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TAKUMI AND THE FLY (Traditional story from Japan)

T

akumi had a fly in his stomach. And it’s not like his mother hadn’t warned him dozens of times: “Close your mouth, my son,” she would say.

“Or one day you’ll swallow a fly.”

But Takumi didn’t take any notice and finally the threat came true. A fly flew into his wide-open mouth and began buzzing around inside his stomach, giving him a lot of pain.

“Don’t worry,” the doctor soothed him. “All you have to do is swallow a frog and it’ll eat the fly that’s troubling you so.”

Takumi obeyed the doctor. Patiently, he managed to swallow a frog, which didn’t take long to eat the fly. But of course, now Takumi had a frog in his belly, and it wouldn’t stop leaping. The problem had got worse.

“Snakes eat frogs,” the doctor reasoned. “Swallow one and it’ll take care of the frog.”

And that’s what he did. Takumi swallowed a snake, which ate the frog. But no one can live with a snake inside them. So the doctor recommended that Takumi swallow a lion. It wasn’t easy, but when the lion finally entered Takumi’s body, it gobbled the snake up in one mouthful. Exhausted by the weight of the lion, our hero spoke to the doctor again.

“I’ve got it,” said the doctor. “Swallow a hunter.”

After hours of hard work, Takumi was able to swallow a brave hunter, bow and arrows and all. The fight was long and perilous, but finally the hunter managed to bring down the lion. But Takumi’s stomach was so dark that the hunter couldn’t find the way out, and even though the doctor had new ideas, Takumi didn’t want to hear any more. Wary, he returned home. And he still lives there to this day, with a hunter in his stomach.