Atondido Stories
Why the Sea Moans
Once upon a time there was a little princess who lived in a mag-
nificent royal palace. All around the palace there was a beautiful
garden full of lovely flowers and rare shrubs and trees. The part
of the garden which the princess liked most of all was a corner of
it which ran down to the sea. She was a very lonely little princess
and she loved to sit and watch the changing beauty of the sea.
The name of the little princess was Dionysia and it often seemed
to her that the sea said, as it rushed against the shore, "Di-o-ny-si
-a, Di-o-ny-si-a."
One day when the little princess was sitting all alone by the
sea she said to herself, "O! I am so lonely. I do so wish that I had
somebody to play with. When I ride out in the royal chariot I see
little girls who have other little boys and girls to play with them.
Because I am the royal princess I never have anybody to play
with me. If I have to be the royal princess and not play with oth-
er children I do think I might have some sort of live thing to play
with me."
Then a most remarkable thing happened. The sea said very
slowly and distinctly and over and over again so there couldn't
be any mistake about it, "Di-o-ny-si-a, Di-o-ny-si-a."
The little princess walked up close to the sea, just as close as
she dared to go without danger of getting her royal shoes and
stockings wet. Straight out of the biggest wave of all there came
a sea serpent to meet her. She knew that it was a sea serpent
from the pictures in her royal story books even though she had
never seen a sea serpent before, but somehow this sea serpent
looked different than the pictures. Instead of being a fierce mon-
ster it looked kind and gentle and good. She held out her arms to
it right away.
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