Atondido Stories
"Come play with me," said Dionysia.
"I am Labismena and I have come to play with you," replied
the sea serpent.
After that the little princess was very much happier. The sea
serpent came out of the sea to play with her every day when she
was alone. If any one else came near Labismena would disap-
pear into the sea so no one but Dionysia ever saw her.
The years passed rapidly and each year the little princess
grew to be a larger and larger princess. At last she was sixteen
years old and a very grown-up princess indeed. She still enjoyed
her old playmate, Labismena, and they were often together on
the seashore.
One day when they were walking up and down together be-
side the sea the sea serpent looked at Dionysia with sad eyes and
said, "I too have been growing older all these years, dear Diony-
sia. Now the time has come that we can no longer play together.
I shall never come out of the sea to play with you any more, but I
shall never forget you and I shall always be your friend. I hope
that you will never have any trouble, but if you ever should, call
my name and I will come to help you." Then the sea serpent dis-
appeared into the sea.
About this time the wife of a neighbouring king died and as
she lay upon her death bed she gave the king a jewelled ring.
"When the time comes when you wish to wed again," she said, "I
ask you to marry a princess upon whose finger this ring shall be
neither too tight nor too loose."
After a while the king began to look about for a princess to
be his bride. He visited many royal palaces and tried the ring
upon the finger of many royal princesses. Upon some the ring
was too tight and upon others it was too loose. There was no
princess whose finger it fitted perfectly.
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