Once upon a time there was an old fisherman Ye Myint and his wife Aye Aye Se wholived by the river Irrawady. Every day they cast their net and caught fish, which they sold at the local market. The old man and his wife did not have any children.
One day while fishing as usual, Ye Myint cast his net and waited for the catch. He was surprised to get only an egg. He recognised it as a crocodile egg.
He called out to his wife who picked up the egg, took it home and put it under some straw. Some days later the egg hatched and a small baby crocodile came out.
Ye Myint and Aye Aye Se were very happy. They called the crocodile Rain Cloud and treated him as their son. Every day, after they returned from fishing, the old man and his wife would call out to Rain Cloud and feed him the choicest fish from their catch.
Ye Myint made a small enclosure of river water where Rain Cloud swam safe from any predators.
As the days went by, Rain Cloud grew and soon he was too big for the small pond that his father had made. So, with a heavy heart Ye Myint and Aye Aye Se put him back him in the river.
But every day, without fail, both would go and call out to Rain Cloud to feed him.Soon Rain Cloud became very strong and all the fishes and other crocodiles grew afraid of him.
As a result, Rain Cloud became very vain and proud. He no longer took Ye Myint and Aye Aye Se to be his parents but as ordinary human beings who came every day tofeed him and pay homage.
One day, as Ye Myint called out to Rain Cloud, he slithered from the tall bull rushes and came to the bank of the river. He was in a bad and vicious mood.
As the fisherman put out the fish for him to eat, Rain Cloud went underwater and caught hold of his ankle, pulling him towards the water.
"My son what are you doing?" asked Ye Myint.
"Why, I have decided to eat you," said Rain Cloud with an angry hiss.
"But I am your father and I have always looked after you so much with love and care."
"I have to eat you nevertheless," said Rain Cloud, his eyes red with anger.
"Okay you can do that but let me pray for the last time," requested Ye Myint. Rain Cloud agreed and the old man fell on his knees, closed his eyes and with all his heart prayed that the next birth he should be born as the Master of White Magic so that he could take revenge on the crocodile. For Rain Cloud had broken his trust.
After he had finished praying, Rain Cloud dragged the fisherman to the river and ate him up.
After that day Rain Cloud became even more vicious and was greatly feared by animals, fish and humans who fished by the river. He now was the King of Irrawady.
As he was handsome and powerful, many female crocodiles fell in love with him. Rain Cloud gave them the royal ignore as he was busy being the dominant king.
But as the years went by, Rain Cloud mellowed down. He started thinking about his past and felt remorseful at eating up the old man who had been a father to him. He would often think of him and feel very guilty.
Rain Cloud stopped being vain and turned kind and helpful, especially toward humans. He wanted to do make up for what he had done.
Now crocodiles can take on human forms after they are 100 years old. So, after Rain Cloud turned 100, he shed his scaly crocodile skin on the banks of Irrawady andwalked out as a handsome young man.
He worked as an artist who excelled in painting landscape that brought out the incredible blues of the sky, the soaring birds or nesting cranesand the silver grey of the river.
It was while painting, that he met a beautiful youngwoman Soe Mein, fell in love with her and married her.
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