A Box of Frogs

There was once this house where there lived a Yome and a Shutome. It seems that this particular Shutome had a passion for delicious foods. When got a hold of some special treat, she didn’t want to share it with anyone, especially not her daughter-in-law.

Well one day, someone gave the Shutome some Botamochi, rice cakes covered in bean paste; a very special treat in those days. “There is no way I’m going to let that Yome get her hands on these.” She chortled as she sneaked off to enjoy her treasure. She ate her fill of the rice cakes while she thought of a clever way to hide the leftovers.

A treat this good required special measures, so she decided to place a curse on the rice cakes. “If Yome finds you, turn into frogs!” she chanted as she placed her prize in a lacquered box. She put this box inside of another box and that box in another and that in another. Then she hid the box of boxes of rice cakes in the back of the closet.

It just so happened, that the daughter-in-law watched the whole event. After Shutomesan left the room, Yomesan retrieved the rice cakes and helped herself to them. When she had finished, she took the box out to the rice paddy, and filled it with frogs. She returned the box of boxes of frogs to the closet, went about her business.

The next time that the mother-in-law was left alone…, “Nobody’s home. This is the perfect time for me to finish off those rice cakes.” She thought as she opened the closet. She pried the lid off of the box and got the shock of her life as frogs began leaping about the room, trying to escape to their nice, muddy rice field. Shutomesan completely forgot about her spell and thought that her delicious, hoarded goodies were making a break for it. “Hey!. My rice cakes are escaping!” she yelled as she splashed into the field in hot pursuit. Wait! Come back here!”