The Old Man with a Wen as retold by Erin Shigaki


			as retold by Erin Shigaki n a little village in Japan there once lived a hard-working old man. On his right cheek he had a lump of flesh as big as a light bulb called a wen. The wen was bothersome at times, and surely unattractive, but his cheerful disposition kept him from feeling sorry for himself. One day he went to the mountains to cut wood. As he was beginning his return trip home, the sky blackened, lighting cracked and it began to rain in driving sheets. "Good gracious! What shall I do?" the old man said aloud. Straight ahead he spotted a big hollow tree in which he could wait until the rain subsided. As the old man sat looking out at the dripping forest, he began to nod off. When he awoke, he was surprised to find that night was all around. In front of the tree was a large party of oni, or ogres. They had skin of intense red, blue and green; horns atop their matted heads; sharp teeth and claws; and powerful bodies. The oni were raucously dancing and drinking sake. One of the oni immediately tipped his massive nose to the wind and caught scent of the old man. "Aha! You there! Come out, human! Come out and show yourself!" he boomed. And the band of oni dragged the terrified old man out of his hiding place.