Shadow of a Hanging Man

The year of the famine, the village was so destitute that families had nothing to cook in their pots. Everyone was thin and hollow-cheeked from hunger. Grandmother, however, showed great compassion. She took pity on a man in a plain white robe and gave him three bowls of rice water. In return, he offered her a charred black stick of wood with an eerie look and said, "This piece of wood can cure all illnesses. "But remember this—under no circumstances should you use it on someone with a black mark on their neck. If you do, a great calamity will befall you!" A year later, a man with a black mark on his neck came to her door seeking help.