The Flying Farmer

A Story by Geneva Cobb Iijima

Long ago in Japan lived a farmer named Taro. Taro loved to hunt ducks. He didn't hunt with a gun. Perhaps he didn't have one. Or, perhaps he lived before they were invented. Instead, every night he made a trap from rope. He left it in a swamp near his house. Almost every morning he found a duck caught in his trap.

After awhile, Taro became greedy. "One duck each day is not enough," he said. "I will make a trap for many ducks."

So Taro bought a long rope. He worked all day tying it into a trap. His new trap would catch many ducks.

The next morning he went out to the swamp. He lay out his trap. Then he held onto the end of the rope. And he hid behind a tree. A flock of ducks flew into the swamp. They landed in his trap.

Taro held the rope tight. The trap caught the ducks' legs. The rope pulled and jerked Taro's hands. He was so exited he jumped up and down.

"Lots of ducks! I'm catching lots of ducks," he shouted greedily.

Swoosh, all of the ducks flew off. Up, up they went into the sky.

"Oh! Oh!" Taro yelled in surprise. He jerked at the rope. But he could not stop the ducks. And he would not let go of them.

Up into the sky he went behind the ducks. They flew higher and higher. They flew over the mountains. They flew over villages he had never seen. Taro's hands became tired. He was about to lose his grip. Then he saw a tall, green pagoda* with five roofs.

Taro let go of the rope. And he fell onto the pagoda.

"Help! Help!" he yelled. "Come and help me!"

The villagers ran from all directions. They ran to the garden around the pagoda.

"Who is he?"

"How did he get there?

"Didn't you see the ducks fly over? He was riding behind them."

Everyone talked at the same time.

"Help! Help!" yelled Taro again. "Help me get down."

Everyone talked at the same time.

"Oh, what shall we do? What shall we do?" the people asked each other.

A man came running with a large piece of cloth.

"Quick! Let's hold it for him. He can jump onto it," he said. Everyone stood around the cloth. They stretched it tight.

"Jump!" they yelled

Taro looked down. His knees shook and his teeth chattered. He was afraid. But he knew he had to jump. So he closed his eyes and jumped.

He landed in the middle of the cloth. He landed hard. The people's heads banged together. "Bump, bong, bumpity bong, bump!" went the heads. On the last "bump" Taro's eyes flew open.

"Where are the ducks?" Where is the pagoda? Where are the people?" he asked. They were gone. He was in his own bed. Taro lay in bed shaking for a long time.

"A bad dream," he said. "A very bad dream."

Taro stopped being greedy after that. He never tried trapping a flock of ducks. Instead, he became a very kind-hearted farmer.

*A pagoda is a Buddist temple with several floors or tiers.

Copyright Geneva Cobb Iijima; reproduction without permission prohibited. Please contact Geneva Cobb Iijima for information about reprint rights.