He searched through the woods on the mountainside, all the while mumbling, “Where is the poor thing? Where could it be?”
At last, just as he was searching through a forest of bamboo trees, he came across a small nest and met up with the sparrow.
“Oh, what did she do to you?” he said sadly. “Are you all right? Can you find it in your heart to forgive us?”
“Thank you for coming so far,” replied the sparrow. “It was really my own fault, so don’t worry. I hope you will rest a while before returning.”
And so the old man decided to spend the night with the sparrow and his family.
They fed him well, and all of the sparrows performed a beautiful dance for him.
The next morning, the old man thanked the sparrows and was preparing to leave when the sparrow said, “I would like you to accept a gift from us. One is large, the other small. Which one would you like?”
“I don’t really need either, but if you insist. The large one is too heavy for me, so I’ll accept the small one.”