The Two Melons
by Unknown · from Tales of Wonder Every Child Should Know
Adapted Version
Once there was a kind old woman. She lived in a small house. She washed clothes by the water. She saw a little bird. The bird was hurt. It fell into the water.
The Kind Old Woman picked up the bird. She took it home. She cared for the bird. She gave it food. The bird got well. It flew away.
Days later, the little bird came back. It had a small seed. It put the seed down. It was a thank you.
The Kind Old Woman planted the seed. It grew very fast. It grew very big. It was a giant melon.
The Kind Old Woman was sad. She needed money. She was sick. She cut the big melon.
Inside the melon was shiny gold. There was silver too. The Kind Old Woman was happy. She paid her debts. She bought food. She bought many things.
The Kind Old Woman had new things. Her neighbor saw them. The Greedy Neighbor was nosy. She wanted gold too. She watched the old woman.
The Greedy Neighbor saw a bird. She was not kind. She hurt the bird on purpose. The bird fell down. She wanted a magic seed.
The Greedy Neighbor took the bird. She cared for it. The bird got well. It flew away. It came back with a seed.
The Greedy Neighbor planted her seed. It grew very big. It was a giant melon. Just like the other one.
The Greedy Neighbor thought she was rich. She bought many things. She bought fancy clothes. She spent too much money. She owed money.
The Greedy Neighbor cut her melon. She expected gold. But inside were two men. They were old. They were hungry.
The two men said, "We will live here now. We will eat your food." The Greedy Neighbor was unhappy. She had no gold. She had two hungry men.
The Kind Old Woman was happy. She was good. The Greedy Neighbor was sad. She was not kind.
Original Story
The Two Melons
n honest and poor old woman was washing clothes at a pool, when a bird that a hunter had disabled by a shot in the wing, fell down into the water before her. She gently took up the bird, carried it home with her, dressed its wound, and fed it until it was well, when it soared away. Some days later it returned, put before her an oval seed, and departed again. The woman planted the seed in her yard and when it came up she recognized the leaf as that of a melon. She made a trellis for it, and gradually a fruit formed on it, and grew to great size.
Toward the end of the year, the old dame was unable to pay her debts, and her poverty so weighed upon her that she became ill. Sitting one day at her door, feverish and tired, she saw that the melon was ripe, and looked luscious; so she determined to try its unknown quality. Taking a knife, she severed the melon from its stalk, and was surprised to hear it chink in her hands. On cutting it in two, she found it full of silver and gold pieces, with which she paid her debts and bought supplies for many days.
Among her neighbours was a busybody who craftily found out how the old woman had so suddenly become rich. Thinking there was no good reason why she should not herself be equally fortunate, she washed clothes at the pool, keeping a sharp lookout for birds until she managed to hit and maim one of a flock that was flitting over the water. She then took the disabled bird home, and treated it with care till its wing healed and it flew away. Shortly afterward it came back with a seed in its beak, laid it before her, and again took flight. The woman quickly planted the seed, saw it come up and spread its leaves, made a trellis for it, and had the gratification of seeing a melon form on its stalk. In prospect of her future wealth, she ate rich food, bought fine garments, and got so deeply into debt that, before the end of the year, she was harried by duns. But the melon grew apace, and she was delighted to find that, as it ripened, it became of vast size, and that when she shook it there was a great rattling inside. At the end of the year she cut it down, and divided it, expecting it to be a coffer of coins; but there crawled out of it two old, lame, hungry beggars, who told her they would remain and eat at her table as long as they lived.
Story DNA
Moral
Kindness and genuine compassion are rewarded, while greed and calculated self-interest lead to misfortune.
Plot Summary
A poor, honest old woman rescues a wounded bird, which later rewards her with a magical seed that grows into a melon filled with gold and silver. A greedy neighbor, upon learning of this, intentionally harms a bird to replicate the deed. She also receives a magical seed, but when her melon ripens, it reveals two old, hungry beggars who declare they will live with her indefinitely, serving as a consequence for her calculated cruelty.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph for the good, anticipation to disappointment for the bad
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story reflects common folk tale themes found across many cultures, emphasizing moral behavior and the consequences of greed, often with a touch of magical realism.
Plot Beats (13)
- A poor, honest old woman finds a wounded bird while washing clothes.
- She takes the bird home, nurses it back to health, and releases it.
