【明報專訊】Urashima Taro (浦島太郎) was a young man who lived near the seashore. One day, he was walking along the beach and he saw three kids playing with a turtle. They smiled evilly and treated it as a ball. They threw the turtle to one another, putting it in danger. Taro felt angry and attempted to rescue it.

"Hey there, please let go the creature. Don't you think that's cruel?"

"Go away, you idiot! It's not a human being."

Taro couldn't handle the situation and wanted to offer them a sum.

"I will give you the money. How much do you want?"

"A sum enough to buy a ball."

Taro gave them a large sum of money and walked away. No sooner had he rescued the turtle than he had a dream. In his dream, he saw a man with a turtle shell. The man told him to go to the seashore again. He went there the other day but saw nothing. Suddenly, a tide rose towards him and gave him quite a shock.

"Hey, Urashima Taro. Please look at me." It was a voice from an old man.

"Who are you? Why do you know my name?" Taro was terrified.

The tide retreated and an old man stepped forward.

"I'm an official from the water palace and I'm here to invite you to the palace."

Taro didn't know what to say. But he realised that this man might be the turtle he saved days ago. He looked just like a normal guy, but given his marvelous appearance and particularly the shell, he realised it could be a god. He then followed the turtle to the dragon palace.

In the palace, he met a beautiful princess. The princess welcomed Taro and greeted him with a state banquet. They celebrated his visit for days. Missing his hometown, Taro requested to leave.

"Take this treasure box with you, but don't open it," said the princess.

Taro took the treasure box and left the dragon palace with the help of the turtle official. When he came back to the village, something stunned him. He couldn't see any houses. Most importantly, he saw no one but an old man.

"Hey there! Do you know the Urashimas?"

"What the hell is Urashima? And who're you? I haven't met you before. Are you a thief?"

"No, no. I'm their only son Taro."

"Oh Sir, you must be mistaken. For many years I've been the only human being living here. After all, it isn't a great place to live."

The old man went by and left Taro standing there alone, bracing against the cold wind. The only thing he felt familiar with was the treasure box, which the princess told him not to open.

What just happened clouded his mind. He opened the box without a second thought. All of a sudden, he turned into an old man, much older than the one who just walked by.

Adapted from a piece of Japanese folklore

◆Food for thought

Do you think Taro deserved such an ending? Time passes like a strong current and things could change beyond our recognition. What would you do if you were Taro?

■Glossary

seashore (n) 海濱

sum (n) 款項

marvelous (adj) 不可思議的

stun (v) 使震驚

[Smarties' Power English 第229期]