As time passed, the young woman continued to weave. Each time she emerged, she brought out a bolt of cloth more beautiful than the last. The couple sold them for high prices and began living more comfortably than ever before.
But with each passing day, the old man’s curiosity grew. How could such fine cloth be made so quickly? What kind of technique could produce something so magical?
Finally, unable to resist any longer, he quietly approached the closed room. The sound of the loom echoed faintly from inside.
He slid the door open—just a crack. And what he saw made him freeze.
There, in place of the young woman, stood a crane. Its wings were spread wide as it pulled feathers from its own body and wove them into the shimmering cloth.
Realizing she had been seen, the crane slowly turned toward the door. Her eyes were filled with sadness.
“You broke your promise,” she whispered. “I can no longer stay.”