- The bird returns days later, leaving an oval seed for the woman.
- The woman plants the seed, which grows into a giant melon.
- Facing illness and debt, the woman cuts open the ripe melon.
- The melon is filled with silver and gold, allowing her to pay debts and buy supplies.
- A nosy, greedy neighbor discovers the source of the old woman's wealth.
- The neighbor intentionally maims a bird to mimic the old woman's actions.
- She nurses the bird, which returns a seed to her.
- The neighbor plants the seed, and it also grows into a vast melon.
- Anticipating wealth, the neighbor goes into debt, buying luxuries.
- She cuts open her melon, expecting riches, but finds two beggars inside.
- The beggars announce they will live with her and consume her resources indefinitely.
Characters
The Honest Old Woman
A small, frail woman, likely stooped from years of hard labor and poverty. Her hands would be calloused and wrinkled from washing clothes.
Attire: Simple, worn peasant clothing, likely made of coarse, undyed linen or homespun cotton. A long, practical dress or tunic, perhaps with a plain apron over it, and sturdy, comfortable shoes or sandals, all showing signs of mending and age. The colors would be muted, earthy tones.
Wants: To survive her poverty with dignity, to care for living creatures, and to pay her debts.
Flaw: Her extreme poverty and the physical toll it takes on her, leading to illness.
Starts in deep poverty and illness, but through her act of kindness, she receives unexpected wealth, allowing her to live comfortably and pay her debts.
Honest, compassionate, patient, humble, hardworking, resilient.
The Busybody Woman
Likely of average build, perhaps a bit more robust than the honest old woman due to her less strenuous life. Her appearance would suggest a focus on material comfort rather than hard labor.
Attire: Initially, likely similar peasant clothing to blend in, but with a desire for 'fine garments.' Later, she would wear new, perhaps gaudy, but still era-appropriate clothing, showing off her perceived wealth, like a brightly colored linen dress with some simple embroidery, or a new wool shawl.
Wants: To become rich quickly and effortlessly, to surpass her neighbors, and to indulge in luxuries.
Flaw: Her insatiable greed and lack of genuine compassion, which leads to her downfall and deeper debt.
Starts with envy and a desire for wealth, attempts to replicate the honest woman's success through manipulation, and ends up in deeper debt and burdened by two beggars, learning a harsh lesson about greed.
Envious, greedy, cunning, impatient, materialistic, self-serving.
The Bird
A small, common wild bird, likely a sparrow or similar species, with soft brown and grey plumage. Initially, one wing is visibly injured and drooping.
Wants: To repay kindness and to teach a lesson about greed.
Flaw: Vulnerable to human harm.
Injured, healed, then acts as an agent of magical justice, rewarding kindness and punishing greed.
Grateful, observant, discerning, magical.
The Two Beggars
Two very old, frail men, visibly lame and thin from hunger and hardship. Their clothes would be ragged and dirty.
Attire: Extremely tattered and patched garments, made of coarse, dirty fabrics, barely covering them. Perhaps simple, worn tunics and trousers, with holes and stains, indicative of a life on the streets.
Wants: To find food and shelter, to survive.
Flaw: Their physical infirmities and extreme poverty.
They appear suddenly from the melon and remain a permanent fixture in the busybody woman's life, symbolizing her punishment.
Needy, persistent, dependent.
Locations
Riverside Washing Pool
A natural pool of water, likely part of a river or stream, where clothes are washed. The bank is probably overgrown with common riverside plants like burdock or reeds.
Mood: Initially mundane and peaceful, later becomes a place of deliberate action and anticipation.
The old woman finds the injured bird; the busybody deliberately injures a bird here.
The Old Woman's Humble Yard
A small, unkempt yard belonging to a poor old woman's simple, probably thatched-roof cottage. It has enough space for a plant to grow and a trellis to be erected.
Mood: Initially humble and ordinary, transforming into a place of wonder and unexpected fortune.
The magic seed is planted, the giant melon grows, and is eventually harvested, revealing its treasure.
The Busybody's Yard
A yard similar in function to the old woman's, but perhaps slightly more ostentatious or simply reflecting the busybody's character, where her own melon grows.
Mood: Initially hopeful and greedy, turning into disappointment and a sense of entrapment.
The busybody's melon grows to vast size, and she cuts it open, only to find beggars instead of riches.