Madonna in Black by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. Short summary

5 seconds

A statue of the Madonna in black can grant any wish and ward off any misfortune. But at the same time, it will send an even worse misfortune upon a person.

1 minute

Brother and sister o-Ey and Mosaku were raised by their grandmother because their parents had died. Mosaku was seriously ill with measles, and despite the efforts of doctors, his life was in mortal danger.

At night the grandmother took the girl with her to the barn, where there was a chapel. In it stood a statue of the Madonna Maria Cannon, who had been worshipped before the advent of Catholicism. It was a beautiful figure of ebony and ivory, adorned with precious stones. But she had an unpleasant face. The girl was frightened, but her grandmother made her pray for her brother’s health.

The elderly woman asked the goddess to keep the boy alive until she herself died. At that moment, o-ey thought the statue grinned.

In the morning, the boy felt much better. And the relieved grandmother lay down to rest. But she never woke up again. A few minutes later, the child also passed away. The goddess complied with the old woman’s request.