People say I am the most beautiful dancer in Yedo. My father was a samurai, but after he died, my mother and I had no food to eat, so I sold myself into bondage. The money that bought me is called Namida no Kané, which means “the money of tears.” I dwell in the narrow...
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Girl in a Paper Dress
Why did my father have to take a wife? He didn't want one. But here she is, with her nasty daughter. They torment me constantly. Now in the middle of winter, when the snow has piled high as the windows, my stepmother is ordering me to wear a paper dress and go out to...
Hyacinthia Who is Trapped in the Underworld
I am one of thirty young women who have been trapped underground by my father who is a powerful magician. He allows us to surface and play in the water as ducks, but then we must put on our white robes and return through the portal of the willow tree that stands by...
Underworld Maiden
In the house where I live, I serve an old grey-bearded man. I am not allowed to speak. Only the old man can speak, and his grandmother, whose snoring can be heard throughout the countryside. But the rest of us must remain silent. Not even the oxen are allowed to...
Makoma the Hero
The head of the giant rose out of the river. His long moustaches trailed up and down the channel as far as the eye could see. He said his name was Chin-debou-Mau-giri. He told me that he is the one who makes the fever-mist that hangs over the water. With it, he binds...
Mother Mansrot
I fell down through the glass mountain, miles into the earth. Why had my father built the glass mountain in the first place? And by what magic did it open up like a trap door and swallow me whole? An old fellow with a long grey beard came to meet me where I landed. He...
Queen Who Beheads the King
I had been put in a castle far away, on the other side of sea filled with giants and birds who would peck out the eyes of anyone who dared to sail through their territory. The king's outrider, a handsome lad named Ferdinand, came for me. He fed the giants, and they...
Blue Light
In the beginning, I belonged to a witch who kept me underground, hidden in her hoard of treasure. Then one day, a solider unearthed me. When he lit his pipe by me, a little black dwarf appeared, and carried out his orders. So now my master, who was once a wounded...
Raven Princess
My mother has turned me into a raven, and though I have told a young man how to set me free, he can't resist the temptation to eat and drink. For three days, he has failed to stay awake. He has lost his chances now, and so I have left him with several gifts. I have...
Prince Loved by the Undine Queen
I spent seven years living under the lake with the ravishing green-haired queen. She wanted to marry me, but I only thought of Abeille. "It is only Abeille I wish to marry," I said repeatedly. "Let me go home. Please." I might as well have been talking to the wind....
Maiden About to Be Eaten
I am chained to a rock in the middle of a torrent, waiting for a seven-headed serpent to get hungry. When he does, he'll eat me. Who could possibly save me? No one from my country. The serpent has already eaten all the men and most of the women in this land. My...
Heartless Man’s Wife
I watched the old wizard wave his wand and turn my sisters and their lovers into stone statues. He spared me because I didn't have a partner. He took me into his cottage and made me his wife. He explained that he was terribly lonely in the deep wood. I asked him,...
Spinning Daughter
My father has bragged to the king that I can spin straw into gold. Now the king has locked me in a room, and I must show that I can do it. How can I do it? It's an impossible task! Why did my father have to brag about me? I never wanted any sort of fame. I was content...
Fairies’ Child
The fairies have raised me and given me everything beautiful and rare, and yet they confine me in a tower, high in the air. I only know fairies. I have no other companions but a parrot and a dog who can both talk. Yet they can tell me nothing more than I already know....
Princess Rosalie
I have been snatched by the Lord of the Air and imprisoned in a huge, unfamiliar palace. He is demanding that I marry him, but I will not, no matter how much he storms around. He has left in a fury. What is this? A pen is rising over the desk, and hovering. Now it is...
Princess in the Marble Tower
My father doesn't give a whit for his country. He spends all his time on riddles! He has shut me into a marble tower with seventy windows, seventy feet from the ground. Now he has sent his heralds out to proclaim that whoever can climb the walls to my windows will...
Hopeful Ferryman
When did I begin to ferry the dead over the wide river? I cannot remember. It was such a long time ago. Back and forth, back and forth.... It is all I know, except for a growing longing to be free, which is making my job a hellish suffering. Today, I ferried a young...