He then picks out the best-looking one among them, snatches her away and makes her his wife. Later, when the snow falls, not only the red-faced devil, but the wife, too, are transformed into maple trees.' She turned to Jade Flower, 'Child, I am afraid you cannot escape him.' So saying, her tears ran again.
Jade Flower was alarmed, worried and afraid. But seeing that the old mother was so sad for their sake, she soothed her, saying: 'Dear mother, the red-faced devil won't carry me away.'
'Dear mother,' Shi Dun also said, 'no matter how terrible the devil is, he won't part us.'
The old mother wiped her eyes. 'You are good children,' she said. 'I have been alone since my husband died. Now you two live here, and we will be one family.'
Then Shi Dun and Jade Flower lived with the old mother, who now no longer needed to worry about the sewing of clothes or the harvesting of crops in the field. Shi Dun never allowed her to get tired and Jade Flower prepared the most delicious dishes for her.
Time flies. The wheat was cut. The millet and grapes ripened, and the maple leaves turned red. The old mother was nervous and could not sleep or eat. Every day she calculated with her fingers, hoping that autumn would soon pass. She hoped that the cycle of day and night would roll on faster.
The days in autumn are short. One evening, when the moon had just taken up the duty of the sun, Shi Dun returned from the field, and Jade Flower from the threshing ground. After cutting the grass, they took it to feed the horses. The old mother had cooked the meal and was passing the courtyard when a large red maple leaf came fluttering down from the sky. It began to whirl in the courtyard, until a whirlwind developed, in the centre of which stood a red-faced devil, with red hair, red beard, red eyes, and in a red robe with long sleeves. It jerked its sleeves, and the maple leaf immediately transformed itself into a decorated bridal sedan-chair.
The old mother uttered a cry and fell to the ground. Hearing her, Shi Dun and Jade Flower, who were feeding the horses in the stable, rushed out.
When the red-faced devil saw Jade Flower, it chuckled, and with a flick of its long sleeves, Jade Flower was whisked into the sedan-chair. Another flick and the sedan-chair, wheeling in circles, rose into the sky. In a twinkling everything was gone, sedan-chair and all. From afar came the voice of the devil: 'She drank my red spring water; she's mine.'
The old mother began to cry. Shi Dun was greatly distressed, but he did not cry. Helping the old lady to her feet, he said: 'Mother! I must go and get her back at all costs.'
The old mother stopped crying and said agitatedly: 'Child! you must not go. The red-faced devil has carried away nobody knows how many girls, yet no one is ever known to have been retrieved. If you go, you would die to no purpose.'
Shi Dun made no reply. Guiding the old mother into the house, he said: 'Mother! Do not worry. I'll go at once to find her.'
Seeing that he could not be persuaded to stay, the old mother said: 'Child, you can't go empty-handed. Here, take this dagger with you.'
Taking the dagger, Shi Dun mounted one of the horses and dashed towards the big mountain.
Being impatient, he thought the horse was going too slow, so he said: 'Horse, jump over this hollow.' In a flash the horse leaped over the hollow. Then he said: 'Horse, go up the ridge.' And the horse bounded up the ridge.
When morning came, Shi Dun found himself on a big mountain. It was high and had many trees in the hollows. He searched but could not find the red spring. Tears rolled down his face.
Shi Dun stared at the mountain, wishing it could tell him where the red-faced devil had taken Jade Flower. Climbing to the peak, he looked sadly towards the horizon, thinking of what he would do, if at that very moment, he espied the red-faced devil and Jade Flower.
Brushing away his tears, he said to the horse: 'Horse! I must find Jade Flower even if I have to climb all the mountains in the world. Now go to the highest mountain in the far distance.'
The horse sped along, jumping across gullies, dashing up slopes and sliding down thousand-foot precipices. No matter how dangerous the going, Shi Dun never reined in. Mountain after mountain, and always yet another mountain, still he could not reach the highest.
