Bamboo Girl

Bamboo Girl

Long long ago, there lived a young man working for a cooper in his village.
One day he was cutting some bamboo to hoop wooden buckets.
“Hey, You! young man!”
While he was working, he heard a strange voice.
It sounded like someone was calling him.
“Who is it? Who is calling me?” He looked around, and asked.
“Here, Here I am. Can’t you hear me? Please come over and help.”

He heard the strange voice again.
It sounded desperate.
The young man looked around again, but there was no one but himself.
“Look at the thickest bamboo in the bamboo grove. I’m sitting inside the bamboo,” it cried.
He looked around and found the thickest bamboo in the bamboo grove.
He cut it carefully with his saw.
To his surprise, he found a tiny girl sitting in the hollow of the bamboo.
With a glance at the flabbergasted man, the little girl jumped out of the bamboo hollow.
She looked a little bigger than she was. With a refreshed look, she said,
“What a relief! Now I am free. Thank you very much for helping me out of it.”

“Why on earth were you sitting there in the bamboo?” he asked.
“God punished me. I used to be a very mischievous girl.
Once I failed, the worst one I’d ever done.
God thought it was beyond a simple mischief.”

“What did you do?”
“I broke some of his most important treasures.
God perhaps thought that was the last straw.
He confined me in the cavity of the bamboo to punish me.”

“Oh, boy! I’ve never heard such a story.
Uh—I still don’t know your name.
If you don’t mind, may I ask your name?”

“Sure, I definitely had my own name, but since I’ve been out in the world for a long time, I’ve forgotten my name. You can just call me Bamboo Girl.”
“All right, Bamboo Girl. One more question. You look pretty young, but actually how old are you?”
“I was eight years old when God punished me, and then 100 years have passed, so I should say I’m 108 years old.”
“Wow! You are much older than I am. Well, what else would you like me to do?”
“Nothing. Uh—he’d made me sleep for years here in the bamboo. But I think it’s time to go back to heaven where I used to be. Come to think of it, I woke up and got out of the bamboo with your help. So, before my departure, I’ll grant your wishes if you have, but not so many, only three of your wishes.Tell me anything in your mind”
“Well, if you say so, I do have one wish. I’d like to be a samurai, or a Japanese warrior. That’s the only wish I’ve been dreaming for years,” said the man.
“OK, your wish will come true. Please close your eyes until I count up to three. Are you ready? One-Two-Three.”
When he opened his eyes, he found himself to be a samurai.
“I can’t believe this! Hooray! Now I am a samurai. Thank you very much.” He straightened himself out and set off on his journey.
Bamboo Girl herself also started her journey all the way back to heaven.

The end