One day she handed each daughter a basket and told them that she would give a beautiful red shawl to whomever brought back the most fish. Tan worked very hard all day while Cam played and picked flowers. when it was time to go home, Cam tricked Tam into going down to the pond while she poured Tam's fish into her own basket. When Tam discovered what had happened she burst into tears. Buddha appeared and said: "Take the small fish at the bottom of your basket and throw it into the well to raise it." Tam fed the fish a little rice each day. When her step-mother and half-sister found out they caught the fish and ate it. Then Buddha appeared again and told Tam to bury the bones in a container under her bed.
That year the King was having a big party. Tam's step-mother mixed husked rice with paddy and then ordered Tam to stay home and separate them while they went to the party. As Tam sat and cried Buddha appeared, called a flock of sparrows to separate the rice and paddy, and said to the girl, "Go and get the container under your bed." When Tam opened the container she was amazed to find a pair of pretty shoes, a beautiful dress, and a fine horse. Tam put on the dress and shoes and left for the party.
While crossing the bridge, Tam lost a shoe. Soon after, the King's elephant arrived and found the shoe. Seeing that the shoe was so small, the king said that he would marry its owner. Every woman tried to fit the shoe but failed. The King finally was able to place the shoe onto Tam's foot and they were married.
Tam returned to the village on the anniversary of her father's death. She was put to death by her step-mother and half-sister, and then she turned into a bird who followed the King everywhere. Cam, who had taken Tam's place as the King's wife, caught the bird and threw its feathers into the garden. The feathers were turned into lilac trees to which every day the King hung his hammock to enjoy the cool air and think of Tam. Cam had all the trees cut down and a loom was made from their wood, but she was soon driven mad by its creaking. The loom was burned and its ashes thrown on the road side. Where the ashes were thrown a persimmon tree grew with many leaves but only one fruit, which fell in the basket of an old woman who owned a nearby inn. The fruit turned itself into a young woman who helped the old woman make rice cakes and betel quido.
One day the King came to the inn to rest from a trip. When he saw how the betel resembled those made by his former wife Tam, he asked to meet the woman who made them. The King recognized Tam at once and brought her back to the palace where they lived happily ever after.
Now read the story "The Love Crystal" and see if it reminds you of a Western fable.
Copyright
@ 2002 Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth