by Kim So-Un
Soon Mr. Bedbug returned with his other guest, Mr. Louse. They found Mr. Flea lying on the floor, dead drunk, snoring away noisily. They also noticed that there was no more wine left.
Poor Mr. Louse—he had come all this distance to the party, and now there was not so much as a drop of wine left for him. Losing his usual composure, he became very angry.
Suddenly he began kicking Mr. Flea in the back, crying: "Wake up, you impudent thing!"
Mr. Flea woke up with a start. But he was still so drunk that he didn't know what was what, nor why. He couldn't even remember what he had done.
"What's the big idea of kicking me in the back?" he shouted angrily at Mr. Louse.
This, of course, was enough to start a big fight between Mr. Flea and Mr. Louse. Each fought in anger, and neither one would give in to the other. The party was quite ruined.
Mr. Bedbug tried to stop them. He tried to push the two apart, crying: "Here, here! Stop this foolish fighting!"
But Mr. Flea and Mr. Louse were locked tightly together. Suddenly they both toppled over, with a great crash. And where should they fall but right on the very top of Mr. Bedbug's fat stomach!
Poor Mr. Bedbug—his stomach has never mended from that fall. It is still flat to this day.
Mr. Louse—he bruised his hip when he fell. And even today, he still has a black bruise on his hip.
And what of Mr. Flea? Even today his face has the red flush it got from all that wine he drank.
8 Why We Have Earthquakes
THIS story goes back to the beginning of time. One corner of the floor of Heaven began to sag. It seemed as if Heaven itself would topple over and crash. The king of Heaven became greatly alarmed and ordered a huge pillar of red copper to be made.
What he wanted to do was to use this big pillar to bolster up the sagging corner of Heaven. So he had this pillar set up on the ground of Earth below. But the ground was so soft and Heaven so heavy that the whole pillar kept sinking into the earth and was of no use in holding up the sagging corner of Heaven.
The king of Heaven then searched throughout all his land for the strongest man in his kingdom. Finally he found a man who was enormously strong. He sent this man to Earth and told him to hold the huge copper pillar up on his shoulder. Only in this way was the corner of Heaven finally strengthened and the sagging corrected.
And so, as long as the strong man held the pillar up, Heaven was safe. But he could never take his shoulder away, lest Heaven come crashing down.
So, even unto this day, the strong man still supports the copper pillar. But, of course, the pillar and Heaven are heavy, and the weight becomes painful on his shoulder. And so, every once in a while, the strong man must shift the weight from one shoulder to the other. Every time this happens, the ground quivers and quakes with the man's effort. That is why we have earthquakes.
9 The Stupid Noblewoman
ONCE there was a nobleman's wife who was rather stupid.
One day, the father of her daughter's husband passed away, and the noblewoman went to express her sympathies to the bereaved family. When she arrived at the house, she found the whole family and all the relatives gathered together.
"Aigo, aigo!" they were all crying in sorrow, for, you see, in Korea there is no cry of greater sorrow than this.
When the noblewoman saw this weeping, she felt that she too must express sorrow in the same way. So she joined in the wailing too, sobbing, "Aigo, aigo, aigo!" with the best of them.
As she cried she forgot who it was that had passed away. She was so moved by her own tears that soon she was thinking it was her own husband who had died. "O my husband, my dear, dear husband!" she wailed. "Take me with you!"
The people around her were astonished at first, but soon they burst out in great laughter.
The foolish noblewoman could not understand why the people were laughing, and she continued weeping. Between sobs she said: "My husband, my dear, dear husband, why have you left me? Please take me with you!"
She had repeated this several times when her daughter quietly poked her in the ribs. The noblewoman suddenly realized that she was not at home but was attending the funeral of her daughter's father-in-law. She saw she had made a big mistake and wondered how she could make amends.
Suddenly she turned around and faced the people gathered there and greeted them politely. Hoping to made them feel better after what she had done, she said: "You are all well, I hope. Is there no great change in the family?"
The people looked at her in surprise. "You ask if there is any change. Could there be a greater change than to have the master of the house pass away?" they asked in utter astonishment.
"Oh, yes," the stupid noblewoman answered, "of course. And what sickness did the master die of?"
"A hammer fell off the shelf—" they began.
But, even before they could finish the sentence, the noblewoman, all eager to be polite, exclaimed: "My, how dangerous! And did he hurt himself? Was it a bad accident?"
"Of course he hurt himself. The master died from the injury caused by the falling hammer. What greater accident could there be?"
When she heard this, the stupid noblewoman became very embarrassed. She realized that everything she had said had only made her seem the more foolish. She racked her brains for something to say that would make things right again. Her gaze wandered to the window, and outside she saw a magpie perched on a bough of a persimmon tree.
Smiling her best smile, the noblewoman pointed to the bird and said: "My, how beautiful! Is that your magpie?"
All the people gathered in the house sat for a moment in stunned silence. Then suddenly they broke into uncontrollable gales of laughter, while the noblewoman sat looking more stupid than ever.
