"The Lotus Flower and the Dragon King" is a Chinese folk tale.

Long ago, a poor old blind man in China had just one blessing — his daughter, Shimchong. The gentle, generous girl brightened her father's dark life.

One day the old blind man was wandering in the woods on a familiar path when he lost his footing and fell into a water hole. He struggled to climb out, but could not, and, certain he would drown, he gave way to despair.

Suddenly a voice spoke. "Old man, if you promise to give 300 bushels of rice to the temple in the name of Lord Buddha, you will be rewarded with your life, and your eyesight."

The old man had dreamed of seeing Shimchong's face, and the mountains, streams and forests. He said, "I promise," and felt strong arms pull him from the water. He was certain it was the Lord Buddha who had saved him.

The old man blinked, awaiting the return of his sight, but this did not happen. Then he realized with terror what he had done. He could never afford to buy even one barrel of rice. He had offered a vow he could never keep, and he deserved whatever punishment came his way.

He stumbled his way home and wept as he told his daughter of his terrible mistake.

"Don't worry, father, I will get you the rice for your offering," she said. The next morning, Shimchong hurried to the market and approached the wealthiest merchant.

"I am here to offer myself to the Dragon King," she told him, "and in return you must give 300 bushels of rice to the temple in my father's name."

The merchant was overjoyed. For years the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea had demanded the merchants give him a wife, but they refused to sacrifice their daughters.

In his fury, the Dragon King sent wild storms that churned the sea and sank ships.

The merchants had offered a reward to anyone willing to sacrifice his daughter to the Dragon King. And here stood just the girl. The merchant happily accepted. After his sailors had carried her to sea, he sent rice to the temple.

It was only then the old blind man learned of his daughter's fate, and still his sight did not return. He sank into a deep grief.

At sea, Shimchong was dropped overboard, and as she sank deeper and deeper, she expected to drown. But to her amazement, she could breathe, and before long she saw the underwater palace of the Dragon King.

Like all who saw Shimchong, the Dragon King was instantly enchanted. As time passed, he became a kind, loving husband. They lived happily beneath the calm sea.

But Shimchong often dreamed of her father. Whenever she thought of his heartbreak, she wept and gazed up at the surface of the deep sea.

The Dragon King loved his wife, and her unhappiness became his. "My beloved," he told her, "I must set you free so that you can once more see your father. But no one will accept that you are still alive, so I will disguise you." He whispered into her ear and turned her into a beautiful lotus flower that drifted away from the palace.

That day, a fisherman came upon a magnificent flower floating on the sea. He decided such a treasure must be given to the emperor.

The emperor loved the flower. He carried it to a pond near his room, and often sat gazing at it for hours.

One night the emperor could not sleep. He stepped outside and wandered toward his pond. There he saw a lovely girl standing near the water. "Who are you?" he gasped.

Shimchong blushed. "My name is Shimchong," she said, "I am the lotus flower you love."

The emperor loved the beauty of this young woman. "Shimchong, marry me," he whispered.

"I will," Shimchong said, for the emperor was a good man, and she had long enjoyed his company. But she had one request: "We must invite every blind man in the country to our wedding," she said.

On their wedding day, Shimchong waited breathlessly as each person entered. But each time she was disappointed.

Then she heard footsteps behind her. There stood her poor old father, dressed in rags, more sorrowful than any man she had ever seen.

"My father!" she cried, and embraced him. And in that moment, the man's sight returned, and he saw his beloved daughter for the first time.

The next day, all the sailors remarked on the gentle waves of the Eastern Sea.