Winter came.
The north wind blew.
It rattled the windows.
The north wind pushed at the door.
In the night, snow fell and fell.
The snow lay on the roofs.
It lay on the bare branches.
It lay on the water jar in the yard.
The snow kept falling all night long.
It did not stop until very late.
In the morning, the little rabbit woke up hungry.
He wrapped up warm.
He pushed the door open.
The snow reached the doorstep.
He went out into the deep snow.
The snow was soft.
His feet sank in.
He had to lift them high.
He found two big radishes.
They were round and heavy.
He ate one.
He kept the other one.
He thought: the monkey must be hungry too.
So he carried the radish to the monkey house.
The monkey was not home.
The rabbit put the radish on the table.
In the monkey house, the kettle was cold.
Then he went away.
The monkey came home.
He saw the radish on the table.
He rubbed his belly. He was hungry too.
He thought: the bear must be hungry too.
So he carried the radish to the bear house.
The bear was not home.
The monkey put the radish by the door.
In the bear house, the fire was out.
He looked at the frost on the window.
Then he went away.
The bear came home.
He saw the radish by the door.
He stamped his feet to shake off the snow.
He thought: the deer must be hungry too.
So he carried the radish to the deer house.
The deer was not home.
The bear put the radish on the windowsill.
He looked at the empty yard.
Then he went away.
The deer came home.
She saw the radish on the windowsill.
She brushed the snow from her coat.
In the deer house, the window was shut tight.
She thought: the rabbit must be hungry too.
So she carried the radish to the rabbit house.
The rabbit was asleep.
His little house was warm.
The deer put the radish softly by the bed.
She pulled up his blanket.
Then she went away.
The deer took the long way home.
Her tracks filled up behind her.
The sky turned dark.
The snow kept falling.
Four little lamps went out, one by one.
The lamps were small and yellow.
They looked like warm dots on the snow.
The rabbit turned over in his sleep.
His hand touched the radish by the bed.
He was surprised for a moment.
Then he smiled.
The radish had walked all the way around.
It had come back to him.
He held it close.
Then he slept again.
Inside the rabbit house, the radish lay still.
It was waiting for morning.
Outside, the new snow covered all the footprints.
No one could tell which house the radish had visited.
Nobody had eaten it.
Not one of them.
Not one of them said a word about it.
Each of them was hungry too.
Each of them thought of a friend.
The radish went out one door.
It came in at another.
It went around the whole hill.
It passed every house on the path.
Snow covered the roof of the monkey house.
Snow covered the door of the bear house.
Snow covered the sill of the deer house.
Snow covered the yard of the rabbit.
The three doors all opened on the same little path.
The path was soft and white again.
The path was one long white ribbon.
It tied the four little houses together.
Nobody had a big supper that night.
But nobody was alone.
The night was still and white.
The snow made everything quiet.
No one saw any of it.
Only one small lamp was still burning low.
That lamp was waiting for the snow to stop.
In the morning he would find it.
He would laugh about it again.
The little rabbit dreamed of spring.
He dreamed of green fields.
In China, when the first snow comes, people say: if you have two, give one away.
That is the old story called The Radish That Came Back.
This is an old Chinese folktale.
It is a gentle Chinese fairy tale, one of the oldest Chinese bedtime stories for children.
Now it is time to close your eyes.
Good night, little rabbit.
Good night, radish that came home.
This is a very old Chinese bedtime story. It is not long, and it is very gentle. Best read slowly, with the lights low.