10 The Bridgeroom's Shopping
AWAY in the country there once lived a long-established family of farmers. There was an only daughter in the family, who had just married. As is the custom in such cases, the bride groom came to live with his in-laws, for he was to continue the family name.
A few days after the marriage it so happened that the bridegroom had to go to town on some business. As he prepared to leave, his bride asked him: "Will you please buy me a comb in town?"
"Why, of course,"he answered, all eager to please his pretty bride.
However, his wife knew that her husband was a very forgetful man. Hadn't her in-laws told her so?
As she was wondering how he could be made to remember, she chanced to look at the sky. There was a new moon, a thin crescent of pale light, shining softly in the sky. It was only three days old, and it looked just like the moon-shaped comb she wanted.
"There," she called to her husband, "look at the moon. Doesn't it look just like a comb? If you forget what you must buy, just remember to look into the sky. The moon will remind you that I want a comb. You will remember, won't you?"
This she repeated again and again, and after she was sure he would remember, she bade him farewell.
The bridegroom was soon in town. He was so taken up with his business that he completely forgot about his wife's comb. Several days later, his work finished, he packed his belongings and prepared to return home. As he looked around to see if he had forgotten anything, he happen to look out the window, and there he saw a big, round moon shining in the sky. Ten days had passed since he had left home. The moon was no longer a small sliver of light but a round, laughing globe of silver.
The moon suddenly reminded him of his wife's parting words. "Oh, I almost forgot," he told himself. "There was something like the moon I had to buy for my wife. Now, I wonder what it was?'
Try as he might, he could not remember. He knew that it had something to do with the moon— but what? His memory was a blank. "Was it something round like the moon?" he asked himself, "or was it something that shone like the moon?" But not for the life of him could he recall what it was.
"Well," he said at last, "I might as well go to a shop and ask for help."
So the young farmer entered a shop and
said: "Good day, Mr. Shopkeeper. Please give me something that looks like the moon, something a woman uses."
The shopkeeper laughed at this strange request. Then he looked around at the goods on his shelf, and his eyes lighted on a small round hand-mirror.
"Oh, I know," the shopkeeper said. "This must be what you want. Look, it's round and looks just like the full moon. You look into it and you can see yourself. A young bride would want it when she pretties herself. I am sure it could be nothing else."
Now, the bridegroom had never seen a mirror before, as they were very rare then. But he thought that surely his wife, the daughter of a rich old farming family, would know what it was. "Yes, this must be what my wife asked me to get," he answered, proud that he could thus get what his wife wanted.
Soon he was back home in the country again. As soon as he entered the house, his wife asked: "Did you remember to do my shopping for me?"
"Yes," he answered. "Here." And he handed her what he had bought.
The bride, expecting to receive a comb, wondered at the strange round object her husband handed her. She peered into the smooth glass. And what should she see there but the reflection of a young woman— and a very pretty woman at that.
"What thing is this!" she cried. "I only asked for a comb, and here you bring home a pretty young woman." The wife turned angrily and ran to her mother.
"Mother, can you imagine anything so silly? I asked my husband to buy me a comb in town, and look what he brought home—a strange young woman!"
"Where? Where is she?" the mother asked, taking the mirror and peering into it.
Of course, the mother saw reflected only the face of a wrinkled old woman. "Why, my child," she said, "what are you talking about? This must be an old relative of ours from a neighboring village."
"No, you are wrong. It's a young woman," the young wife cried.
"No, it's you who are wrong. Look, she's an old, wrinkled woman," the mother retorted angrily.
Thus the two began quarreling.
Just men a small boy came into the room, eating a rice-cake. The boy picked up the mirror and peered into it There he saw another boy eating a rice-cake. The boy thought the stranger had taken his.
"Give me back my rice-cake," he shouted, "it's mine!" He threw up his hand to strike the boy. The boy in the mirror also raised his arm. The bewildered child, scared by what he saw, began to cry loudly.
The room was filled with din, the two women arguing away at the top of their voices, and the boy crying his head off.
Just then the grandfather passed by and heard the commotion. Wondering what it was all about, he poked his head in the doorway. "What's going on here? What's the matter?" he asked. Then he caught sight of the boy looking at a round object and crying: "Give me back my rice-cake!" The grandfather flared with anger to think that someone or something should have taken rice-cakes from a small boy.
"Where, where?" he asked. "Show me the thief!" He grabbed the mirror and peered into it. There, staring at him, was a fierce-looking old man, anger written all over his face.
"Why, it's an old man. You ought to be ashamed at your age to jump out and interfere in a quarrel between boys." With these words the grandfather rolled up his sleeves and was about to hit the old man in the mirror.
Suddenly the mirror slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a loud crash. The grandfather, and the boy, and the two women, and the bridegroom all fell silent and stood staring dumbly at hundreds of pieces of broken glass beneath their feet.
11 The Bad Tiger
IN a great forest there once lived a very bad tiger. Every night he would come out of his lair and steal into a radish patch kept by a poor old woman. There the bad tiger would trample all over the garden, eating the choicest and fattest radishes.
