We enjoyed writing our first story. The original story is in Japanese, and Hina edited it for the English version. We hope you’ll enjoy it!
Mt. Knowledge
Author Poko Editor Hina
Once upon a time, there was a mediocre village in one place.
The villagers in the village said the village was not good because they didn’t have knowledge.
“If you have knowledge, you can have money.”
A villager said that jokingly.
There was a high mountain called Mt. Knowledge in the village. It was said that there was knowledge there. However, because it was a high mountain, no villager had ever been there.
One day, a villager who was having a hard time became determined to climb Mt. Knowledge. When the villager arrived at Mt. Knowledge, he began to look for knowledge.
“Hey! where is Knowledge? Are you here?”
The mountains were so quiet that he couldn’t hear anyone’s voice.
“What. There is no knowledge? Mt. Knowledge is a lie.”
The villager was very upset and went down the mountain. When he returned to the village, he shouted to everyone.
“Mt. Knowledge is a lie. There is no knowledge. I won’t go to that place anymore.”
The villagers who heard it were all surprised.
The next day, another villager went to Mt. Knowledge.
“I’m sure there is knowledge. I can find it.”
As the villager reached Mt. Knowledge, he said,
“Oi!, where are you, Knowledge? Can you show me your face?”
The villagers kicked a tree that was nearby. Then, leaves and a red fruit fell on his head.
“What is this knowledge? Where is the knowledge? Mt. Knowledge is a lie. There is no such thing as knowledge.”
When he said that, he threw the red fruit in the distance, and he went down the mountain. When he arrived at the village,he shouted.
“I won’t go to that place. There’s nothing. You just become tired. That’s it!”
The villagers who heard it were all surprised. And one villager said,
“Neither this person nor that person says that there was knowledge in the mountain. After all, there is no knowledge in that mountain. Everyone who has money has already taken all the knowledge!”
Then, the other villagers also said “Yes!” “Yes!” And the villager who just came back from Mt. Knowledge said,
“Yes, that’s right. Everyone knows. It’s my treat tonight. Everyone, come over to our house.”
Then, the villagers started a party with lots of food and drinks. After a while, they noticed that there was only one villager who didn’t come over there. It was Chitaro.
“Hey, where is Chitaro? What happened to him?”
The villager who is the host of the party asked.
“He said he is going to go to Mt. Knowledge tomorrow. So he is already asleep”
When one of the villagers said that, all the villagers who gathered there were laughing so hard.
“Since before, Chitaro is a different person, but he finally went crazy? Everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time. Do you think that such a person who does not have knowledge can find knowledge in Mt. Knowledge, everyone?”
Ha ha ha. The villagers were laughing again. The party continued until late night.
When the sun started to rise early in the morning, Chitaro who was called “different” in the village cooked rice to make rice balls.
“I will take a closer look at Mt. Knowledge with my own eyes. Mt. Knowledge is a high mountain. It takes time to go around. Let’s make rice balls.”
With that said, he went to Mt. Knowledge. At that time, a villager from the party house opened the door of their house with a tired face. Looking at Chitaro walking to Mt. Knowledge, he said,
“We can’t help those who have no knowledge like Chitaro.”
When Chitaro arrived at Mt. Knowledge, the mountain was still cool and he could walk well. After climbing Mt. Knowledge for a while, Chitaro looked around. But everywhere looked the same. Chitaro became hungry, and he sat down in a tree, and he was thinking while eating a rice ball.
“Which road did everyone take? Let’s go to a different road.”
After eating the rice balls, Chitaro started walking again. This time, he went around and around. However, he couldn’t find any knowledge. Chitaro was thirsty, and he sat over a tree and drunk water from his bamboo bottle.
After resting for a while, Chitaro walked around again. However, he couldn’t find the knowledge. Chitaro walked a lot, so he was hungry again. He was thinking while eating another rice ball.
“Mt. Knowledge is a high mountain. There is still a way to go around.”
Chitaro took a rest for a while and walked again. However, he couldn’t find any knowledge. Chitaro was thirsty, and he sat over a tree and drunk water from his bamboo bottle. He was so thirsty that he ran out of water.
