The Grateful Crane
In a snow-kissed village, where the air was crisp and the landscape blanketed in a pristine white, lived a humble couple whose home stood modestly amidst the frozen expanse. The old man, spent his days tending to his small farm and his wife, wove warm fabrics on her loom for a living.
One day, as the man was walking home, he came across a crane caught in a trap. With great care, he freed the bird and nursed its wounds. After some time, the crane regained its strength and flew off toward the distant hills.
That night, as the man was telling his wife about his day, there was a knock on the door. A young woman, lost in a snowstorm, asked to stay the night. The kind couple welcomed her in. The snow showed no signs of stopping, covering the ground for days on end. So, she stayed with them, helping around the house and becoming like a daughter to them. 
One morning, the young woman asked if she could weave cloth, but with one request: "Don’t peek while I’m working." The old couple promised. For three days and nights, they heard the clattering loom. When she finally finished, the cloth she made was the most beautiful they had ever seen. The man took it to town and sold it for a handsome price. Impressed by its quality, the merchant eagerly asked him to bring more.
The couple hesitantly asked the young woman to weave another roll. She agreed, and again, the loom clattered for three days. The second cloth was even more beautiful. The man sold it for even more money. Though the young woman said it would be her last, the couple asked her to weave just one more.
Curiosity got the best of them. On the third night, the old couple peeked through the door. To their surprise, they saw a crane at the loom, pulling out its own feathers to weave into the cloth. Shocked, they closed the door.
Soon after, the young woman, looking frail, brought out the last cloth. “You broke your promise,” she said sadly. “I am the crane you saved. I wanted to repay your kindness, but now I must leave.”
As the first rays of dawn painted the sky with hues of pink and orange, she stepped outside the house, her human form melting away like snow beneath the sun. Where she had been richly covered with feathers when the man first encountered her in the trap, though, there were now bare patches across her body.
With a final, mournful cry that echoed through the crisp morning air, she soared into the sky. The old couple watched as her silhouette grew smaller and smaller with a sense of peace and gratitude for the magical encounter they had shared.
