Once upon a time in the western portion of China there was a ruined Monastery, in which stood a huge pagoda. The pagoda was several hundred stories high. Three or four people could still find room to stand on its very top.
In that part there lived a beautiful young girl. One fine day on a very hot summer’s noon she was sitting near the window where cool breeze was blowing, trying to keep her cool. The breeze turned into a cyclone blew her and carried her off. When she opened her eyes, there she was on top of the pagoda, and beside her stood a young man in the dress of a Prince.
The prince was very polite to the beautiful young maiden, and said to her: “It seems as though heaven had meant to bring us together, and if you promise to marry me, we will be very happy.” The young was surprised by hearing but she disagreed. So the prince said that until she changed her mind she would have to remain on the pagoda-top. The prince then bought some bread and wine for the young girl to satisfy her hunger and thirst, and disappeared.
Thereafter the prince visited the young girl everyday and asked her whether she had changed her mind, and each day she told him she had not. While going the prince carefully closed the openings in the pagoda-top with stones, and he had also removed some of the steps of the stairs, so that she could not climb down. And when he came to the pagoda-top he always brought her food and drink, and he also presented her with rouge and powder, dresses and mandarin-coats and all sorts of jewelry. He told her he had bought them in the market place. And he also hung up a great carbuncle-stone so that the pagoda-top was bright by night as well as by day. The maiden had all that heart could wish, and yet she was not happy.
One day it happened that the prince while going forgot to lock the door. The maiden spied on him without his knowing it, and saw that from a prince he turned himself into an monster, with hair red hair and a face as black as coal. His eyeballs bulged out of their sockets, and his mouth looked like a dish full of blood. Crooked white fangs thrust themselves from his lips, and two wings grew from his shoulders. Spreading them, he flew down to earth and at once turned into a man again.
The young girl trembled with terror and burst into tears. Looking down from her pagoda she saw a wanderer was walking below. She called out, but the pagoda was so high that her voice did not carry down to him. She waved her hand, but the wanderer did not look up. Then she could think of nothing else to do but to throw down the old clothes she had formerly worn. They fluttered through the air to the ground.
The wanderer was surprised to see the clothes falling from the sky. He looked up at the pagoda, and to his surprise at the very top he saw a tiny figure which looked like that of a girl; yet he could not make out her features. For a long time he wondered who it might be, but in vain. A sudden thought came to his mind“My neighbor’s daughter,” said he to himself, “was carried away by a magic storm. Is it possible that she may be up there?” The wanderer collected the clothes took it with him and showed them to the maiden’s parents, and when they saw them they burst into tears. But the maiden had a brother, who was stronger and braver than any one for miles around. When the tale had been told him he took a heavy axe and went to the pagoda. There he hid himself behind the bushes and waited for what would happen.
When the sun was just going down, the monster came to the pagoda, spread his wings and was about to enter inside. The maiden's brother who was waiting behind the bush flung his ax at him and struck the monster on his arm. The monster roared in pain and fled away from the spot.
The brave brother tried to climb the pagoda but it was too tall for him to climb. He went back and told the whole story to his neighbors and took their help. With them he returned the following morning and they climbed up into the pagoda. Most of the steps of the stairway were in good condition for the monster had only destroyed those at the top. But they were able to get up with a ladder, and then the brother fetched down his sister and brought her safely home again.
And that was the end of the Story.
No comments :
Post a Comment