It was in a tremendous cave, halfway up the highest mountain that the red-faced devil had hidden Jade Flower. The cave was handsomely decorated, with scrolls of landscape paintings hanging on the wall. The bed was spread with a silk coverlet and quilts. The red-faced devil changed himself into a handsome scholar and, smiling, said to Jade Flower: 'Since you have drunk my red spring water you shall become my wife. Forget your husband. He shall never come here even if he has three heads and six arms.'
Jade Flower trembled with anger when she heard the devil's voice. Sitting in the cave, she could not hear the soughing of the wind or the chirping of birds, but she was conscious that Shi Dun was searching for her on the big mountain. She knew that he was shedding tears for her. Raising her head she said: 'I've drunk your red spring water, but I shall never become your wife!'
The red-faced devil grinned and said: 'I see, you still expect to see him. I'm not boasting, but if your husband comes to my red mountain, I'll let him take you back.' And he cackled maliciously. But when he looked out, through the gullies and hills, he was shocked to see Shi Dun speeding towards the mountain on horseback. Quickly he changed back into his true form.
Quickly unbuckling a speckled belt from his body, the red-faced devil flicked it in the air. It changed into a tiger which leaped out of the cave.
Shi Dun had jumped over five more mountains and was proceeding at a thunderous pace when suddenly a pair of red lamps loomed up in front of him. They proved to be the eyes of a tiger, which stood, mouth open, directly in his path. The horse could not check its onward rush. Shi Dun rode headlong into the huge gaping mouth. He seemed to tumble into a cauldron of boiling water. Bearing the pain with clenched teeth, he slit the tiger's belly with the dagger, and with a hiss he and the horse fell out on to the ground. Looking around he could see no tiger, only a speckled belt lying on the path.
After crossing two more mountains, Shi Dun was within view of his goal.
; The red-faced devil, thinking that Shi Dun by this time was no more, was boasting to Jade Flower. But Jade Flower only wept, giving no heed to him.
The devil was in the act of seizing her when suddenly he stopped in wonderment. Through a break in the hills he could see Shi Dun. Quickly taking down a scroll of landscape painting from the wall, he flicked his sleeve and a steep and slippery mountain drifted out of the cave.
After scaling another hill, Shi Dun encountered a bare, steep mountain. The horse made a dash but slipped back. Dismounting, Shi Dun started to climb. With great effort he went halfway up, but he slid back. His face was cut by the stones and his body was bruised and sore. But he did not flinch. Getting to his feet, he made another attempt and yet another. He was soaked through with perspiration which dripped from his clothes. It ran into his eyes. Wiping the sweat from his face, again he dashed at the steep, slippery mountain, but it had disappeared. Instead, he found himself standing in a hollow. By his side was a pine tree on which hung a piece of scroll with a mountain drawn on it. The paper had been damped by his perspiration.
Remounting his horse, Shi Dun continued to advance until he found himself finally in front of the highest mountain. It was all red. It must be the red mountain, he thought. With a movement of the reins, the horse proceeded upwards.
In the cave, the red-faced devil flapped his sleeve at Jade Flower who became transfixed. He flicked his sleeve at a pair of pillow-cases, which changed into the likeness of Jade Flower, mute and motionless. Then, with a flash, he disappeared.
Halfway up the mountain, Shri Dun looked around and found even the stones and maple leaves were red. Then he found the cave, the entrance of which was decorated with multicoloured gems. Shi Dun halted his horse. 'Maybe this is the residence of the red-faced devil,' he murmured. Dismounting, he pushed open the stone door and walked in. He stopped dead, stupefied. There stood three Jade Flowers, with the same slender eyebrows and big eyes, all looking at him, mute and immovable. Worried and grief-stricken, Shi Dun heaved a deep sigh! 'Jade Flower,' he said, 'it is with great difficulty that I have found you. Why don't you say a word to me and come to me?'