“I have to go looking for water”
Chitaro walked looking for spring water. After a while, a big rock appeared in front of him. And from that side, there was a little spring water. Chitaro washed his face with spring water, drank water, and then put water in his bamboo bottle. When Chitaro saw the other side of the big rock, an old lady was sitting.
“Grandmother, what happened in such a place?”
The old lady looked at Chitaro and said,
“I’m hungry. Do you have something to eat?”
Chitaro gave a rice ball to her. The old lady became fine.
“What are you doing here?”
The old lady asked Chitaro. Chitaro said,
“I came to look for knowledge”
The old lady asked,
“Why are you looking for knowledge?”
Chitaro said,
“Because my household is bad, I want knowledge to make money.”
Then the old lady said,
“Weave and sell the textile to your neighbor’s village.”
Then the old lady disappeared into the woods.
Chitaro was surprised and he stood for a while.
“My grandmother? Is it ghostly?”
Chitaro pinched his cheeks.
“Ouch, I’m alive. It’s okay.”
Chitaro was thinking while walking.
“I have never sold textile to my neighbor’s village. Can I sell it to them?”
As time went on, the sun was getting lower and lower. Chitaro rushed to go home before it became dark. When he got home, Chitaro talked to his family about the old lady. And she weaved and went to the neighboring village to sell his textile. Then it sold quickly. Chitaro went out every day and went to the neighboring village to sell his textile.
The villagers in Chitaro’s village were watching Chitaro earning money and they imitated the work and went to the neighboring village for sale. The villagers were so happy to have money that they spent the money for food and drinks.
“Today it sold well. Come over to my house! it’s my treat!”
Ha ha ha! The villagers had a party and sang at somebody’s house every night. Chitaro, who was called “different”, didn’t join them. And everyone said that Chitaro was stingy.
Chitaro was worried at home. When everyone imitated weaving work and went to the neighboring village for sale, Chitaro’s textile gradually stopped selling.
“Yes, let’s ask that old lady.”
The next morning, Chitaro got up early again and climbed Mt. Knowledge with three rice balls and a bamboo bottle with water. Then he went to the place with that big rock. Then there was an old woman again. Chitaro asked,
“Grandmother, aren’t you hungry?”
The old lady said.
“Yes, I am”
Chitaro gave her a rice ball. Then the old lady slurped the rice ball.
“I’m still hungry. Another one, please.”
Chitaro gave another one. And he asked her.
“When I made textile and sold it to the neighboring village, it sold well. However, everyone imitated it and my textile did not sell well anymore.”
The old lady said after she had her second rice ball.
“Cook less. Don’t eat too much. Stop eating before you get full.”
Then the old lady disappeared into the forest. Chitaro pinched his cheeks.
“Ouch, I’m alive. It’s okay.”
When Chitaro returned home, he talked to his family about the old lady. Then family said.
“Father, why do you reduce the amount of rice? We don’t have any more money left?”
Chitaro said to his family.
“Rice is important. If you don’t take care of it well, no matter how much money we have, the money will be gone away.”
After taking care of what they eat, everyone in his family was able to eat rice, even though the amount of money they earned was small. However, Chitaro was still afraid.
“We just have money for eating daily meals.”
The next morning, Chitaro got up early and climbed Mt. Knowledge with three rice balls and a bamboo bottle with water. Then he went to the place with that big rock. Then there was an old lady again. Chitaro heard.
“Grandma, are you hungry?”
“Yes, I am.”
Chitaro gave her a rice ball. Then she said.
“Why don’t you give me all the rice balls?”
Chitaro gave all three rice balls he had to her.
“Grandmother, I took care of what we eat. My life doesn’t get worse, but it doesn’t get better, either.”
Then the old lady stood up and gave him the red fruit.
“Plant this and take care of it well.”
Then the grandmother disappeared into the forest. Chitaro pinched his cheeks.
“Ouch, I’m alive. It’s okay.”
When Chitaro went home, he talked to his family about the old lady. Then Chitaro’s family said,
“I don’t know what it is. Doesn’t she just want rice balls? You used to have one rice ball, but then two, and this time three. Isn’t it? “
Chitaro’s child bit the red fruit, it was very bitter.
“It’s so bad. I can’t eat this bad taste.”
Then, the child went out and blew the fruit out from his mouth. Chitaro hurriedly went outside, picked it up, and licked it.
