Once upon a time, there lived a woman.

She always wanted a child.

The woman took the best clay soil she could find.

She started to make a girl.

The girl who was made of mud became a real human girl.

The woman named the girl Akatope.

The woman was very happy.

She loved Akatope very much.

Akatope was warned by her mother not to go out of the hut.

She did not listen. Whenever her mother was not home, Akatope ran out to play with other children.

One day, Akatope was out playing with the other children.

It began to rain hard.

The other children ran to their huts.

As Akatope ran, her legs started to dissolve. She hunched over and sat down between bushes.

The other children told their parents what had happened to Akatope.

They were very sad and shocked.

When the woman heard what had happened to Akatope, she cried for many days.

The villagers took an orphan girl to take the place of Akatope.

But that was not necessary.

A big surprise awaited the woman!

One night, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Who could that be," the woman wondered.

Akatope had come home.

She was tired and sick.

Akatope's mother sold everything she owned. She used the money to treat Akatope.

Akatope grew up to be the most beautiful girl in the village.