A long time ago in the Japanese countryside lived an old man and his grandson atop a moutain by the sea. Their house was small, yet had the best view . The mountaintop was flat, and the sides of the mountain were covered in rice fields tended to by the resident of the village below, who lived the near the water.
The old man loved to watch the scenery before him. Not only was it one of beauty, it also had a deeper meaning. The rice fields were the main source of food for the villagers. The production of the grain allowed them to live comfortable lives by the sea and never want for anything.
Thus, everyday, the old man and his grandson took a moment to admire the rice fields and thanked them for existing. The old man had shared his view on the scenery with his grandson, who appreciated the rice fields just as much as his elder.
One day, as the two of them were looking far out in the horizon, the old man noticed something and furrowed his brow. Where the sky and the sea met, a great cloud was rising. Or perhaps, the sea itself was being lifted into the sky. The old man gasped.
“Yone, bring me a brand from the hearth,” he told his grandson urgently.
Yone did not quite understand the reason for the request, but followed the order without questioning it. Yone was a very obedient boy. As soon as he came back, the old man quickly tore the brand from his hand and ran towards the rice fields. Soon enough, the crops were being set on fire by the old man.
The boy cried, knowing the importance of those fields for the village. He couldn’t understand why his grandfather would suddenly do such a terrible thing!
“Yone, help me set the fields on fire, quickly!” said the old man.
Tears ran down Yone’s cheeks, but he obliged, compliant as he was.
It didn’t take long for the villagers afoot the mountain to exit their houses to find the source of the smell of smoke. When they realized the origin of the fire, every single soul in the village, from toddlers to elders, climbed the sides of the mountain to stop the burning of the rice fields, panicked.
Within less time than it takes to burn a single stick of incense, the whole village was atop the mountain. Some were mourning the crops, while some were trying to scold the old man and his grandson.
During that time, the sea had kept on rising, unnoticed. The old man gestured towards the village, apologetic. Suddenly, a huge wall of water fell on the houses below. Everything was destroyed instantly, being swallowed into the sea.
The village may have been ruined, but everyone was safe from the tidal wave of destruction.
The serie Obscure Fairy Tales encompasses an array of tales, myths and legends from around the world. To read more, visit this page dedicated to fiction writing.
Kelly Asselin-Tousignant 
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