The Crane Wife - Japanese

Once there was a beautiful crane with feathers as white as snow. She loved to fly in the big, blue sky. The crane's name was Tsuru. One cold winter day, Tsuru got caught in a trap. Oh no! A kind young man found her. He was very gentle and carefully untied the ropes. He saved her! This is the story of The Crane Wife.

The crane was so thankful. She wanted to say thank you to the kind man. So, poof! She used her magic to become a lovely young woman with a kind smile. She went to his cozy little house. Knock, knock! The man was happy to see her and they became good friends. Soon, they were married and lived together. To help him, the woman said she could weave beautiful cloth. She said, "I will weave in a little room. But you must promise not to look. Promise, promise?" The man said, "I promise, I promise."

So the woman went into her little room. Clack, clack, clack went the loom. She made cloth that was shiny and bright, like the moon on the water. It was so, so pretty. One day, the man was very curious. He wanted to see. Just a little peek! He tiptoed to the door and looked inside. But he did not see a woman. He saw the big, white crane! She was using her own soft feathers to make the beautiful cloth. Because the man broke his promise, the crane knew she could not stay. She became a woman one last time to say goodbye. Then, with a flap of her big, white wings, she flew out the window. Up, up, up into the sky. The story reminds us to always be kind and to always, always keep our promises.