The Peach Boy

An old man and his wife lived alone near a river. they din't have any children and had to look after themselves. One day, when the old man went to the mountain to get fire-wood, his wife went to the river to wash some clothes. While she was doing the washing, she saw a large peach coming down the river towards her. She stretched out her hand and caught the peach as it floated past.

"It will be something different for my husband to have for his supper," she thought to herself.

But when the old man opened the peach in the evening, he saw a tiny boy inside it. When they had got over their surprise, the old couple were very happy to have a child. They named him Peach Boy.  They loved him and looked after him well, and soon Peach Boy was tall and strong.

He was a good son and helped his father to catch fish from the river and collect fire-wood in the mountains. 'One day, a crow flew down and spoke to Peach Boy. "The devils from the Island of devils came abd took away some people and goods from village nearby. The devils must be punished and we thought you might be able to help us."

Peach Boy wanted to help the village people and asked his parents if he could go and fight the devils. Although they did not want him to go, they agreed, and each of them gave him something to help him on his journey. The old man gave him his best sword and his mother made some very fine dumplings to eat on the way.
After a while, he met a dog which asked him where he was going.
"I am going to the Island of Devils," answered Peach Boy.
"What have you got in your bag?" asked the dog.
"Oh, these are the finest dumplings in the whole Japan!" said the boy proudly. "Here, take one and eat it."
And so they went together.
As they walked along a mountain path, a monkey jumped down from a tree. "Where are you going?" he asked. 
"To Island of Devils," the two friend answered.
"What have you got in your bag?" asked the monkey. 
"The finest dumplings in Japan," said Peach Boy proudly.
"Here, try one and come with us."
And so the three of them went on together.
Then a pheasant flew down and spoke to them.
"Where are you going?" he asked .
"We are going to the Island of Devils," answered the three friends. 
"What have you got in your bag?" asked the pheasant. 
"I have the finest dumplings in Japan." said Peach Boy proudly. "Would you like to have one?"
He gave the pheasant a dumpling and the four of them walked on together.
They walked across the mountains until they came to the sea. Here they found a boat which took them to the Island of Devils. The pheasant was the first to go onto the island. He flew over it crying loudly as he went. Then the dog howled and the monkey knocked at the big black door of the house where the devils lived.
One of the devils opened the door to see what had made such a lot of noise. The friends rushed in and fought with the devils who were now very frightened. But the devils ran into the fortress to tell the general of the devils about the monster Peach Boy who had come to fight them.
At once, the general picked up his heavy iron stick and went out to join the fight. But the more he fought, the more tired he became. The dog, monkey and pheasant were strong because they had eaten the dumplings, and they fought fiercely.
Finally, the general knelt down and asked to be forgiven for the wicked things he had done.
Peach Boy took away all the stolen goods and returned them to the people in the village. Everyone was happy and thanked him.