The Golden Snail
Long ago in a small village, there lived a poor, old widow. She had no children and often felt very lonely. Every day, she went to the muddy river to catch fish or crabs to sell at the market.
One afternoon, she caught nothing but a single, large Golden Snail. "This snail is too beautiful to eat," she thought. So, she brought it home and placed it in a large clay water jar.
The next day, something miraculous happened. When the widow returned from the fields, she found her small hut was spotless. The floor was swept, and a delicious dinner was waiting on the table. "Who could have done this?" she wondered. This strange event happened every day for a week.
Overcome by curiosity, the widow decided to find out the truth. One morning, she pretended to leave for work, but instead, she turned back and hid behind the door to peep inside.
To her amazement, a beautiful young girl emerged from the water jar! The girl began to clean the house and cook. The widow realized the snail was actually a magic princess.
Fearing the girl would turn back into a snail, the widow rushed into the room. She grabbed the empty snail shell and threw it onto the hard floor to shatter it into pieces.
The young girl cried out, "Mother, what have you done?" But without the shell, she could not return to being a snail. She hugged the old widow in a warm embrace. From that day on, they lived happily together as mother and daughter.
Lonely Widow
Magic Snail
Breaking Shell
Family