A beautiful baby-girl was born to a farmer and his wife. They were wonderstruck by her beauty and showered her with a lot of love and affection. The girl grew up to be vain and selfish. Often she went to the clear stream and admired her own reflection. She was always looking at herself and preening. One day, the king of crabs saw her. He was drawn by her beauty. “Will you be my friend?” he asked her. “Oh, you ugly creature! How dare you think I’ll be your friend?” said the girl. The furious crab decided to teach her a lesson. He jumped at the girl and scratched her face. Shrieking in pain, the girl splashed water to wash off her wounds but those wounds soon became hard like scales. The crab king turned her into a fish with scales with his magic. Have you ever seen how fish jerk away when they see their reflection? Perhaps it reminds them how they once lost their beauty.
How Fish Lost Their Beauty
