Umi no mizu wa naze karai – 海の水はなぜからい

PART 1

JUST few words before starting.

Umi- (海) – sea

Mizu – (水) – water

Karai – （からい）- spicy

Okane mochi – （お金持ち）- rich

Binbo – （びんぼう）- poor

Mushiro -（むしろ）ーa straw rug

Okane – （お金）- money

Ototo – （弟） -a young brother

ni san – （兄さん）- a elder brother  

Kashi masu – （かします） to lend

Ishiusu -　（石うす）- a quern-stones

Migi – （右）- right

Hidari – （左）- left

Mawasu – （まわす）- to turn

Once upon the time, there was a rich elder brother and a poor young brother at the seaside of a village.

The younger brother lived in a poor house but the elder brother lived in a beautiful house on top of a hill.

One day, the younger brother came to the elder brother’s house, bowed and asked.

「Brother, I have a favor to ask. Please can you lend me money or rice?」

The elder brother was wearing such an expensive kimono and said arrogantly.

「Go home, go home. I would never lend a man like you single money.」

The younger brother in a worn-out outfit bowed deeply and begged.

「Brother, please do not be so cold and help me」

The elder brother said rudely.

「Your problem is to trust someone so easily that you are always cheated and lose your money, get a lost.」

The younger brother was sent away by his brother and he walks down the hill with a miserable look.

「Well it is understandable for my brother to get upset. Because I don’t get my act together. Oh boy, how am I going to live from tomorrow… 」

While he was giving a sign he reached near sea.

「Ah, I am not good. I have no choice but I jump into sea to die. 」

The younger brother was walking stiffly on the seaside road. When he got back to the pine forest near his house,

「hello, hello」, he has heard someone is calling.

When he looked towards a direction where the voice came from, there was a old man putting a straw rug on the road, putting a quern-stone on top of it and grinding with his hands.

　「Excuse me, a young man. You are giving a sign but do you have something worrying you?」

Then the young man told him with uncheeful voice.

「Yes, I was cheated out of money by a bad man and I am in trouble.」

Then the old man said.

「Oh that is a poor thing. I will give you this quern-stone, do take it」

The younger brother said surprisingly.

「Are you saying I would take this quern-stone? 」

Then the old man nodded quietly and said

「This stone gives you anything you want. If you turn it to the right then it pops out whatever you want more and more. On the contrary if you turn it to the left it stops popping out. Here you are, no need to hesitate, take it with you 」

The young brother carried it and brought it to his home.

「Well the old man said if I turn it to the right, then anything I want will pop out, is it really true?」

The young brother is turning, saying 「Pop out rice!」

And then plenty of rices popped out.

「Pop out money.」

Lots of money popped out.

Then the kind younger brother thought.

「I have a plenty of rices and money, so I shall treat poor village people. 」

He made a lot of foods and invited all poor village people.

To be continued (tsuzuki・つづき）

Hope you enjoy the story.