Sari’s Place

Once upon a time, there was a crane standing next to a pond filled with fish. In those days the water used every summer to fall very low. Catching sight of these fish, a crane said to himself,

“I must find a way to eat these fish.” So he went and sat down in deep thought by the side of the water.

Now when the fishes caught sight of him, they said, ” What are you thinking about ?”

“I am thinking about you,” was the reply.

 ”And why are you thinking about us ?”

“ The water in this pool’s almost gone, no food, and the heat intense, I was wondering to myself, as I sat here, what in the world you fishes would do.”

” And what are we to do ?”

“Well, if you’ll take my advice, I will take you up one by one in my beak, and carry you all off to a fine large pool covered with the five varieties of lotuses, and there, I’ll put you down.”

“But,” said they, “no crane ever cared for us fishes since the world began. Your desire is to eat us one by one.”

” No, I will not eat you, trust me,” said the crane. ” If you don’t take my word that there is such a pond, send one of you to go with me and see for himself.”

Believing the crane, the fish presented to him a great big fish (blind of one eye, by the way), who they thought would be a match for the crane whether afloat or ashore; and they said,

” Here’s the one to go with you.”

The crane took the fish off, and after showing him another pond, brought him back again and put him in along with the other fish in his old pond. And the fish told them how great the newer pond.

After hearing this report, they grew eager to go there, and said to the crane,”Very good, please take us across.”

First of all, the crane took that big one-eyed fish again and carried him off and then he pecked it to death, and let the bones fall at the foot of the tree.

Then back he went and said,”I’ve thrown him in, who’s next ?” And so he took the fish one by one, and ate them all, till at last when he came back, he could not find another left. But there was still a crab remaining in the pond; so the crane, who wanted to eat him up too, said,

” Mister crab, I’ve taken all those fishes away and put them into a fine large pond covered all over with lotuses. Come along, I’ll take you too.”

“How will you carry me across?” said the crab.

“Why, in my beak, for sure,” said the crane.

“Ah, but you might drop me like that,” said the crab, “I won’t go with you.”

 ”Don’t be scared, I’ll hold you tight of all the way.”

“Thought the crab to himself,  He hasn’t put the fish in the pool. But, if he would really put me in, that would be great. If he does not, why, I’ll nip his head off and kill him. So he said to the crane,

” You’d never be able to hold me tight enough, my friend, cos we crabs have got an astonishingly tight grip. If I could hold your neck with my claws, I could hold it tight and then I would go along with you.”

Not suspecting that the crab wanted to trick him, the crane gave permission. With his claws the crab gripped hold of the crane’s neck, and said, “Let’s go.” The crane took him and showed him the pond first, and then started off for the tree.

“The pond lies this way,” said the crab; “but you’re taking me the other way.”

“Yeah right,  I suppose you thought me as your slave to lift you up and carry you about ! Just take a look at those bones at the foot of the tree, I ate up all those fish, so I will eat you too.”

Said the crab, “It was by their own stupidity that those fish were eaten by you, and there’s no way you are going to eat me.. For you,,did not see that I was tricking you. If we die, we will both die together. .”

And so saying he gripped the crane’s weasand with his claws, as with pinchers. With his mouth wide open and and tears streaming from his eyes, the crane, trembling for his life, said,

“Please, I will not eat you! Spare my life!”

“Well, then, just step down to the pool and put me in,” said the crab.

Then the crane turned back and stepped down as directed to the pool, and placed the crab on the mud, at the water-edge. But the crab, before entering the water, nipped off the crane’s head as deftly as if he were cutting a lotus stalk with a knife.