Sutra of mice

Sutra of mice

Long long ago, there was a religious old woman living in a village.
But she didn’t know any sutra because she couldn’t read.
One day in the evening, she was visited by a traveler.
“Excuse me, but would you stay me at your house? It’s too dark to walk any farther.” said the traveler at the entrance door.
“If you teach me any sutra, I’ll stay you at my house.” said the old woman.

“All Right.” said the traveler, who in reality didn’t know any sutra at all.
Before going to bed, he had to teach her some sutras.
Then he saw a mouse come out of a hole in the ceiling and walk around here and there.

“WALKAROUNDHEREANDTHERE.” taught the traveler.
The mouse entered the hole and came out again.
“AGAINWALKAROUNDHEREANDTHERE.”
The mouse looked into the hole, when another mouse came out of it, into which both of them looked.
“TWOLOOKINTOTHEHOLE.” said the traveler.
The two mice seemed to talk something with each other.
“TALKSOMETHINGWITHEACHOTHER.” The traveler finished the sutra.
After that, the old woman was delighted to repeat the sutra every day, not only in the morning but in the evening.
“WALKAROUNDHEREANDTHERE,AGAINWALKAROUNDHEREANDTHERE,TWOLOOKINTOTHEHOLE,TALKSOMETHINGWITHEACHOTHER.”
One day two thieves tried to steal into her house.
When one was going to enter the house, the old woman said,
“WALKAROUNDHEREANDTHERE.”
The thief was so surprised that he walked back a little and again walked forward, when she said,
“AGAINWALKAROUNDHEREANDTHERE.”
The thief called his fellow and looked into the room through the hole of a door.
“TWOLOOKINTOTHEHOLE.”
“That old woman talks as if she knew everything. It is impossible to steal into this house.” said one of the thieves.

“I think so. Let’s go to another house.” answered the other.
“TALKSOMETHINGWITHEACHOTHER.”
They in a hurry ran away from the house.

The end