Summary
Once upon a time, a wife living in Kyoto went out for an errand in the evening, but when she didn’t return for a while, her husband grew suspicious. Just then, the wife returned. A little later, another woman entered, resembling her in face, clothing, and demeanor to a striking degree. The husband was so surprised that he was left speechless. He thought that surely one of them must be a fox, but he couldn’t tell which was his real wife. Intuitively, he suspected that the one who had entered later was the fox, so he drew his sword and brandished it. The wife cried out, "What is the meaning of this? Why are you trying to kill me?"
Then, when he moved to strike the wife who had entered first, she also broke down in tears, wringing her hands. The man was at a loss for what to do, but still found the first wife suspicious, so he grabbed her. At that moment, the woman leaked a terrible-smelling urine that was so foul it made his nose curl. While he was taken aback by the stench, that wife transformed into a fox and jumped out through the gap in the door, escaping while calling out, "Kon, kon!" The man was filled with regret, but it was too late. (From "Konjaku Monogatari," Volume 27, No. 39)
