White Wave

The Story
Note: Shrine is located in the hills of Southern China

Long ago, a very lonely and young farmer was walking through a forest when he saw a beautiful white stone shining in the moonlight. His name was Kuo Ming. When he picked it up he realized it wasn't white, but every color of the rainbow. It wasn't even a stone, it was a moon snail.

He brought the snail home but it in an earthen jar, and gave it fresh leaves. Next morning, he picked some more leaves for the snail and went to work. When he came home, dinner was waiting for him. Yet, no one was there. the same thing happened the next day, witch a wild flower in the vase - wild peach. This continued for awhile.

One morning, he woke up earlier than usual and acted as though he was going to work, but whirled around and stood outside the window. When the first light of day touched the earth, he heard something. Out came a beautiful girl from the jar.

She was pure light. Her dress was silk, and ash she moved her dress ripples and changed from silver to white to gold. Wherever she stepped in the room, the room shone. He knew she was a moon goddess, and he must never touch her.

He watched her every morning before he went to work. He was no longer a lonely young man. He was happy.

One morning she was sweeping the floor, and her long black hair fell across her face and a great longing came over him. He wanted to touch her hair and he forgot what he knew, rushing into the room.

The goddess said she must leave now that the farmer had forgotten what he knew. She told him if he could stay still and count to five, she would leave him a gift. As she counted, she left him her shell, saying if he was ever in great need to call her by name, White Wavve, and she will come. A streak of lightining and roll of thunder later, a great wind swept the goddess away with rain pouring down.

The farmer decided to build a shrine for White Wave, a stone house where she could live peacefully. White, pink, and gray stones. He began to starve as he worked though.

The shrine was finally completed, when the farmer was terribly weak from hunger. He stumbled home and tripped over the earthen jar with the shell falling out. He picked it up and called "White Wave, I need you." A wave of gleaming white rice cascaded out of the shell, it would last him until next harvest.

He never called her name again, but worked harder and his harvests began to fluorish. the shrine stood on the hill above their house. His children would visit but never see her.

When the old man died, the shell was lost and the shrine eventually disappeared too. All thsat remains is the story.

But that's how it is with all of us. When we die, all that remains is the story.

My rendition was a summary of the book white wave by diane wolkstein and ed young.

Ties with the story
Obviously someone finds White Wave's shell and uses it.