THE LEGEND OF THE CASCADE OF GHOSTS original: "Yurei-Daki"

To heighten the thrill of being afraid, someone suggested, "Just imagine going tonight, all by yourself, to the Cascade of Ghosts!"

The suggestion caused a general scream, followed by nervous bursts of laughter. . . . "I will give all the hemp I spun today," one of the group said mockingly, "to the person who goes!"

"So will I," another exclaimed. "And I," said a third. "All of us," a fourth confirmed. . . . Then, from among the spinners, a woman named Yasumoto O-Katsu, a carpenter's wife, stood up. She had her only son—a two-year-old boy—wrapped up snugly and asleep on her back.

"Listen," said O-Katsu, "if you all truly agree to hand over to me all the hemp you spun today, I will go to the Cascade of Ghosts."

Her proposal was met with cries of astonishment and disbelief. But after she repeated it several times, they took her seriously. Each of the spinners in turn agreed to give up her share of the day's work to O-Katsu, provided that O-Katsu went to the Cascade of Ghosts.

"But how will we know if she actually goes there?" a sharp voice asked.

"Well, let her bring back the god's money-box," answered an old woman whom the spinners called the Grandmother original: "Obaa-San". "That will be proof enough."

"I'll