Pg.32 Try It Out

Gongitsune

A fox named Gon lived alone on a mountain. He liked to cause mischief. One day, he found a man catching fish in a river. “That`s Hyoju. I’ll cause mischief to him because I have got nothing to do,” Gon said to himself.  Gon snuck up to Hyoju`s fish and stealthily released them. However, when Gon was releasing an eel he was sighted by Hyoju, and ran away with the eel. Ten days later, when Gon was walking in the village, he found Hyoju and people attending a funeral in a house. He thought, “Probably that house is Hyoju’s. He was living with his mother, so it was Hyoju’s mother who died. Now Hyoju is alone like me.” That night he thought at home “Hyoju was catching fish for his mother. It might be her last hope. I did a very terrible thing.” The next day, he robbed some fish from fish a seller and put them in Hyoju’s house. He thought, “Today, I did a good deed.” That night, he happily looked into Hyoju’s house, but Hyoju looked down. Hyoju muttered, “Who put these fish in my house. I was hit by a fish seller who thought I robbed him.” Gon thought, “Oh no! I made a mistake.” After that, he picked many chestnuts and mushrooms from a mountain and put them in Hyoju’s house every day. Hyoju said to his friends, “I wonder who brings me chestnuts and mushrooms every day.” His friend said, “Maybe someone who has pity on you gives them to you, or maybe God is bringing you happiness.” Gon heard this, and he sulked a little. “It is I who give you them,” he thought. One day, he went to Hyoju’s house as always, and Hyoju was working at home. Suddenly Hyoju saw Gon and said, “That is the fox that released my fishes.” Then he took his gun, and he shot Gon. Gon fell down there. After that, Hyoju noticed that Gon had many chestnuts and mushrooms. “It’s you that give them to me.” Gon nodded slowly, and then he died. Hyoju dropped his gun and became very sad. The gun was still smoking.