Once, there lived a couple who liked mochi more than anything else. One night, they made a huge amount of mochi and ate a lot. At last, only a little was left. “Tonight let’s see who can keep still the longest. The one who wins will have the remaining mochi,” the wife said. They agreed. Unfortunately, a thief entered the house and went all around searching for things. Both the husband and the wife saw the thief but kept quiet. If they said anything, they would lose the mochi, so they kept a hold on themselves. The thief took advantage of the situation and started scattering things all over. Thereafter, he opened the cupboard and took out the mochi box. When the wife saw this, she could not stand it. At once she said, “Oh, that thief is carrying off the mochi!” The husband instead of looking at the thief said, “That mochi is mine now.”
The Silence Race
