Summary
Long ago, there lived an ogress in Adachigahara in Tohoku, rumored to eat travelers. One night, a traveling monk passed through this field, exhausted, and found a small hut.
"Excuse me for coming at such a late hour. May I borrow a place to stay?" the monk asked the old woman in the hut.
"I'm sorry, but this is a house without even adequate bedding. I cannot accommodate you," the woman replied with a smile.
"I’m not worried about bedding. As long as I can stay warm from the cold, that is enough for me," the monk said, and the old woman agreed.
"Very well, please come inside." Once inside, the monk sat by the hearth and was able to warm himself.
"Have you had your dinner?" asked the old woman.
"No, not yet. I am quite hungry," the monk replied, and the old woman said, "Then I will prepare something, so please wait."
After a while, the two enjoyed a pleasant conversation, but then firewood ran low, and the old woman said, "I will go to get some firewood, but please wait. However, you must not peek into the back room. Absolutely!"
"Understood. I will not peek," promised the monk, but once the old woman left, curiosity began to swell within him.
"The more you are told not to look, the more you want to see," the monk decided, standing up to peek into the back room.
When he opened the door, the smell of blood hit his nose, and in front of him were bodies piled high. "This is the ogress's house!" he trembled with fear and hurriedly fled from the house.
"Hey! Don't run away!" the voice of the ogress echoed. "Why did you break your promise?"
"Help me!" the monk ran desperately. "Namu Amida Butsu..."
As morning arrived, the ogress was affected by the sunlight and vanished. "Thank goodness, I'm saved! Namu Amida Butsu..." the monk sighed with relief and set out once more on his pilgrimage journey.
