The "Birthing" Stone

Long ago there was a village, and smack dab in the middle of the track that ran through the village was a stone no one could move. The funny thing about the stone was, come nightfall, an eerie singing seemed to issue from it, and for that reason none dared to pass that way after dark. "Monster Stone" is what the scary object was called.

One night,  the village headman, having spent the day in a neighboring village, had no choice but to return by this very path.

"Well, it can't be helped, but I can't help but be frightened."

Just as the man passed to the side of the stone a female voice cried out, "Help me, please help me".

"What's this? Who are you?," exclaimed the man.

"People call me Monster Stone, but I'm really a woman. I'm pregnant and soon to give birth, and I'm famished. Could you possibly give me something to eat?

When the headman heard this, he took pity on the stone and said, "Oh, so that's how it is. Wait a bit. I'll be back shortly."

Whereupon the man ran home, cooked a pot of rice, and made several rice balls. He took these with him and returned to the stone.

From the stone emerged a white hand. The hand picked up one of the rice balls, disappeared with it, and repeated the process until the rice balls were gone.

When the stone had eaten its fill the hand appeared again, this time holding a black rock, which it presented to its benefactor with these words: "This is a lucky rock. Place it in your house, and may all of your days be happy and filled with good fortune. And thank you for the rice balls."

And indeed, the headman lived happily ever after.

As for the stone, it bore offspring from time to time. True to its name.