A Broken Promise
Fairy Tales in Romanian. A Broken Promise.
Hisashi and the Wounded Stork
Once upon a time, when Japan was still young, in a small village, there lived a man named Hisashi. He was kind and young, but fate had not been on his side, and so, he was very poor.
He had to work hard to survive on the long sunny days. But when winter came, he couldn't find much work and sometimes he would starve.
One day, when he was out in the relentless cold, he came across a stork lying in the snow.
— What's that? A stork? Today's my lucky day. I can make soup out of it. Yum!
But when he got closer, he saw how wonderful the stork was and was amazed by its beauty.
— No. I can't cook this stork. It's very beautiful. Oh! What's this? Its wing is hurt. Hmm, what can I do?
He took out a cream from his bag to put on the stork's wing. It was made from several special herbs from the area.
— Here you go, little stork. Let's heal your wing. Oh, don't move! It might hurt now, but you'll heal quickly.
The Bird's Departure
As soon as he said that, the stork began to flap its wing. It no longer hurt. It looked at its rescuer. Hisashi smiled, and the stork started flapping both wings and flew away.
— Well, it seems I won't eat today either. Let's go home.
A Mysterious Visitor
That night, while Hisashi was sleeping soundly, the wind outside blew stronger and stronger. Sometimes he was woken by a sound like a knock at the door.
— Hmm, what? I think it's the wind.
But the knocking continued and grew louder. Hisashi began to worry.
— That doesn't sound like the wind at all. What if it's a thief? I'll go check. Who? Who's there? I asked for your name! Alright, then I'll open the door.
And when he opened the door, he was amazed, for outside, in the relentless cold, stood a beautiful woman. She had a huge bag which she placed beside her.
— Oh, no! Are you alright? Come in quickly!
Then the woman fell into his arms without saying a word.
— Goodness! Her body is cold as ice. She's probably weak. I'll bring the bag in later.
So Hisashi carried the woman to his room and put her in his bed.
— There, now you'll be warm.
Tsuru and the Magic Rice
Hungry and cold, a beautiful stranger in my house. What a strange day! Oh, and night.
Soon, he fell fast asleep in front of the nearly extinguished fire. In the morning, he woke up, and the woman was beside him.
— Hello! My name is Tsuru. I'm sorry I came here last night and disturbed you. — No, it's alright. So, how do you feel? Were you warm last night? — I'm fine and I slept very well. Thank you! — But tell me, where did you come from? — Uh, I, I don't have a home. I was wandering in the cold when I saw your house. I have nowhere to stay. — Well, don't worry. You can stay here as long as you like. And I'd like to give you something to eat, but, as you can see, — Oh, it's no problem! The bag I had with me was full of rice. Where is it? — I put it in the corner. Over there.
Tsuru took the rice and made a pot of boiled rice for both of them. Hisashi hadn't eaten in days. So he gobbled down the whole bowl.
— Mmm, that was fantastic! Ha ha ha! Isn't it better if I stay here? — Ha ha, of course!
A Happy Marriage
So, as the days went by, the two lived happily together. As they got to know each other better, Hisashi fell in love with Tsuru.
— But what can I do? She'll never marry someone like me. Still, I have nothing to lose if I ask her.
— Tsuru, I want to ask you something. Would you, by any chance, marry me? — Ah, yes! — I know I'm poor, but wait! What? You said yes? — Yes! I saw what a good man you are and I would love to marry you.
From then on, Tsuru and Hisashi lived together as husband and wife. Soon, winter ended, and so did Tsuru's bag of grain. Hisashi started working again, but he still earned very little. He was very sad.
The Secret of the Fabric
— My dear, don't worry. I will give you a beautiful fabric to sell at the market. — But where will we get this fabric? — I will make it myself. But this will take five days. I will lock myself in the room and weave the fabric for you. But you must promise me that you will not come in. I will come out myself when I am finished.
Hisashi was puzzled, but he agreed. So that day, Tsuru went into the room and locked herself in for five days. Hisashi didn't know what to do, but he waited patiently for his wife.
On the last day, Tsuru came out of the room holding a wonderful piece of fabric. It had flowers and birds on it and seemed fit for a queen.
— It looks extraordinary! How did you make it, my love? — Shhh! It's a secret! Now go and sell the fabric.
So Hisashi went and sold the fabric. When he came home, he was in a very good mood. He met his wife and told her he had sold the fabric for a handsome sum.
— I'm glad, my dear! With this money, I will cook you something very good.
Hisashi's Curiosity
For a while, things went on like this. Tsuru would lock herself in the room for five days, and Hisashi would wait patiently for her. But each time she came out of the room, she seemed more tired than the last time.
One day, a friend from the town visited Hisashi. They greeted each other and asked how they were doing.
— My wife is the most beautiful and kindest woman, my friend. I wish you could meet her, but she's locked in the room. — What? Why? Didn't you two quarrel?
Then Hisashi explained what Tsuru was doing, and his friend was amused.
— It's strange, isn't it? You're her husband, but you don't even know why she does this. And even stranger is that you don't want to find out her purpose. Well, I must go. Give my regards to your secretive wife. Goodbye!
The Painful Truth
Hisashi worried a lot when he heard his friend's last words. Indeed, he had never asked his wife what she was doing in that room.
— I wonder where she gets that beautiful cloth from. I absolutely must find out!
So this time, he decided to peek. Tsuru trusted her husband, so she no longer locked the room.
So, when Hisashi opened the door, he was shocked when he didn't see his wife, but the stork he had saved many months ago. Poor thing, she was plucking her snow-white feathers to make the wonderful fabric.
— You? Tsuru? You're a stork? — Hisashi, why? Why did you break your promise?
Saying this, Tsuru flapped her wings and flew out the window.
— Tsuru, no! Wait! I'm sorry, Tsuru! — I'm sorry I lied to you, my love, but I wanted to thank you for the night you saved me. And I truly loved you, but you had to trust me! — Stay with me, please! I will keep all my promises!
The Consequences of Distrust
But Tsuru soared into the air and never returned. Hisashi was heartbroken. He loved her very much. And from then on, he never married again. He would walk and gaze at the sky, waiting for her to return, but she never did.
He shattered her trust, and trust cannot be rebuilt. Once it's gone, it probably won't return, and if it does, it will never be the same.
