On April 16, something unusual happened at our farmhouse, marking a milestone in our rural life since we started farming and gardening about 10 years ago. My wife and I held an unveiling ceremony of stone toads in commemoration of a short fairy tale I wrote.

The ceremony was attended by our grandkids and their parents. Prior to the unveiling, I briefly mentioned that the love of my grandkids motivated this writing, and thanked them. And I said that it was only a beginning and that there would be a follow-up series, which caused a round of applause.

The stones were unveiled by our grandkids. Then, I presented a copy of the story to them. One conspicuous thing was the banner which reads, “Welcome to the unveiling of stone toads at the birthplace of the Fairy Tale of ‘Pop Eyes Valiant and Vivacious.’” Our first grandkid summed the atmosphere up in three words: “This is unbelievable!” What encouraged me further was my first daughter’s response to this somewhat childlike endeavor of mine. She asked me to email the story to her.

Here is an outline of the story: Two toads once lived behind an old farmer’s house protecting it against evil spirits. Hoping that they could better watch over the farmhouse, they climbed up the chimney through the fireplace and then the flues of the room floor. The fireplace was where the grandkids of the farmer would make a fire whenever they came to visit.

The toads were fascinated by the white smoke issuing out of the chimney and had a bigger dream: They were going to soar high into the sky riding on the smoke which transformed into a dragon. Their final destination was a constellation. When they finally arrived after many a difficulty, they were welcomed after a simple test by its ruler, the Big Dipper, who was magnanimous. High up in the stars, they could far better watch over the farmer’s house from there year after year.

The themes of the fairy tale center on: 1) arousing interest in both rural life and the traditional Korean heating system; 2) doing one’s best to try to achieve one’s dreams; and 3) being faithful to one’s job.

I hope this little effort of mine has a ripple effect. There is a saying that one swallow does not make a summer, but I dare to defy that idea. I am going to hold a personal campaign to share my story with others. As a matter of fact, I already gave a copy of it to a lecturer of oral narration of fairy tales as material. May is Family Month, and I think that it is an opportune time to spread this humble story so that it is read among family members year after year. And I have promised to myself that I will do my best to reinforce it with a follow-up series as I announced at the unveiling ceremony of stone toads.

By Kim Haeng-jung

Kim Haeng-jung, a retired high school principal, lives in Daejeon and spends the weekends in his hometown of Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province. – Ed.