Tale 132: The Hiding Snow (Misty)

(real tale: "Folktales from Japan", episode 46, story 1)

"One day on her journeys, a miko passed through a certain village." Misty begins. "It was getting late, so she asked one of the townsfolk if she could spend the night with them. The woman invited her in, and makes her a small meal out of what little she had."

"Poor lady..." Melody sighs.

"The miko noticed a lot of rice stalks outside, and suggested they bring them in to cook, not knowing they belonged to the town rich man." Misty continues. "The woman pleaded with her not to, for they would surely be caught and subjected to some kind of horrible punishment if they did."

"What did the miko say?" Ash is interested.

"The miko assured the woman that she had a way to conceal any footprints." Misty assures Ash. "She told the woman that rice and all things in the world were a gift from the Great Lord Arceus. She went on to say that stealing was, in fact, wrong; but sometimes, it is a necessary evil, and Arceus understands if something is stolen to help another."

Everyone listens as Misty goes on "So that night, the woman took a little of the rice, and made some onigiri for the miko. The next morning, the woman was shocked to find that it snowed during the night, covering any evidence of what she did. The woman wished the miko well on her journey, but all day, she worried that the miko was some evil spirit, or even Darkai, tempting her."

"And then?" Even Brock is worried about the woman.

"Just before she could leave to apologize, she was shocked to find the rich man at her door." Misty replies.

"Pika pika chu?" Pikachu asks.

"The rich man smiled and said that was not why he came at all." Misty replies. "He explained that Arceus appeared to him in a dream the previous night and told him to share some of his plentiful harvest with the less fortunate. He mused that maybe the miko was really Arceus testing the woman's faith."

She concludes "The moral of the story here? Snow hides footsteps, but it will not hide the footsteps of the evil and selfish."

[A wise lesson.] Mai agrees as the group applauds...