In which today's holiday story is about power...and some rats

 The Beautiful Rat Daughter  (Japan)

Once near a lonely farmhouse surrounded by rice fields there lived a rat couple.

They were highly regarded by their own kind and very prosperous. One day, in addition to their many other children, a little daughter rat was born to them.

She was so dainty with shiny gray fur, broad little upright ears, and glistening eyes, and her parents became quite proud of their little daughter. Day in and day out their only thoughts were how they might prepare a magnificent future for her.

When the beautiful rat came of age, both parents said that only the most powerful being in the entire world should marry her.

“The most powerful in the world is the sun!” declared the father rat.  “We shall ask the sun to marry our daughter.” 

Without hesitation the rat family made their way to the sun and asked the sun to marry their daughter.

The rats said, "We would like to give our daughter in marriage to the most powerful being in the world, and you are that one."

Then the sun said, "Ah, but there is a being more powerful than I, and it is the cloud to whom you must give your daughter.  When I want to shine on the earth, the cloud may cover me up whenever it wishes, and I am powerless. Thus, you must go to the cloud.”

The rats saw that it was so, and they went to the cloud. 

After they had presented their proposal, the cloud said, "I do indeed have the power to cover the sun, but I am powerless against the wind. When the wind begins to blow, I am torn to pieces.  The wind is much more powerful than I.”

So the rats went to the wind and made their proposal. 

But the wind said, "I can indeed drive away the cloud, but I am powerless against the mountain. I can neither blow through it nor do anything to it. The mountain is much more powerful than I."

So the rats again set forth and came to the mountain, to whom they made their request.

The mountain replied, "It is indeed true that I have the power to resist the wind, but there is a rat that is undermining me, boring into me and making holes throughout me, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. I am powerless against the rat.

“It would be best for your daughter to marry a rat, for the rats are most powerful of all!”

This pleased the rats, for they saw that the mountain was right. They returned home and married their dear daughter to a fine young rat.

Thus, the beautiful rat daughter lived happily and contentedly. 

And the parents, who once had wanted to elevate her so high, shared in her happiness.

Readers are welcome to forward the link to this page, copy/paste the text, re-tell this story over the campfire or the watercooler, and otherwise help it move out into the world.  Please remember that it came to you from Haiku Farm, with love.