The Story of Chrysanthemum

A long time ago, there lived a family in a small farming village in Japan. They were quite poor, but they had everything they needed. They lived in peace and harmony. One day, however, their little son fell incredibly ill.

He cried all of the time; his skin was terribly pale and cold as ice; and he would wake up with a high, hot fever each and every morning. It went on like this for a long, long time.

His parents had tried everything. They talked to lots of local doctors and tried different medicines. They even used some magical potions from a mystical neighbor.

But not one of them could help him. The parents became more desperate. Then one day they remembered the story of an old man who lived deep in the woods. He was supposed to be the wisest person alive, although none of the locals had ever met him.

The upset mother decided to leave her husband at home with their sickly son and set out into the woods to look for the mysterious old man. She had to force her way through dense thickets. She had to jump over large, deep creeks and struggle with wild rose bushes.

After her long and difficult journey, she finally came across an old wooden shack.

“What’s brought you here, then?” asked an old man. He had a long grey beard that almost touched his belly.

“I’m sorry to bother you," said the woman, with tears in her eyes, "but my son is terribly ill. We have tried everything, truly everything we could. But nothing worked! I’m so worried our little boy is dying. Can you help us, please?” she sobbed.

When the old man saw her sorrow, he invited her in to tell him what…