Folk Tales/Goose Lake

"Goose Lake" is a folk tale heard on Arrow's path in the game Secret Paths to the Sea. It is narrated by Jenna Logan. The story serves to illustrate for Arrow that bravery and following one's heart can have an outpouring of goodness and lead to new friendships.

The Story
Goose Lake

Long ago, a girl named Mei Ling lived in a village which was suffering from terrible drought. The rice fields were dying and her people were hungry. So Mei Ling went to the mountains to cut bamboo to make brooms to sell. Mei Ling climbed high into the mountains, higher than she ever had before. Suddenly she came upon a clear, blue lake, shimmering in the sun. She saw that the harvest could be saved if she could make the water flow to the fields below.

Mei Ling walked all around the lake, but could find no way to create an opening in the craggy rocks and boulders. She discovered a huge stone gate amidst the rocks, but push as she might, the gate would not open. Mei Ling turned sadly to return home when suddenly a wild goose appeared and whispered, “Sing for the daughter of the Dragon King. She can help you get the golden key which opens the gate.”

Mei Ling sang all the beautiful songs of her people and finally, to her delight, a girl appeared from the lake. “I am Long Wu, the Dragon King’s daughter. Although I am forbidden to meet humans, I could not resist your lovely songs. I grow lonely singing alone. So I’ve come to you in secret.”

“Please, help me get the key to unlock this gate,” Mei Ling begged. “The people in my village need water to save them from hunger.”

“My father guards the key in a cave deep at the bottom of the lake. He would destroy anyone who tried to take it. But if we sing together, he may crawl to the mouth of the cave to listen. If I keep singing, you may be able to sneak past him.”

Gathering all her courage, Mei Ling sang with Long Wu at the mouth of the cave. All went as planned, and she entered the deep darkness. Though dazzled at first by all the jewels and pearls, Mei Ling kept searching until she found the key. Just as the goose had said, the key opened the heavy stone gate. Water flowed down the mountainside to the fields below.

Although the Dragon King was furious when he discovered his loss, he soon returned to admiring his treasures and forgot his anger. The two girls become close friends and met by the stream every morning to sing, their voices blending in beautiful harmony.

Today, women still gather to sing the songs they love, and to celebrate the bravery of the girl who saved her village.

Origins and Other Versions
Another iteration of the tale is "Wild Goose Lake" featuring Sea Girl and the third daughter of the Dragon King who must sing to distract an eagle that guards the mountain lake's gate. An adaptation can be read in Tatterhood and Other Tales (1978) edited by Ethel Johnston Phelps, who adapted it from Folk Tales of China (1965) edited by Wolfram Eberhard. The story's origins can be traced to southwest China's I tribes of Yun-nan.