The Bell of the Atri

This is a legend from a small town in Italy called Atri.

One day, as per instructions of the King, a large bell was hung in the tower of the town square. When there were conflicts or disputes, the town's people could ring the bell and a judge would help them find out the truth.
Because of this bell, the towns people were able to live happily.

Many years and days passed since the bell was suspended when a horse belonging to a rich and unkind shepherd arrived in Atri. The horse was very thin and weak because the shepard only thought about making money and did not feed it.

The horse tottered below the tower of the town square and started eating the leaves of a grape wine that had started to grow on the rope of the bell because it was so hungry. As the horse ate the leaves, the bell started to ring with loud, "garan garan" noise.

The judge and the town people hurried to the town square to see what was causing the commotion. Upon seeing the horse, the judge said, “What a poor and skinny horse. It must be ringing the bell to tell of its hardships because horses can't talk”. The rich owner of the horse was asked to come to the town square immediately.

Once the rich man saw his horse eating grape leaves, his heart was overwhelmed and he realized how cruel he had been. After that he got along with the horse and they lived happily together.
He regained a kind heart because of the ‘Bell of Correctness’.

I want to convey this heart-warming message directly to the hearts of the children.

This composition is a commissioned work for the Sakaine Middle School in Kashiwa-Shi.