Tempting Ginkgo Nut #WeeklyShortShortNote

One day, while I was out for a stroll, I found a single ginkgo nut lying near a hedge.

Its skin was peeled away, and it looked glossy and shiny.

There were no ginkgo trees around, and as I wondered why a ginkgo nut would be lying there, I became unable to stop thinking about it.

Just as I approached to pick it up and take it home, limbs sprouted from the smooth ginkgo nut, and it began to trot toward the road.

When I called out, "Hey, it's dangerous to go out into the road," it turned toward me, gave a little bow, and said, "I've lost my way." When I asked, "Where were you born?" it replied, "Gokoku-ji Temple."

"Gokoku-ji is three stations away from here. But you, you don't even have a shell anymore, do you?"
When I said that, the ginkgo nut tucked its limbs into its body and zipped itself up into its shell.

It started rolling along the road just like that, so I chased after it, thinking how incredibly dangerous that was.

And where we arrived was Gokoku-ji Temple.

When we reached the main hall, the head priest scolded it, and the ginkgo nut bowed its head again.

I was thanked by the priest, treated to some chawanmushi, and then wandered back home.