The Grateful Crane

Long ago, in a small mountain village, there lived a poor old man and his wife. One winter evening, as snow fell heavily, the old man was walking home through the forest. He heard a soft cry and saw a beautiful white crane caught in a hunter's trap. Her wing was hurt. The old man gently opened the trap and set her free. She looked at him for a long moment, bowed her head, and flew away into the white sky.

That same night, a young woman knocked at their door. She was very cold and asked for shelter. The old couple, who had no children of their own, took her in and gave her warm soup. The next morning, she did not leave. 'Let me stay with you,' she said. 'I have nowhere else to go.' The old man and his wife were lonely, and so she became like a daughter to them. She was kind, quiet, and very skilled with her hands. One day she asked them for some thread and set up a small loom in the back room.

For three days and three nights, the young woman stayed behind the closed door. She told them, 'Please do not look inside while I am weaving.' When she came out, she carried a piece of cloth more beautiful than anything they had ever seen. The old man sold it in the town for a great price, and for the first time in many winters, the family had enough food and firewood. The young woman wove two more pieces of cloth, and each time she asked the same thing: please do not watch.

But one night, the old man could not stop himself. He opened the door just a little. What he saw made him step back in sorrow. Inside the room there was no young woman — only a white crane, plucking her own feathers to make the thread. Later, the young woman came out, her eyes full of tears. 'I was the crane you saved in the snow,' she said. 'I wanted to thank you. But now you have seen me. I must go.' She bowed once, stepped out into the winter air, and flew away forever.