The Mud Girl

Once upon a time, the river of life nourished a patch of dirt by a small fishing village. A girl of silt and water rose from the soil and smiled at all that was around her.
She aquainted herself with the land and the streams, grinning to the birds and fish.
This mud girl was happy to be alive.
One day, a young man from the village happened to pass the river to cast his net into the river.
He came frequently, whistling a unfamiliar tune, carrying an unfamiliar smile.
The mud girl grew quite fascinated with the boy. She waited at the banks every day to see him, though he did not notice she was there.
One day, the young fisherman brought a tall boy with him to the river bank.
"Perhaps if I were tall, that man would notice me," the mud girl thought.
She formed herself into a tall frame, but he did not notice the girl of silt clay.
Many weeks later, when the man came to cast his nets, he brought with him a woman with wide eyes and sharp features. The mud girl then pondered, "Perhaps if my eyes were bright, and my features pointed, that man would notice me"
She formed herself to have pointed features and shining eyes, but still the man did not notice the girl of silt clay.
Some time later, the man was accompanied by two small children with rosy cheeks and wide smiles.
"Perhaps if I had rosy cheeks and I smiled widely, that man would notice me"
She formed herself to have rosy cheeks, but the smile would not come. And the man did not notice her.
At this point, the girl of silt clay found herself to be painfully lonely sitting at the shore, waiting for the man to come each day.
And he came and laughed and smiled, and lived his life without ever seeing her there beside him.
The man in time no longer came to the shore to cast his nets, but the girl sat and waited.
Many more people came to the shore, after, to fish and smile beside the refreshing stream.
No one would notice the girl of silt clay, just like that man never had.