The Stork

It is said that long, long ago the stork was once a man. It is also said that once the creation of the world was completed, God considered all reptiles and amphibians as dreadful creatures. After gathering these crawlers and stuffing them into a large sack, he tried it securely with a rope and called to Himself a man. “See that swamp over there? Take this sack to it and throw it into the water. I must admonish you, though, not to untie the sack to look at what is in it” the Creator said.

Taking the sack, the man headed toward the swamp, all the while wondering what on earth he was carrying. Once at the swamp and overcome with curiosity, he did the unthinkable — he opened the sack. Behold the sack’s contents were scattered all over the area. Desperately, running to and from, the man tried to gather them all to no avail. Just as instantly as countless frogs, snakes and salamanders repossessed the land, God confronted the fool. “What have you done? Why have you disobeyed me?” God asked angrily. “From now on, you will be no longer be a man, but a stork”, he added.

And it came to pass that from that day on, walking through muddy swamps and fields with unassumingly thin legs, the stork may be seen striking at reptiles and amphibians.

He is also seen nesting on rooftops, near mankind, as if reminiscing about his once human nature. Every March 15th, as the stork migrates from warmer climates, the villagers in the Carpathian region are often heard saying, “Mr. Stork, Mr. Stork, with your red boots step on a frog”.