Once long ago, in another time and place, in a small village, there lived a widow and her two daughters. The older daughter was named Pumpkin Vine and the younger one was named Pumpkin Seed.

The family had a garden near the river. They had to work hard to prepare the field for the coming growing season. But they had a problem, because in the middle of the garden was a huge boulder. One day as she was working around the rock, the widow said to herself, “If someone could remove this rock from the middle of my garden I would let him marry one of my daughters.”

At the end of the day, the family went home. The next day, the three women went back to work in the garden and found that the rock was gone! The widow started to laugh and said out loud, “I was only joking. I wouldn’t allow either of my daughters to marry whoever removed that rock.”

The widow thought that was the last of the giant rock. But the next day when the widow and her daughters went back to the field to work, there was the rock, in its original place in the middle of the garden.

Once more the widow said to herself, “If someone would take this rock from the middle of the field I would let him marry one of my daughters.”

The next day the rock was gone again, but the widow said, “I did not mean it. I wouldn’t allow either of my daughters to marry whoever removed that rock,” as she laughed.

The next morning the rock was back in its spot, and the widow again promised one of her daughters in marriage to the person who could remove the rock.

Just like the other times, the rock disappeared from the field and the widow again teased, “I did not mean it. I wouldn’t allow either of my daughters to marry the person who moved the rock.”

The next morning the widow went to the field alone and found the rock back in its place. Giggling a little, the widow whispered, “If someone would take this rock from the middle of the field I would let him marry one of my daughters.”

This time, a snake that was nearby said, “If you promise not to lie anymore I will remove the rock.”

The widow was so startled that she promised not to lie anymore. The snake slithered from the edge of the garden, placed his tail around the rock, and threw it into the river. Since the widow’s two daughters hadn’t come to the field with her, the snake followed the widow home.

When they got home the widow called from outside to her daughters. She told them what had happened and said that one of them would have to marry the snake. Pumpkin Vine and Pumpkin Seed didn’t want to marry the snake. They refused to open the door and let the snake into the house.

The snake and the widow waited and waited until it was dark, but the girls wouldn’t open the door. Then the mother whispered through the door to her daughters, “I will kill the snake when he falls asleep.” Even though her mother had said this would work, Pumpkin Vine, being the older one, still refused to open the door. It was very dark outside by this time.

Pumpkin Seed, on the other hand, thought that things would go as easily as her mother said, so she opened the door.

When the snake got into the house, Pumpkin Vine and Pumpkin Seed were frightened by its huge size and ugly shininess. Pumpkin Vine protested bitterly when her mother asked her to marry the snake. The widow finally convinced Pumpkin Seed to marry the snake. The snake followed Pumpkin Seed wherever she went. It curled up beside her feet when she sat down. When she went to bed, the snake slid into her bed and coiled up beside her.

That night, with a sharp knife in one hand and a candle in the other, the widow crept into Pumpkin Seed’s bedroom to kill the snake. But she discovered it was not an ugly snake sleeping beside Pumpkin Seed, but the most handsome young man that she had ever seen. She couldn’t kill him.

The next day when Pumpkin Seed woke up the snake was still alive. She cried and demanded to know why her mother hadn’t kept her promise and killed it. “I’ll kill the snake tonight, Pumpkin Seed. Please trust me,” begged the widow.

That night, the snake again slid into Pumpkin Seed’s bed and coiled up beside her. The widow came into the room with her sharp knife and the candle and crept up to the bed to kill the snake. Again, though, instead of an ugly snake sleeping beside Pumpkin Seed, it was the handsome young man. Once more, she just couldn’t kill him.

The next morning Pumpkin Seed woke up and there the snake was in her bed, still alive. She cried and cried and demanded to know why her mother hadn’t killed it. “I’ll kill the snake tonight, Pumpkin Seed. Please give me one more chance. Please trust me,” pleaded the widow.

When the sun rose the next morning bright and warm, Pumpkin Seed woke up and there was the snake-still alive. Now Pumpkin Seed had no choice. She had to go with the snake to his home.

On the way they came to a lovely clear stream. “Pumpkin Seed, I will go take a bath over behind the rocks. You wait here while I am gone.”

“All right,” Pumpkin Seed agreed.

“When I am gone, you will see lots of colorful bubbles pouring down the stream. You must not touch the green bubbles. You can play with the white and yellow ones, but do not touch the green bubbles,” warned the snake. Pumpkin Seed nodded in agreement.

The snake had been gone for a while when, sure enough, Pumpkin Seed noticed a variety of colored bubbles floating down the stream. She stood in delighted amazement as the bright, glittering bubbles traveled smoothly down the clear water. She eagerly pulled out some of the yellow bubbles. To her surprise the bubbles turned into gold jewels in her hands. Then she gathered some white bubbles, and they turned into silver jewels. Pumpkin Seed was so happy. She had never had such beautiful riches. She gaily put them on her neck, her wrists, her ears, and her fingers.

As she was admiring them she thought, “Why shouldn’t I have some of the green bubbles?” So she reached down and scooped up some green bubbles, and before her startled eyes they turned into twisting snakes in her hands. They even stuck all over her hands. She frantically tried to remove the snakes, but they wouldn’t come off.

A moment later a young, handsome man came toward her and she quickly hid her wriggling hands behind her back. “Why are you hiding your hands?” asked the man.

Her voice quivered as she told him, “Oh, my husband is a snake. He went up the stream to bathe and he told me to keep my hands like this.”

The young man smiled and said, I am your husband …” Pumpkin Seed interrupted him. “No, you can’t be!”

The man smiled and said, “Look at this!” He raised his arm and showed her the remaining snakeskin in his armpit. She believed him when she saw the skin and felt ashamed when she showed him her hands.

But he simply blew on her hands and the snakes fell off and disappeared like magic. Then they went home and lived happily for the rest of their lives.