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Kutti Rani Padmini

The king of Mahadesh had given his little daughter Kutti Rani Padmini a small golden apple for her birthday. A merchant from Persia had given it to the king and the little princess  liked it a lot. When you opened the apple a young ballerina would dance to beautiful notes. Even when she went to sleep the little princess would keep it near her pillow.

One day she was playing with it near the well and the apple fell into the well. The king’s soldiers tried to bring it out. But of no use. The  golden apple just sank into the deep waters of the well.

But the princess felt very sad. Day by day she became weak and just pecked at her food. She longed for her lost apple but no body could get it back.

The king became worried. He issued a proclamation whosoever got back the apple or at least one similar to it would get one thousand gold coins. Many princes came but no luck. The princess became sadder and sadder.

One day a young lad came to the king’s court and said he would try his luck. He asked for a horse and set out on his journey.

He was trotting along the sea-coast when he came across a mermaid half-lying on the sand. She pleaded with the lad to put her back into the sea. He readily obliged for he was a kind soul. As a reward the mermaid said she would show him how to get the golden apple. It was lying deep in the seabed. She sprinkled a powder on him so that he could swim into the depths of the sea.

After swimming deeper and deeper for a very long time, he saw a palace shimmering in the sea. It was made of mother-of-pearl and had a silver door at the entrance. The boy opened it and entered the palace. How beautiful it was! There were several rooms  with walls made of powdered pearl and bordered with diamonds. Without losing time he swam to the central hall. There, placed on a golden table encrusted with gems was a golden apple. It was guarded by a fierce, big dog. The boy threw some of the powder the mermaid had given him at it. It went to sleep. Quickly he opened the golden apple. More beautiful than the other one. The little doll was of porcelain and she was wearing a blue dress of the finest silk. On her head she wore a tiara of diamonds. It glittered  as she moved round and round to a haunting melody.

The boy closed the apple, put it in his pocket and swam swiftly out of the palace before the dog could wake. He swam faster and faster to the shore, mounted his horse and galloped fast to the palace. He entered the king’s court and offered the  apple to the king, who in turn gave it to the princess.

She smiled at the boy and ran into the inner courtyard to play with her new toy. The king not only gave the lad the promised gold coins but also his daughter’s hand in marriage.

Kutti Rani Padmini lived happily ever after with the golden apple and her husband. On moonlit nights the mermaid would swim up the canal which flowed below the princess’ room and listen to the music from the golden apple.