Tsuru’s Gratitude – The Crane’s Gratitude

But the woodcutter (or his wife, or both - the story varies) couldn’t contain their curiosity. One day, while the girl was at work on her loom, they sneaked in to take a peek.

Instead of the beautiful girl doing the work, they saw a white crane, who is drawing out her feathers, weaving a bolt of cloth using its beak, body, and feathers to create the fine fabric.

The crane notices them immediately and confesses that she is the crane that was rescued by the older woodcutter.

But now that she has been seen by then, she needed to go. A flock of a thousand cranes appeared flying from the sunset in the west and came to poor woodcutter‘s house, circling it. They took up the naked crane, and she flies away. The great flock flew back towards the setting sun as the woodcutter and his wife sorrowfully watched and shed tears of regret.

“A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.”
~Saint Basil