Of the readings in Part B, two of them somewhat interested me.
The first was "The Goblin of Adachigahara". The story is about a priest who unwittingly wandered into the abode of a cannibalistic goblin in the guise of an old woman. She actually treats him somewhat well at first, but when she heads off to go get firewood to rekindle the fire, she warns him not to peer into the back room while she is gone. He does well for a long while, but eventually falls prey to his curiosity and peers into the backroom to discover the room filled with blood and bones. He immediately flees the cottage at full speed and the goblin chases after him, revealing her true form. He eventually escapes her when she is erased by the light of the dawn.
The other was "The Ogre of Rashomon". The story is about an ogre who supposedly lingers near a particular gate and captures and eats any who pass by it. A hero hears of the tale and goes to investigate it for himself. At first he does not spot the ogre, but it eventually reveals itself and the two fight. The ogre is unable to beat the hero and flees, but the hero finds the ogre's arm on the ground and takes it with him. He's praised for fighting off the ogre, but in fear of the ogre's desire to reclaim its arm, he fashions the strongest box that he can and refuses to open the box for anyone. Eventually, the ogre comes in the guise of his old nursemaid and manages to convince him to open the box. The ogre then reveals its true form and reclaims its arm, and the two fight once again. The hero is nearly able to slay the ogre once again, and when the ogre escaped this time, it never bothered anyone again in fear of the hero's retribution.
Story Sources:
"The Goblin of Adachigahara" by Yei Theodora Ozaki [Part A] [Part B]
"The Ogre of Rashomon" by Yei Theodora Ozaki [Part A] [Part B] [Part C]
Image Source: Ogre Clipart by GDJ
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