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Once upon a time, there was an old couple who lived at the foot of a mountain on the Shirakawa River. One day, when they were at home, a white fox suddenly appeared in their house and said, "Please hide me from the hunter."

This couple was kind, and so they hid the fox in the closet. Soon after, the hunter appeared and asked about the white fox, but the couple told them that they knew nothing.

Finally, the hunter gave up and left. Emerging from the closet, the white fox told the old couple, "I will revive the well in your backyard on the next full moon night. Please drink the water from the well that night."
The old couple waited till the full moon came and went to the well. As the fox said, the well had come back to life. As soon as the old man drank the water his stomach illness completely disappeared. The news of the well's special powers quickly spread through the surrounding area, and people lined up in long queues to get the magic water.

However, one greedy man became rich by selling the water. But as he wanted to be richer still, he mixed the magic water with normal water from his own well to increase his profits. But of course this water didn't work. In fact, it created stomach problems and caused his ruin.

© JapanVisitor.com

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