Japanese
Long, long ago there lived an old man and his wife in a village. They were very poor but very kind.
One cold snowy day the old man went to the town to sell the woods. On his way back home he saw something moving in a snow- field.
"What is that?"
He found a crane in a trap. The more it moved, the harder the trap caught it. The old man felt very sorry for it.
"Stop, don't move. I'll help you."
He helped it from the trap. It flew away toward the mountain.
He came home and told his wife the story in the evening.
"I did one good thing today. I helped a crane from the trap".
Then there was the sound of knocking at the door.
"Who is it?" said his wife opening the door.
She found a beautiful lady standing.
" Excuse me, but I came to this village to visit my friend. It is snowing heavily outside and I got lost in the dark. Please let me stay with you for a while."
"It is very cold tonight. Why don't you come in? We are so poor and we don't have good bedclothes. But if it is okay, you can stay with us."
The lady was very happy to hear the kindness and decided to stay there.
The next day and the following day it was snowing heavily and she had to stay there for several days.
She was so kind that she cooked and did everything for them. She massaged the old couple's shoulders with her gentle hands before going to bed every night.
As they had no children, they thought of her as if she were their own daughter.
One night she said to them,
"Please make me your daughter."
They were very happy to hear it and answered "Yes" without hesitation.
One day she said to her parents.
"I want to make fine cloth. So please buy thread for it."
Her father bought her thread. When she prepared to make fine cloth in her room, she said to her parents.
"From now I'll make fine cloth. While I am working, promise me never to look into my room, Never. Never."
"Ok. We promise. We will never look into your room. So please make a wonderful cloth."
She began to make cloth all day in her room. In the evening she didn't come out of her room but next day and following day she kept on weaving the cloth.
Her parents were listening to the sound of her work.
Three days later in the evening, the sound stopped and she came out with a roll of cloth.
"Mom and Dad, please look at this. I made it."
It was the most beautiful cloth that they had ever seen.
"What a beautiful cloth this is! I've never seen such a beautiful thing before." They were astonished at the beauty of it.
"This is called a crane textile. Why don't you go to the town to sell it tomorrow? And please buy me more thread." she said to her parents.
The next morning the old father went to the town.
"Fine crane textile! Fine crane textile!" said he walking the street. It was sold at a very high price to a rich man. He bought thread and other things with the money. He returned home happily.
The next day the lady began to make a textile again. And three days passed.
The old woman said to her husband.
"What a beautiful textile she makes! I want to look into her room."
"Don't do that. She told us not to look into her room."
But the old wife wouldn't listen to him.
"A little, only a little." she looked into her room.
"Oh my God!" She was very surprised to find a crane in the room.
The crane was making a textile using her long bill; she picked up her feathers and mixed them into the thread.
She almost used up all her feathers.
"There is a crane making textile." She whispered to her husband.
That night she came out of the room with the textile.
"Father and Mother. I'll never forget your kindness. I am the crane you helped on that cold snowy day from the trap. I came here to help you, but I had my true figure seen. I can't stay here any longer. I must say goodbye to you. Thank you very much".
They asked her to stay, but it was impossible.
Opening her arms, she changed into a crane and flew up in the sky and circled over the house and flew away toward the mountain.
The old man and his old wife lived happily ever after with the money they sold the textile.(2006/5/27 Remake helped by Mazuka)
English Reading by George Cooney
