Long, long ago, as a crab was walking along carrying a rice ball, a sly monkey came by carrying a persimmon seed.
The monkey said, "A rice ball is gone in a moment, but plant this persimmon seed and it will bear fruit every year," and so he got the crab to trade the rice ball for the seed.
The crab went home and planted the seed, singing, "Sprout quickly now, or I'll snip you with my claws," and tended it with all his heart.
In time the tree grew tall and bore a great many persimmons.
Along came the monkey, who climbed the tree and began eating the ripe persimmons all by himself.
When the crab begged, "Please pick one for me too," the monkey hurled down a hard green persimmon at him.
Struck by the hard persimmon, the crab was badly hurt.
When the little crabs heard of it, they took counsel with a chestnut, a bee, a mortar, and a cow pat, and resolved to avenge their father.
Arriving at the monkey's house, the chestnut hid in the hearth, the bee in the water jar, the cow pat by the doorway, and the mortar up on the roof.
When the monkey came home and warmed himself at the fire, the chestnut burst and flew at him; startled, he ran to cool himself with water and was stung by the bee.
As he scrambled in a panic to escape outside, he slipped on the cow pat and fell, and at last the mortar came down from the roof and flattened him.
It is a tale that teaches: do wrong, and the reckoning will surely come.
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