Even after coming back to life, it was still weak.
So it did not resist the soup Granny offered it, downing an entire bowl.
When it was halfway through its second bowl, the beautiful Granny stroked its head and sighed softly.
"Some other fellows have followed your scent here."
It looked at Granny worriedly.
But Granny smiled.
"It's nothing.
I was short of firewood for my soup. They've come at just the right time."
As she spoke, Granny lifted it and placed it in the river on the other side of the bridge.
When it looked back, Granny was tapping gently on the soup pot.
Ninety-nine figures of all shapes were drawn out of the void and beneath the pot. The firewood, which had only been smoldering, suddenly blazed.
The soup in the pot began bubbling, too.
The beautiful Granny sang softly-
"No grass, no leaves, no flowers, no trees; beyond the yellow sands lies the River of Forgetfulness..."
As her song drifted through the air, its vision suddenly blurred.
When it came to its senses, it was already here.
It had become a drab little gray snake.
It did not know why it had appeared here.
It had forgotten so much.
All it remembered was that beautiful Granny.
And then...
There was the drop of blood before it.
It was so hungry.
Without any hesitation, it licked up that drop of blood.
Then it fell asleep, and its body began growing wildly.
Fine down emerged between its scales. As the down took shape, a pair of wings appeared on its body.
At the time, it knew nothing of this.
Not until it woke.
The soup was still taking effect. Its memories of the beautiful Granny vanished completely, replaced by...
The Golden Tree!
The most delicious sap in its memory