The people started to call this monster Year as it came out only once a year. They tried so many ways to frighten Year away, but every method failed. They tried firecrackers, hoping the noise would scare the monster away. It did scare Year, but still they woke up with children who were gone and taken by the monster.
They made special cakes, which they called Year Cake, hoping that the monster would eat the cakes. It did eat the cakes, but some children were also eaten. They tried to stay up all night and hoped that they would be able to catch the monster. But that also did not work.
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY OF EXPLORER PUBLICATIONS
The people were trying to look for a way to stop this monster as they were losing too many children each year. But they were out of ideas. Just when they were about to give up, a new family moved into the village. This family was a poor family with only one young son. The father went around, begging for work. He did whatever strange jobs the people offered him. So, the villagers had an idea. What if they paid the man to give up his son? Would that stop the monster?
On New Year’s Eve, the people set the boy in the middle of the village square, with year cakes around him. The father’s heart could not stand leaving the child alone in the square. He loved his son so much. So, he decided to stay with the boy and prayed that perhaps Year would eat him instead. Throughout the night, the father and the son waited for Year to come.
(To be continued tomorrow...)
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY OF EXPLORER PUBLICATIONS
因為這個怪獸一年只出現一次,所以人們就開始稱牠為「年」!他們嘗試各種方法想要嚇跑牠,卻都徒勞無功。他們嘗試用鞭炮,希望這種噪音能嚇走牠;這招確實奏效,但隔天一覺醒來還是有小孩被抓走。
他們又做了稱之為「年糕」的特別糕點,希望「年」會吃年糕;牠的確吃了年糕,但還是有小孩被牠吃掉。他們再嘗試整夜不睡希望能抓住牠,可惜又失敗了。
因為每年失去太多孩子,所以他們試圖找出阻止「年」的方法,就在他們無計可施準備要放棄時,有個新的家庭搬到村裡來。這家人很窮,只有一個小男孩,做爸爸的到處懇求工作機會,他接受各式各樣人們提供的奇怪工作;於是村民們有了個主意:如果付錢請這名男子犧牲他的兒子,這樣能阻止怪獸嗎?
除夕當晚,村民們將小男孩放在村裡的廣場中央,四周還放了年糕;這個爸爸因為太愛兒子,不忍心讓他獨自在廣場上,所以決定陪著他,並祈禱「年」會吃掉自己而不是兒子。他們整晚都在等待「年」的出現。
(明日待續...)
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