Atondido Stories
After the christening came a mighty feast to which many
frogs from near and far had been invited. The old frog presented
them all to Lidushka and they made much ado over her, hop-
ping about her and croaking out noisy compliments.
Fish course after fish course was served—nothing but fish,
prepared in every possible manner: boiled and broiled and fried
and pickled. And there was every possible kind of fish: the finest
carp and pike and mullet and trout and whiting and perch and
many more of which Lidushka didn't even know the names.
When she had eaten all she could, Lidushka slipped away from
the other guests and wandered off alone through the house.
She opened by chance a door that led into a sort of pantry. It was
lined with long shelves and on the shelves were rows and rows
of little earthenware pots all turned upside down. It seemed
strange to Lidushka that they should all be upside down and she
wondered why.
She lifted one pot up and under it she found a lovely white
dove. The dove, happy at being released, shook out its plumage,
spread its wings, and flew away.
Lidushka lifted a second pot and under it there was another
lovely dove which at once spread its fluttering wings and flew
off as happy as its fellow.
Lidushka lifted up a third pot and there was a third dove.
"There must be doves under all these pots!" she told herself.
"What cruel creature has imprisoned them, I wonder? As the
dear God has given man a soul to live forever, so He has given
the birds wings to fly, and He never intended them to be impris-
oned under dark pots. Wait, dear doves, and I'll set you all free!"
So Lidushka lifted pot after pot and from under every one of
them an imprisoned dove escaped and flew joyously away.
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