Elderly Man Saves Baby from Knife-Wielding Killer

While taking his daily walk, an old Japanese man passed by an outdoor food stall.  The cook was preparing to kill an eel.  Feeling sorry for the eel, the old man bought it from the cook and tossed it into the river, saying “Lucky thing I passed by, eel!”

The cook realized this was a good way to make money, and made a point of placing an eel on the chopping block every day when the old man walked by.  Every day, the old man bought the eel and released it.

One day, the cook had no eel.  So when he saw the old man coming, he picked up a baby, claiming a customer had ordered it.  The old man, shocked, bought the baby.

“Lucky thing I passed by, baby!” he said, as he threw it into the river.

 From Dave Barry Does Japan