Fox's Fire (Chinese Bedtime Story)

This short story comes from China. In Chinese folklore, foxes are often portrayed as cunning and shape-shifting creatures with magical abilities. They are typically seen as mischievous and deceitful beings that can take on human form to trick or seduce unsuspecting victims.

Foxes are also associated with wealth and prosperity in some stories, while in others they are depicted as malevolent spirits that bring bad luck or harm to those they encounter. Despite their varied representations, foxes are believed to hold a powerful and mystical presence in Chinese mythology.

Transcript

Foxfire Once upon a time there was a strong young farmer who came home late one evening from market.

His way led him past the gardens of a wealthy gentleman in which stood a number of tall buildings.

Suddenly he saw something shining,

Floating in the air inside the gardens.

Something which glowed like a crystal ball.

He was astonished and climbed the wall around the gardens.

But there was not a human being in sight.

All he saw was,

At a distance,

Something which appeared to be a dog,

Looking up at the moon.

And whenever it blew its breath out,

A ball of fire came out of its mouth and rose to the moon.

And whenever it threw its breath in,

The ball sank down again and it caught it in its jaws.

And so it went on without a stop.

Then the farmer realized that it was a fox who was preparing the elixir of life.

He hid in the grass and waited until the ball of fire came down again,

At about the height of his own head.

Then he stepped hastily from his hiding place,

Took it away and at once swallowed it.

And he could feel it glow as it passed down his throat into his stomach.

When the fox saw what had happened,

He grew angry.

He looked furiously at the farmer but feared his strength.

For this reason he did not dare attack him,

But went angrily on his way.

From that time on the farmer,

Boy,

Could make himself invisible,

Was able to see ghosts and devils and had intercourse with the spirit world.

In cases of sickness,

When people lay unconscious,

He would call back their souls and if someone had committed a sin,

He could plead for them.

He earned much money owing to these gifts.

When he reached his fiftieth year,

He withdrew from all things and would no longer exercise his arts.

One summer evening he was sitting in his courtyard,

Enjoying the cool air.

While there he drank a number of goblets of wine and by midnight had fallen fast asleep.

Suddenly he woke,

Feeling ill.

It seemed as though someone were patting him on the back and before he knew it,

The ball of fire had leaped out from his throat.

At once a hand reached for it and a voice said,

For thirty long years you kept my treasure from me and from a poor farmer lad you have grown to be a wealthy man.

Now you have enough and I would like to have my fireball back again.

Then the man knew what had happened,

But the fox was gone.

The End.

Thank you for listening.