Japanese

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Long, long ago an old lady was preparing for dinner in her kitchen. When she put beans into a pan, one bean rolled down to a corner of the kitchen.
When she put straws for burning under the pan, a wind flew one straw to the corner, near the bean.
When she put charcoals on the burning straws, one charcoal rolled over to the corner, near the bean and the straw.
"It's nonsense for us to be burned or eaten here. Why don't we go praying at a famous shrine?" proposed the charcoal to the others and they started their travel.
Soon they came across a stream.
"What shall we do?" said the charcoal.
"Why don't you walk on me?" said the straw, stretching its body across the stream.
"Mr. Bean. I'm the first to cross." said the charcoal, walking on the straw.
But on looking down at the stream in the middle of the straw, the charcoal couldn't walk any more with fear.
"Mr. Charcoal. Hurry up! You are too heavy for me to support."
When the straw cried, it dropped into the river with the charcoal.
Looking at it, the bean couldn't help bursting into laughter.
"How foolish Mr. Charcoal and Mr. Straw are!"
As the bean laughed so much, her body suddenly split. POP!
"Ouch! Ouch!" she said,crying.
Then a young lady passing near her noticed her crying.
"What's the matter with you?" she said and understood the reason.
She took a needle and a thread out of her portable sewing box and sewed the split body.
That's why a bean has a black stripe now. (2000.11.15)

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