This happened a long time ago. There was a small village among the mountains. People lived there quietly and calmly. They just suddenly started saying that a werewolf fox had settled on the pass and was fooling people. The villagers thought and thought about what to do, and decided to go to the pass to see if the fox really lived there. They took lanterns and went to the mountains, but first they agreed: whoever spots a fox will give a sign with a lantern.
There lived one guy in that village. His name was Gonsuke. Here goes Gonsuke and thinks: “Eh, it would be nice for me to see that fox! I would have fooled her!”
Meanwhile, everyone scattered through the forest. Gonsuke was left alone, hid behind a tree and waited. Suddenly he sees: the bushes are moving, and a fox is coming out of the thickets. Gonsuke rushed about like a kite in the sky, so as not to catch the fox’s eye!
But the fox doesn’t even look in his direction. She sat down under a large tree that grew near the road - resting. I sat and sat, and then - let’s tear leaves from the tree and sprinkle them on your head. Before Gonsuke had time to gasp, the fox turned into a beautiful girl with hair down to her toes. The girl bent down, picked up juicy fruits from the ground, raised her hand above her head and a wonderful comb sparkled in her hair.
Gonsuke looks at the fox and marvels. “Well, I’m lucky,” he thinks. “It’s not every day you see how a fox prepares for its trickster fun.”
Here the fox girl picked a bunch of dry grass and hit herself on the back with it. Lo and behold, this is not straw at all, but a baby! The fox looked around and headed straight to the fuki tree. She shook off the leaves from it, and they turned into a green blanket. The fox wrapped the baby in it and sat it on his back. Gonsuke looks at the fox’s transformation and can’t believe his eyes. The fox came out onto the mountain path. He sees horse manure lying on the road. She passed her hand, and sweet rice cakes appeared in that place. The fox took the leaves of the bract - they became a bundle for gifts; She wrapped the cakes in them and began to go down the path to the village. A girl is walking through the forest, and Gonsuke is quietly sneaking behind her. They walked and walked and finally came to a large house.
The fox knocked on the door once, knocked again and said: “It’s me who came, your daughter!” Unlock the door! - Oh, daughter! “We’ve been waiting for you,” Gonsuke heard voices from behind the door. He sees an old man and an old woman standing on the threshold.
Gonsuke was seriously frightened: “What a cunning beast!” he thinks. “She turned into an old man’s daughter and now she will fool them! And the old people don’t even know that it’s a fox!”
He burst into the house and shouted: “Drive her away, drive her away!” I am Gonsuke from the village right under the mountain! Hey, old man, it’s not your daughter, but a werefox! I saw it myself! Beware - she will deceive you!
Gonsuke jumped up to the girl and grabbed her tightly by the hair. “Hey, guy, don’t touch our daughter!” - the old man attacked him. - This is not a fox!
“No,” Gon-suke continued, “it’s a fox!” I myself saw in the mountains how she turned into a girl. And not a baby behind her, but a bunch of dry grass! And the sweet cakes in the bundle are made from horse dung!
“You wretch, you’re breaking into someone else’s house, and you’re talking all sorts of nonsense!” - The old man finally got angry.
- I’m not lying, I’m not lying! - Gonsuke almost cried with frustration. - Well, if you don’t believe me, check it out! Set fire to the hem of her dress - if I’m right, she’ll immediately turn into a fox!
“But maybe we should really test her with fire?” - the old man turned to his old woman.
He took a firebrand from the hearth and brought it to his daughter’s hem. The girl began to cry and lamented:
- What kind of fox am I? And sparkles were already running across the dress. The girl burst into flames and died at the same moment.
- What have you done! - the old man shouted. - He killed our daughter with a terrible death! What should we old people do now, how should we live?!
The old woman burst into bitter tears. Gonsuke turned pale, and then he also began to cry:
“I really thought it was a fox.” I wanted to save you! The three of them are having a meeting, tears are shed. Suddenly they hear a monk walking through the village, reading the sutra. The old man rushed to the monk:
“Mr. monk,” he began to ask, “come into my house.” I got into trouble.
The monk agreed and entered the house. The old men told him everything. The monk listened, and then Gonsuke said:
“You did a bad thing—you killed an old man’s daughter.” You must now become a monk—that’s what the law says. I will take you as my disciple, and you will pray to the spirit of the deceased and beg for forgiveness.
He said this and turned to the old people: “Don’t worry, old people,” he said, “your daughter was kind and affectionate, and therefore she will find peace in heaven.” I will teach Gonsuke wisdom. He will serve the funeral service for the girl, and her soul will be filled with happiness.
Monk Gonsuke sat down in the middle of the room, read a prayer, and then began to shave his head. He shaved his hair from the front and back. The head looked like a big ball.
“Do everything you have to do, Mister monk,” says Gonsuke humbly. - I need to atone for my guilt.
He closed his eyes and sat with his head bowed. Suddenly he hears someone’s voice: “Hey, Gonsuke, what happened to you?” Who shaved your head? Isn't it a fox?
- What is it! - Gonsuke answers. “I did a bad thing, so I had to become a monk’s student.”
Loud laughter was heard in response. Gonsuke woke up and raised his head. He sees village boys standing around, laughing. He looked around: no old man, no old woman, and no monk either. All that lies in front of him is a pile of horse dung, and a lantern at his very feet.
- Fainted! - That was all Gonsuke could shout. He grabbed his head with his hands - and it was shaved! The werewolf fox didn't leave a single hair!
This is the story they tell!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru