A Baby Frog's Regret

This fable is from Korea.  When I was young, I read this fable.

From time eternal, a mother and baby frog were living in a grove.  But the mother frog had a problem.  It was the baby frog always told a lie and he never listened to what she said.  Whenever she told the baby frog to do something he always told a lie and behaved improperly.  For instance, when she wanted him to go the direction of left, he went to the direction of right.  Also, when she wanted him to go the direction of right, he went to the direction of left.  When she wanted him to study, he went to play outside.  Moreover, when it was raining, if she didn't want him to go outside, he went outside anyway.  Therefore, she was distressed and almost gave up on that behavior.

 Later when she almost died, she left him her last desire.  She said,  "If I die, you have to bury my corpse by the mouth of a river."  And, she eagerly wanted him to do that because she thought if she wanted to be buried at a mountain, he would bury her corpse by the mouth of a river.



Finally, she died and he really buried her corpse by the mouth of a river and wailed because he wanted to obey her last desire.  Thus, he always cried by her grave regretting his past mistakes whenever it rained.  Today, to hear croaking frogs is because his mother grave was washed out to a river whenever it rains.

   -Song Min