Papuan Fairy Tales/The Dancing Dame
In a certain village lived a woman and her little son, and with them dwelt an old woman, who was the child's grandmother, and she was blind. Now her daughter-in-law, not being willing that the dame should eat unless she also worked, bade her fetch salt water each day from the beach that the food might be salted.
This did the old woman, and she went never astray, for there was but one path to the beach, and with her staff in her hand she went bravely. Now when her eyes were open in the old days, the dame lived ever upon the mountains, and thus had never seen the sea. And it came to pass that on a certain day when she went down to the beach, she heard the waves beating upon the coral cliffs and fancied it was the voice of the drum which she heard. So laying down her staff she fell to dancing, and ceased not until she was weary. Then filling the coconut water bottle with salt water she went back to the house. And her daughter-in-law being angry scolded her for tarrying on the beach, and would have known the cause. But the dame answered not a word, for she feared lest she should be forbidden to listen to the drum again.
On the morrow did she the same as on the day before. Again the waves beat upon the coral, and again the dame thought it to be the voice of the drum. And this time she danced for so long that her daughter-in-law was very angry, and ceased not to scold her for not returning to the house until the night was nigh. And as the dame would not tell her for what cause she remained so long, she resolved to set a watch on her the next day.
Therefore when the dame set out on the morrow her daughter-in-law said to her little son, "Follow thy grandmother to the beach, and bring me word again why she tarrieth so long." And the child did as his mother bade him, and sat down at a distance on the beach to see what the dame would do. Then he saw her lay down her staff and dance to the sound of the waves which beat upon the coral. And when he watched her for long, and saw that she ceased not to dance, he ran back to his mother and said,
"My grandmother is even now dancing alone upon the beach. There is no voice of drum, nor any people, but only the waves beating upon the coral."
Then the woman laughed for scorn that the dame should spend her time in such a manner, and when she returned bearing the sea water she cried, "How loud is thy drum, O dame, seeing it is beaten by a thousand waves!" And she and her child laughed loudly at the blind woman. She heard the taunt and the cruel laughter, and grew cold with shame, and fell to the earth, and her spirit left her. 