61. A Sparrow With a Single Pea
A sparrow flew all over the village and brought back a single pea. As she was about to eat it, sitting on a fence, the pea slipped from her beak and fell to the ground. The sparrow flew down and started searching for it when a thorn pricked her forehead. Blood flowed from the wound and the sparrow said, “Look, look, my vermilion mark!”
Next day, the wound festered and there was pus. The sparrow said, “Look, look, sandalpaste on my brow!”
In another day, there were maggots in her brow.
“Look, look,” said the sparrow, “My little ones!”
Next day, as she died, the sparrow said, “Look how I sleep!”
Note
[NKTT, but possibly a fragmentary or abridged version of AT 2034D, Bird's Pea gets stuck in socket of Mill-handle (IO).]