(713) Snail Lady /Cat tale 18

Once upon a time, there was a poor fisherman who was an orphan. He often spent the whole night fishing and came home to an empty hut.

Apart from the fact that  he was young and healthy, he had a good voice and loved to sing. While he was catching fish, he could not make much noice or the fishes would be frightened. Therefore, he often sang at home or  while mending fishing nets by the shore.

One day, he came home after spending the whole night fishing. Lo and behold, his meal was cooked and waiting for him in his humble kitchen. He was most surprised but ate with a grateful heart. Next day, he walked to his nearest neighbour and asked if they were so kind as to cook his meal the previous day. No! Nobody did,  they neither had the time nor even thought of doing that!

The next time he went to sea, he made a point of coming back earlier to see who cooked for him. Instead of singing on the way to his hut, he walked quietly and slipped from shadow to shadow. First he heard a young  lady's voice singing from his kitchen. Next he saw a cat curled up next to his door step. Then he saw a pretty young lady busy preparing his simple meal. He back tracked to the well and saw a big conch shell. Remembering a folktale he heard as a young boy, he suspected that the young lady was a form taken by the being in the shell. He hid the shell well and went to introduce himself to his good luck helper.

Being trapped without the shell to return to, the pretty lady stayed and became the fisherman's wife. Years passed. The couple had children and lived happily. One day, one of the grand children asked how did grand father meet grand mother. The old man took out the conch shell to show the grand kids. As fast as a gust of wind, grand mother disappeared with the shell. Along with that, the cat that was deeply attached to grand ma was no where to be found. Then only did they realised that cat was not an ordinary cat. For it was the same cat that the young man saw the day he met his would be wife.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow the words of this law.

cat-in hello-kitty-clothes1.jpg from catsinclothes.com