Crane Feathers

Long, long ago, in a small mountain village, there lived a poor old man and his wife. They were very sad because they had no children.

One snowy winter day, the old man went to the forest. He gathered a large bundle of firewood, loaded it onto his back, and began to descend the mountain. Suddenly, he heard a pitiful cry nearby. He looked and saw a crane caught in a snare, struggling and moaning, clearly calling for help.

"Oh, you poor thing! Hold on a little longer... I'll help you now," said the old man.
He freed the bird. It flapped its wings and flew away, joyously calling out as it went.

Evening came. The old couple sat down to have dinner. Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door.
"Who could it be at such a late hour?"
The old man opened the door and saw a girl standing there, covered in snow.
"I got lost in the mountains," she said. "And to make matters worse, the snow is falling heavily, and I can't see the road."
"Come in," the old woman invited. "We are happy to have a guest."
The old man took the girl by the hand and led her to the hearth:
"Sit down, warm yourself, and have dinner with us."
The three of them ate together. The old couple noticed how beautiful and kind the girl was. She began to help the old woman with the household chores, and then she said:
"Grandma, would you like me to massage your shoulders and back?"
"Oh, thank you, dear. My back really does ache. What is your name?"
"O-Tsuru."
"O-Tsuru, Zhurushka—what a lovely name," praised the old woman.
The kind girl won the hearts of the old couple. They were sorry to part with her.

The next morning, O-Tsuru prepared to leave, but the old couple said to her:
"We have no children, Zhurushka. Stay and live with us."
"I would be happy to stay. I have no one in the world... And in gratitude for your kindness, I will weave you some fine cloth. But I ask one thing: do not look into the room where I will be weaving. I don't like being watched while I work."

The girl set to work. From the next room, all that could be heard was: *kirikara ton-ton-ton*.
On the third day, O-Tsuru brought the old couple a bundle of patterned fabric. Golden cranes flew across a red field.
"What beauty!" marveled the old woman. "I can't take my eyes off it!"
She touched the fabric: it was softer than down, lighter than a feather.
The old man looked at the girl and grew worried:
"It seems to me, Zhurushka, that you've grown thinner. Your cheeks are sunken. I won't let you work so much next time."

Suddenly, a hoarse voice called out:
"Hey, is anyone home?"
It was the merchant Gonta. He traveled through the villages, buying cloth from the peasants. Gonta asked:
"Well, grandma, do you have any cloth to sell? Surely you've woven something over the winter?"
"This time, we have something much better, Mr. Gonta," replied the old woman. "Here, take a look. Our daughter Zhurushka wove this," and she unfolded the scarlet fabric before Gonta. The golden cranes seemed to fly as if alive.
"Oh, such a beautiful pattern—no one in the capital has seen anything like it! Your daughter is quite the craftswoman!" Gonta reached into his purse and pulled out a handful of gold coins. He knew he could sell such remarkable fabric for a hundred times more at the prince's palace.
"Gold coins! Look, real gold!" The old couple couldn't believe their eyes. For the first time in their lives, they had seen gold.
"Thank you, Zhurushka, thank you!" the old man and woman thanked the girl from the bottom of their hearts. "We will live differently now. We'll sew you a new dress for the holiday. Let everyone admire how beautiful you are."

Spring arrived. The sun warmed the earth. Every day, the village children ran to the old couple's house:
"Sister Zhurushka, come play with us!"
Or the children would gather around Zhurushka, and she would tell them fairy tales about various wondrous birds.
The children loved playing with Zhurushka. But one day, Gonta returned.
"Hello, grandpa! Do you have any more of that cloth like last time? Sell it to me, I'll gladly buy it."
"No, don't ask. My daughter can't weave anymore; she gets too tired from the work. I'm afraid she'll get sick."
But Gonta practically forced a purse full of gold coins into the old man's hands.
"I'll pay even more than last time. And if you refuse, you'll regret it. Things will go badly for you. The prince himself sent me," Gonta threatened. "The cloth must be ready in three days, or you'll pay with your heads."

Gonta left, and the old couple began to grieve:
"Disaster, disaster! What will become of us now? We're doomed."
O-Tsuru heard everything. She comforted the old couple:
"Don't be afraid, don't cry. In three days, the cloth will be ready, even more beautiful than before."
The girl went to the weaving room and firmly closed the door behind her.
Soon, a rapid tapping sound could be heard from behind the wall: *kirikara ton-ton-ton, kirikara ton-ton-ton*.
For a day, then another, and a third, the loom tapped away.
"Zhurushka, finish soon, enough already!" the old couple worried. "You must be tired, dear."

Suddenly, a rough voice called out:
"Well, is it ready? Show me." It was Gonta.
"No, we can't show you. Zhurushka strictly forbade anyone from entering while she weaves."
"Oh! What nonsense! I see your daughter is quite the diva. Well, I won't ask her permission!"
Gonta pushed the old couple aside and flung the door wide open.
"Oh, there's a cr-crane!" he stammered in fear.
The old couple entered—and indeed, there stood a large bird at the loom. It spread its wings wide, plucking the softest down from its body with its beak and weaving it into beautiful fabric: *kirikara ton-ton-ton, kirikara ton-ton-ton*.
The old couple quickly shut the door, and Gonta ran away as fast as he could—he was so frightened.

The next morning, the children came to call for Zhurushka.
"Zhurushka, come out, play with us or tell us a story."
But the weaving room was silent.
The old couple, frightened, opened the door and saw: no one was there. On the floor lay a beautiful patterned cloth, and scattered around it were crane feathers... The old couple called for their daughter, searched and searched, but they never found her...

That evening, the children cried out in the yard:
"Grandpa, grandma, come quickly!"
The old couple ran out and looked... Oh, it was a crane. The very same crane! It called out, circling above the houses. It flew heavily...
"Our Zhurushka, Zhurushka!" the old couple wept.
They realized that the bird the old man had saved had turned into a girl... But they couldn't keep her.
"Zhurushka, come back to us, come back!"
But it was all in vain. Sadly, as if saying goodbye, the crane cried out one last time and disappeared into the sunset sky.

The old couple waited for a long time, but Zhurushka never returned.
They say that on one of the distant islands, there is a large lake. Fishermen have seen a crane with plucked feathers there. The crane walks along the shore, always gazing in the direction where the old couple remained.

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Crane Feathers

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