Once, during low tide, a heron went to a coral reef, but lost its foot and got stuck in a crack. And then the tide comes in! The water began to rise and soon rose up to the heron’s neck.
A heron sees a shark swimming past. She asks:
- Save me!
“Wait a little,” the shark answered and swam away.
A heron sees it and a tuna swims past. Asks again:
- Save me!
“Wait a little,” answered the tuna and also swam away.
Then a cod appeared not far from the heron. But she didn’t want to help the bird out of trouble either. There's a turtle swimming past.
- Sister! - the heron called her. - Help me! I'm afraid the water will soon rise even higher!
The turtle split the coral in which the heron's leg was stuck, and the bird easily flew into the air.
-You saved my life! - she shouted to the turtle. “Look, I’ll be useful to you someday.”
Soon the residents of the village of Hagelonga went fishing. They lowered the net into the water, secured its corners on supports and began to wait.
First, a shark swam into the net.
- Gotcha! Get the net! - some shouted, and others objected to them:
- No, this is not the catch we need! Then a cod swam into the net.
- Gotcha! Get the net! - some shouted again, but others said:
- No, this is not the catch we need!
Many fish were in the nets, but the fishermen again and again released them into the sea.
Finally, a turtle swam into the net.
- That's who we need! — the fishermen rejoiced and, happy, began to pull her ashore.
The fishermen tied the turtle and, laying it on the sand, built a fence around it. The village leader said:
- Tomorrow we will prepare firewood, gather leaves, dig up yams and fry the turtle.
In the morning, some people went for firewood, others for leaves, others went to dig yams, and two boys were left to guard the turtle.
Suddenly a heron flies in and says to the boys:
- Do you want me to dance for you?
“Of course,” the children were delighted, “we really want to see how you dance.”
They brought the heron all sorts of decorations made from dog and dolphin teeth. The heron put them around her neck and began to dance. Dancing, she slowly moved closer and closer to the fence, behind which lay a tied turtle.
The turtle saw the heron and said:
- Sister! They want to kill me!
“I’ll help you,” answered the heron. - After all, you saved me once.
The heron turned to the boys, began to dance even more merrily and suddenly sang:
- Kerembaebae! Kerembaebae! Untie your legs! (And at that time the turtle was untying his legs!)
- Kerembaebae! Kerembaebae! Put your head through the fence!
(And at that time the turtle was sticking its head through the fence!)
- Kerembaebae! Kerembaebae! Get out! Get out! Now all of you get out!
(And by this time the turtle had already crawled out into the wild!)
- Kerembaebae! Crawl to the shore! Kerembaebae! Dive into the water! Kerembaebae! Swim into the depths!
So the turtle was saved. The people returned to the shore, approached the fence, but there was no turtle!
- Who could have dragged her away? - they were surprised. And they ask the boys: “Has anyone been here?”
“Nobody except the heron,” the boys answered. — She danced for us. And we didn’t even notice how the turtle disappeared.
People were upset. And when they carefully examined the sand and saw the tracks of a turtle stretching towards the shore, they realized:
- Nobody stole it. The turtle managed to escape. She went to sea.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru