Hukumusume fairy tale collection > Foreign language >Japanese classical stories

A gecko and a nail

(Japanese classical stories)(Tokyo city)

Translation　ちいさな翻訳屋さん

Japanese　←→　Japanese ＆ English　←→　English

　A long time ago, on one spring day,

　because a weatherboarding got rotten in one house in Edo, it was decided to be changed.

　Soon, a carpenter ripped off the board and took a look,

　he found a gecko stabbed with a nail and it was turning round and round under the board.

“Oh my goodness. It is nailed from its back to belly.”

“How can he escape without turning?”

　When the carpenters were making a fuss, a master of the house came out,

“Oh, I see, It must have been nailed when this house was repaired five years ago.”

　he said.

　The carpenters said,

“Wow. How can it survive for five years?”

　They wondered.

　So a carpenter studied around and he found a trail of another gecko on a nearby wall.

“I got it. His friend took this trail to bring something to eat for him.”

“I see”

“I’m surprised that even a gecko has a friendship.”

“Hey, gecko. You have such a good friend.”



　Everyone was impressed by a gecko that helped his friend and they saved the nailed gecko.

The end

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