“Bitter”
Chitaro regretted that he gave 3 rice balls for such a bitter fruit. He was ashamed of himself. However, Chitaro thought,
“There was no mistake in what she told me so far. Everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time. I believe she is right this time, too”
Chitaro planted the fruit and watered it every day. Chitaro’s family continued to weave, and ate just enough, and he watered the plant. After a while, he saw a sprout. He was happy and gave it a lot of water. Then, the next day, the sprout was wilting.
“Oh no, is it miserable?”
Chitaro was disappointed and stopped watering. Then, the next day, the sprout was bigger.
“Does it grow without water?”
Chitaro didn’t water for a while. After a while, the sprout was wilting a little. This time, he gave water. Then, the next day, the sprout was bigger. When Chitaro saw the sprout was wilting he watered it.
As the plant got bigger and bigger and it became about knee-high of Chitaro, however, the plant became weaker.
“Do you need manure?”
Chitaro gave the tree manure. Then, it grew larger and became a tree as big as Chitaro, and the flowers came out. The more Chitaro took care, the more flowers came out.
One day, Chitaro got sick. He didn’t have the energy to weave. However, he watered the tree every day. When Chitaro went to see the tree, it had a red fruit.
“Did you finally get it?”
Chitaro was so happy that he ate it.
“Bitter”
The next day, he felt much better after he ate the red fruit.
“Is that medicine?”
Chitaro ate the red fruit again. Then, the next day, Chitaro got well and he was able to weave again. And he talked about the red fruit with his family.
“The red fruit is a medicine. I will sell this to the neighboring village.”
Then, he went to sell the red fruit and his textile, it sold well. The tree produced more fruit, so Chitaro was able to sell it every day. Some villagers were watching Chitaro’s red fruit and they came by the tree.
“Where did you get this tree from?”
One of the villagers asked.
“I brought it from Mt. Knowledge”
Chitaro replied. And the villagers there said,
“Please share this with me.”
Chitaro shared some red fruits with each one. The villagers planted it at their house. When they saw the sprouts coming out, they gave them a lot of water with joy. So the villagers gave more and more water. Then, the sprouts became weak.
“Bring more water!”
However, the more water they gave, the weaker the sprouts became, and finally the sprouts withered. One villager said,
“This kind of thing isn’t selling. I quit! I quit!”
Then he saw Chitaro’s tree, which had a lot of red fruits, and he said,
“That just happened to be the soil in front of that house. Yes, get the soil.”
The villager went to get the soil of Chitaro.
“Can you share the soil here with me?”
Then he got the soil and put the soil in front of his house and he planted the red fruit again. However, he couldn’t see any sprout this time The villager said,
“This kind of thing isn’t selling. I quit! I quit!”
Then he saw Chitaro’s tree, which had a lot of red fruits, and he said.
“That happened to be still. Chitaro was just lucky to have a good fruit. Yes, let’s go get the good fruits from Mt. Knowledge.”
The villager asked Chitaro.
“Where should I go for the red fruits?”
Then Chitaro told the villager where to get it, and he went to Mt. Knowledge the next day. As Chitaro said, the villager found a big rock, and there was an old lady there. The villager said,
“Grandma, give me the red fruits”
The old lady said,
“I’m hungry.”
The villagers gave her a rice ball. Then the old lady said,
“Why don’t you give me all the rice balls?”
Then the villager got angry.
“Grandma, I already gave you one. I’m also hungry. I’m going to have a meal, too.”
Then the old lady said,
“Can you give me another one?”
Then the villager was more upset and said,
“You can’t do it well. How much do you think I have to work to have this rice balls?”
The next moment, the grandmother disappeared into the woods. The villager fell down as he was so shocked.
“Mo, mo, it’s a mononoke!”
The villagers rushed up the mountain and shouted to the villagers.
“There is no knowledge in Mt. Knowledge. There is only a mononoke. I will never go there again.”
The villagers who heard it panicked.
“If you want to hear more about it, come over to my house! It’s my treat!”
That night, the villagers talked about the mononoke while singing. Chitaro, who still has a lot of red fruits, didn’t listen to the story, and his family had just enough food, and he slept early to sell the red fruits tomorrow.
The end.
Unschooling Diary 