Hello, welcome to Story's Podcast. I'm your host Amanda Weldon. Today's story is called

Red versus Blue, The Crying Oni, written by Herota Hamada and adapted for audio by Daniel Hines.

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Red versus Blue, The Crying O'Nee.

Once upon a time, long, long ago,

when goblins and spirits and other creatures of magic

had not yet hidden away, and humans still believed in their existence.

There lived two Oni, Aka and A. Oi.

An Oni is often called an ogre in English, but ogers and oni aren't quite the same.

Oni are large and powerful and often have one or two horns atop their heads.

Their skin can be all sorts of vivid colors, and they tend to live in mountainous areas.

In Japan, which is where the tales about Oni are told, stories usually depict them as savage monsters,

a danger to any human unlucky enough to cross their path.

The only things Aka and AO posed any danger to, however,

was a cup of tea and the occasional river eel.

The two Oni friends lived together in perfect harmony,

spending their days gardening, fishing, and playing in the fields, forests and mountains.

Aka means red, and true to his name, he was the bright color of maple leaves in the fall.

...