Kanya

It was a long time ago, at the very beginning of the world, when the earth was still unfinished. There were mountains, valleys, forests, and fields, but there were no rivers, lakes, or springs with cold water. People managed somehow: they would dig a deep well, fetch water, and live happily. But what about the animals and birds? After all, if you’re thirsty, you can’t run to the distant sea, and puddles after the rain dry up quickly, the water seeping into the ground. So the animals and birds gathered for a big meeting to decide what to do. They thought for a long time, weighing their options, and decided to dig large reservoirs, lakes, carve out rivers and streams, and dig springs. And while they worked, the wolf wouldn’t touch the lamb, the hawk wouldn’t touch the chick, and the fox wouldn’t touch the hare. Everyone agreed to this. Only the lapwing thought highly of herself: she strutted on her long legs, stroking her white breast.

"There are plenty of you without me," she said. "I have no claws, my legs are thin—how can I dig the earth with them? My feathers are white, they’ll get dirty. And I’m not used to running on the ground. It’s much better to soar in the sky, there I feel at home, like at my father’s house."

"So what," the animals and birds protested, "do you want us to work for you?"

"I’m not asking you to," the lapwing replied arrogantly. "The dew will fall, I’ll drink from a leaf; if it rains, my wings are fast, I’ll swallow droplets in flight. How much water do I need anyway?"

The animals and birds saw that the lapwing was sowing discord at the great gathering and could ruin the whole plan if others followed her example. So the great assembly of animals and birds decided to curse the lapwing with a terrible curse:

"May the lapwing and all her kind never drink water from rivers, streams, lakes, springs, or even the blue sea."

And they set to work. Moles searched for water veins underground. The bear uprooted stumps and overturned stones. Wild boars dug trenches with their snouts. Partridges scraped the earth. The swallow was the first to pick up a clump of earth in her beak, carry it to a hill, and dump it there. And after her, all the other birds began carrying earth in their beaks from the future riverbeds. They worked for many years until they had dug rivers and lakes all over the earth, carrying the earth grain by grain to the hills. But then a good life began for them: they could live wherever they wanted, raise their young wherever they pleased, and there was water everywhere. And they grew so accustomed to the places where they had worked together that they settled mostly near the water, while geese, ducks, seagulls, and among the animals—beavers, otters, and many others—stayed to live right on the water. The lapwing also settled near the water. But even if she wanted to drink from a river or spring, she couldn’t: the water would get stuck in her beak. She could only drink when a drop of dew rolled straight down her throat or when raindrops fell directly into her mouth.

Even if a drought came, the birds and animals didn’t grieve: if small streams dried up, the big rivers and lakes remained. But for the lapwing, it was bitter sorrow, and she would fly around, crying:

"Drink, drink, drink..."

And she would cry until the rain came.

That’s why, when lapwings fly around begging for water, people know that rain is coming soon. Fairy girl