A woodcutter made his way up into the cold, windy mountain. He found himself a good tree, but before he could swing his axe he heard the faint sound of laughter. Curious, he went to see who was there.

Not too far away he found what looked like a little boy of ten years. From his head sprouted long locks of brown hair, bushy and unkempt like a wild shrub. And his body was covered with equally messy hair, quite like a monkey.

The child-like creature noticed the woodcutter and turned his head around. The man was shocked, almost dropping his axe on his foot. 

The child-like creature before him only had one eye in the middle of its forehead! 

Before the woodcutter could turn and flee the creature, certainly yokai, said, "You look very strong. Would you like to wrestle with me?"

Stunned, the woodcutter shook his head. He picked up his axe and glanced over his shoulder toward the trees. The yokai took this as the man saying he had to work. Like an impatient child the yokai crossed its arms and pouted. "All you adults do is work, work, work! You never have time to play!"

The woodcutter said nothing, still debating whether or not he should run. Then the yokai's one eye brightened with an idea. "Do you have any food?" he asked. "If you give me some I'll help with your work."

Since there exist cautionary tales about refusing a yokai's request, the woodcutter reached into the folds of his clothes and produced a small bundle wrapped in cloth. He unwrapped the cloth to reveal three triangular shaped balls of rice.

The yokai's one eye widened with glee. He hopped to his feet, crossed the clearing in a single leap, and snatched the rice balls away. The woodcutter could only watch in shock as the yokai danced around the clearing, shoving the rice into his mouth. Then, without another word the yokai ran back into the woods.

Dumbfounded and somewhat hungry, the woodcutter went back to work, grumbling to himself that he'd been tricked by a yokai.

The next day the woodcutter returned to the mountain to cut wood. Again, he prepared to chop down a fine tree when he heard the sound of child-like laughter.

This time, the woodcutter approached with his axe held high, ready to strike just in case the yokai had come back to attack him.

But the child-like yokai remained where he was in the clearing, singing to himself a song of gibberish. When he noticed the woodcutter he grinned. "Have you come back today to play?" When the woodcutter shook his head, the yokai made the same offer as he had the day before. "If you give me some food I'll help you with your work."

The offer was tempting, but the woodcutter was suspicious. "How do I know you won't run away again? Help me with work, first, and then I'll give you food."

"How much have you got?" asked the little yokai.

Instead of showing the food the woodcutter held up three fingers. "I have my three balls of rice." He patted his clothes where his food was stored.

Jumping to his feet, the little yokai merrily hopped into the woods. He beckoned for the woodcutter to follow. 

Without use of an axe, the little yokai felled many trees. He helped the woodcutter chop the thick trunks into small logs and then tie them together with twine. The two of them carried the bundles down the mountain, though the yokai would not step out of the woods. He left the bundles at the forest's edge and then went back to the mountain for more.

By the end of the day when the sky darkened the two of them had gathered many bundles of wood, much more than the woodcutter could have gotten himself.

The yokai held out his hand for his reward, which the man gladly gave. The yokai unwrapped the rice and shoved it straight into his mouth. He left the cloth wrap on the ground and scuttled away into the woods, laughing and singing to himself.

When the woodcutter returned home with all his wares, he thought to himself that the spirits had done him a favour. He prayed that the spirits would continue to help him like this, and help him they did.

For next little while the yokai continued to offer the woodcutter his help in return for food. Every day the man would go to meet the yokai in the mountain forest, and they would spend the whole day felling and processing trees.

One day, however, while they were cutting trees, the man sat down for a break. That morning he'd woken later than usual, and had had to miss his morning meal. Since his stomach was grumbling he unwrapped his food, plucking one of the rice balls from the bundle and dropping it into his mouth. Then he wrapped up the remaining rice balls and went back to work.

At the end of the day when the yokai demanded his reward, the woodcutter handed over the bundle as usual. But this time when the yokai unwrapped the cloth he was shocked to see that there were only two rice balls instead of one.

Looking very upset, the yokai asked, "Where's the third rice ball? You always give me three!"

The woodcutter nervously laughed. "I'm sorry. I got so hungry that I ate one earlier today. There's still two left, and tomorrow I can bring more."

The yokai said nothing though he took the remaining rice balls. This time he did not sing or laugh as he returned to the wilderness.

The following morning when the woodcutter set out, he made sure to bring four rice balls just in case he fancied a snack later on. But that day he could not find the little yokai. He looked high and low, checking behind trees and inside their hollows.

Eventually, the man gave up and began felling trees by himself. After having been helped by the yokai for so long it felt strange to work by himself. 

Never again did the little one-eyed yokai approach the woodcutter. It seemed that he'd been offended at not getting what he was usually given. Yokai are peculiar creatures indeed, so they should always be given what they expect to receive.