Far away, a swift, rushing river ran through a country of high mountains. A whole school of carp lived in it — and the smallest was a golden one. The oldest carp said, "At the head of the river stands the Dragon Gate. Any fish who leaps that waterfall turns into a dragon!" The little carp's heart went thump-thump. "Come on — let's at least go and look!"
For seven days they swam, and reached the head of the river. Oh my — what a giant of a waterfall! A whole mountain of white water thundering down out of the sky, its spray drifting about like mist. The old carp whispered, "Up there is the gate. No fish has ever, ever crossed it."
And so the leaping began! Splash! Splash! One shot up — and tumbled back. Another shot up — and tumbled back. By day's end everyone was gasping. "It's impossible! Come on, let's just go home." But the little carp lifted her head and said, "You go on. I'll leap one more time."
Her friends let the current carry them away, and the carp stayed behind, alone. She leapt — ten times… twenty… a hundred! Her scales scraped raw, her fins ached. Tell me — would YOU have kept going? Yet every time she splashed back down, she said the same small thing: "Once more. Just once more."
Night came down. A broken moon trembled on the black pool. Tears rose in the tired carp's eyes — can I really do this? And just then she saw it: the falling water smashed the moon into a thousand pieces — and a thousand times it pulled itself whole again. The moon never gives up! "Then neither will I."
The instant dawn's first light touched the water, the carp dove down deep. Then, one great push of her tail — whooosh! Up the wall of white water she climbed, and climbed. The falls slapped at her, shoved her back — still she rose! Bursting through the mist, the little carp sailed clean over the Dragon Gate!
And right then — a blaze of gold! The sky filled with golden light. Her body stretched long, her scales turned to shining gold, and up she flew, coiling through the clouds. A dragon! Her friends had come back to watch — and over them she scattered one sweet burst of rain. "Fall a hundred times — still, leap once more!"
