The Black Mussel

In ancient times, on the seashore, there lived a poor old woman, all alone. She huddled in a crooked hut—so dilapidated that it seemed a miracle it hadn’t yet collapsed. The old woman had no one in the world—no children, no relatives. To avoid starving, she collected small fish washed ashore by the waves and lived off them. But when a storm raged, the old woman dared not even poke her nose out of her hut, let alone go fishing. She would sit hungry for days and only venture out when the sea calmed. Then she would gather many fish and planks washed ashore by the waves.

One night, a terrible storm arose. Rain poured down, the sea roared, lightning flashed across the sky, and thunderclaps shook the earth as if the world were ending. The old woman cowered in the corner of her cold, damp hut, waiting for the tempest to subside. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind nearly blew the hut away, and at that moment, there was a knock at the door. The old woman was terrified but decided to open it—perhaps someone needed help and shelter.

She opened the door and saw—a large black mussel lying on the threshold. A bright, dazzling light streamed from the narrow gap between its shells. The old woman picked up the mussel, placed it on the table, and went back to close the door. But then she heard a distant voice:

"Do not close the door, and I will richly reward you!"

The old woman obeyed. At that very moment, the lightning ceased to streak across the sky, the storm subsided, and the sea calmed. The hut was filled with a light the old woman had never seen before. This light came from the large black mussel, which slowly opened like a huge black flower.

When the shells fully opened, the old woman could barely stand from astonishment. Inside the shell lay a girl with golden hair and sparkling eyes unlike any human’s. But instead of legs, the girl had a fish tail, adorned with diamonds and pink pearls.

The old woman was overjoyed at the child. She took a basket, lined it with red geranium petals, and placed the little guest inside. She set the basket by the window so that the first rays of the sun would shine on it in the morning, and during the day, the girl could see the sea. After that, the old woman lay down to sleep, rejoicing that her loneliness had come to an end.

When she fell asleep, the door swung open, and a beautiful mermaid wearing a pearl crown appeared in the hut. She bent over the child, gently picked her up, fed her, and laid her back down. At dawn, the mermaid looked sadly at her daughter, quietly approached the old woman’s bed, left a handful of white pearls, and whispered in a barely audible voice:

"Thank you, grandmother, for sheltering my daughter from the evil sorcerer who conquered my kingdom and enslaved me. Keep her with you for thirty days and thirty nights, and I will richly reward you for this."

Having said this, the sea queen vanished at once. When the old woman woke up, she saw the pearls left by the nocturnal visitor. However, she had no need for them. The old woman was far happier to have gathered enough fish on the shore to last her many days.

All day she busied herself with the little one. And when night fell, the hut door opened again, and the beautiful mermaid entered. She fed and caressed the child, again left the old woman a handful of white pearls as a gift, and at dawn disappeared like misty haze over the sea.

The old woman cared for the golden-haired girl for thirty days and thirty nights. And then the final night arrived. The old woman did not go to sleep—she waited for the mermaid. Exactly at midnight, the door creaked, and the beautiful sea princess in her pearl crown entered the hut.

"I have come for my daughter," she said. "Your kindness has defeated the evil sorcerer. If you had not taken in the black mussel and left the door open, we would never have been freed from him. For this, I will richly reward you, grandmother!"

The queen handed the old woman her pearl crown.

The old woman thanked her wholeheartedly for the royal gift and added:

"Take your pearls, beauty. I have no need for them. If you wish to bring me joy, allow me to see your golden-haired girl from time to time."

The sea queen smiled, nodded to the old woman, and disappeared with her daughter before sunrise.

From that day on, the old woman found an abundance of food on the shore every morning. And when the sea became as smooth as glass, she would gaze into the clear waters and see the golden-haired girl with her wondrous eyes and a tail adorned with diamonds and pearls. Then the old woman would say:

"What a beautiful day it is today!"

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The Black Mussel

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