The poor woman came every morning to her radish patch and cried at the damage caused by the bad tiger. But she didn't know what to do, for the tiger was as strong as he was bad. She wondered and wondered how she could stop the tiger from eating her radishes every night. Finally, she hit upon a good plan.
One day, she met the tiger and said: "Mr. Tiger, why do you have to eat radishes all the time? Please come to my house, and I shall make some delicious, nourishing red-bean gruel for you to eat."
The tiger was overjoyed at the prospect of a redbean gruel, for it was his favorite dish. "Thank you. I shall be over tonight," he said, licking his chops at the thought of the feast.
The old woman hurried home to prepare for the arrival of the bad tiger. First she lit a fire and heated up a large mass of charcoal. She put the glowing coals in a brazier and took the brazier outside to the back of her home.
Then, she floated some red-hot cayenne pepper on the water in her kitchen water jug.
Next, she stuck a large number of needles in the kitchen towel.
She then scattered cow dung all around the kitchen door, and spread a large straw mat, used in drying unhulled rice, out in the yard.
Finally, she brought out an A-frame, used on the back when carrying heavy loads and so-called because it is shaped like the letter "A" turned upside down. She propped the A-frame up against the back fence.
Now everything was ready. The old woman went back to her kitchen and, as though nothing was out of the ordinary, pretended she was preparing the evening dinner.
Soon it was dark, and the bad tiger came sneaking to her house. The old woman heard the tiger outside and said: "Oh, it's you, Mr. Tiger. Please do come in." And she opened the front door, smiling her welcome at the bad tiger.
"My, it's cold tonight, isn't it, Mr. Tiger?" she said. "You won't mind, will you, bringing the charcoal brazier into the house from the back for me?"
"Of course," the bad tiger said, for he was in a good mood thinking of the feast he was about to have.
He went out back and was about to lift the brazier up when he noticed that the charcoal was almost out. "Say, old woman. The charcoal is almost out. There are hardly any red embers left."
The old woman answered from inside the house: "Is that so? Will you blow the embers for me? The charcoal will soon become red."
The bad tiger put his nose to the brazier and puffed and puffed. He blew so hard that some ashes whirled up and dropped into his eyes. The bad tiger hurriedly rubbed his eyes, but the more he rubbed the more they hurt. In pain, the bad tiger cried: "Old woman, old woman! I've got some ashes in my eyes. Help me!"
"My, I'm sorry," she said. "Try washing your eyes with water. You'll find some in the kitchen jug there."
The tiger did as he was told. But, as you will remember, the old woman had floated some red pepper on the water. The pepper got in both the tiger's eyes, and he was in greater pain than before. He thought he would surely go blind.
"Old woman, old woman!" he called, "my eyes are worse than before. What can I do?" Then, "Ooh! Ooh!" the bad tiger moaned, pressing his eyes with his front paws and stamping his feet in pain.
"Oh, is it that painful? Try wiping them with this kitchen towel."
The bad tiger was in great pain. He grabbed the towel she handed him and began rubbing his eyes frantically. But the needles in the towel pricked his eyes. Now the bad tiger became truly mad with pain.
Suddenly the bad tiger realized how he had been tricked by the old woman. Blindly he tried to run away. But, as soon as he stepped out the kitchen door, he slipped on the cow dung and fell head over heels on the ground.
The straw mat, which the old woman had laid out in the back yard, saw all this and came flying through the air. It quickly wrapped the bad tiger in a tight roll.
Next, the A-frame came trotting out from the back fence and threw the tightly wrapped tiger on its back. Then, without a word, it ran right down to the sea and threw the bad tiger headlong into the waves.
That was the end of the bad tiger. Thereafter the old woman was able to raise her radishes in peace. There was no longer a bad tiger to come and dig up her radish patch.
12 The Three Foolish Brides
THREE foolish brides had been chased out of their husbands' homes. and forced to return to their parents. One day they happened to meet.
"Why were you sent home?" one of the three young women asked one of the other foolish brides.
"It was really nothing at all. My mother-in-law asked me to knock the ashes out of her long tobacco pipe. So I took it outside and knocked the stem a couple of times on a round stone. But, to my bad luck, it turned out to be, not a stone, but the bald head of my father-in-law, glinting white in the moonlight."
The second bride was asked the same question. "I was chased out for nothing at all too. My mother-in-law asked me to put some fire in the brazier. So I put some hot embers from the stove in a sifter and brought it in. When the woven horsehair bottom of the sifter caught fire and spilled the embers, they said that I was wrong."
The third bride told her story:
"In my case, it was really nothing too. The young master next door kept saying he was cold. I felt sorry for him and let him put his hands in my bosom to warm them up. Just imagine! Don't you think it really unreasonable of them to make that the excuse for sending me home?"
All three foolish brides felt much better after they'd told their stories and received each other's sympathy.
13 The Tiger and the Rabbit
ONCE a hungry old tiger was walking through the woods, looking for something to eat. By chance he came upon a baby rabbit. The old tiger's eyes glistened to see such a juicy morsel.
