Once a ship full of merchants set sail on the high seas in search of riches. The merchants would be away for many months, for they planned to visit many ports and fill the ships hold with rare and beautiful things to trade when they returned to their home port. For many weeks the ship moved noiselessly through the water, slowly cutting its way through the calm sea. Then, as if a curtain had been drawn across the sun, the sky became dark and angry, and a strong wind began to batter the sea, causing mighty waves to heave and toss the small ship until it completely lost direction and was at the mercy of the elements.
The storm seemed to last for many days, but just how many the merchants could not tell. During the relative light of daytime and the inky blackness of night they struggled to keep the ship afloat on the surging waters of the ocean. Just as the merchants had given up hope of ever seeing land again, they sighted a small island. As pleased as they were to see the land, they could also see the jagged rocks that formed the shoreline, as though waiting for the small ship to batter itself helplessly against them, meaning certain death for the merchants. The merchants could not decide whether to try and guide the ship away from the island, only to be finally beaten by the ever-strengthening storm, or to try and land on the rocky shore. But their minds were made up for them: the ship moved relentlessly toward the island as if driven by some unseen force.
The merchants tried with all their skill and strength to guide the ship safely onto land, but, as they had feared, the waves and wind won the battle and they were forced to abandon ship and try to reach safety in small wooden boats. Many of the men were thrown from the craft by the huge waves and lost their lives trying to reach the island. Those that reached the beach safely fell down onto their knees in thankful prayer for having been spared their lives.
Once the merchants had recovered from their frightening ordeal they began to organize a search of the land, and parties of men were sent out to survey the island. The leader of the merchants, together with six of his men, stayed behind on the beach to erect living quarters and search for edible plants and fruit. Food was not in short supply, for they soon discovered that the island was rich with all kinds of vegetation. As darkness fell, all but one of the search parties had returned to the beach,. The surveyors had reported that they had seen no signs of people on the island, but that it was small and populated with many kinds of animals and birds. When the last party had still not returned at daybreak, the leader grew worried, and was just about to organize a search for them when he heard noises in the distance. It was the lost party, and with them were several of the most beautiful women the men had ever seen.
When they came to the beach the leader asked them where they had been and where they had found the women. The men replied that they had found a small village populated only by women, and that they were all extremely beautiful. The women invited the merchants to come and live with them, for they explained that since their menfolk had gone to sea many months before and had never returned, they feared that the men were lost forever.
The merchants were very happy to join the women, and each took one of the beautiful beings for his wife. For several months all was well with the merchants. They lived very happily, and many of the wives gave birth to healthy children. The merchants would not have minded if they never returned to their home port again, for it was indeed like paradise on the island.
After some time, the leader of the merchants began to notice that some of his men were missing, and on inquiring about them received no satisfactory answer. He decided to leave the village and walk to the beach in order to try and solve the mystery by spending some time in quiet meditation. On reaching the beach, the leader of the merchants looked out to the sea where he could still see the mangled wreckage of the ship, now just a skeleton, half sunk into the deep sand.
Then a horse appeared in the sky. The horse had wings, and seemed to give off a pure white light. The merchant could hardly believe his eyes, but as he was about to run away the horse landed on the beach in front of him and spoke: "You are the leader of the merchants?" The leader noticed that the horses voice was musical, and that where the horse stood the sand turned to gold dust. "Yes," replied the merchant, "I am the leader."
The horse went on to explain how the island was inhabited by fearful flesh-eating demons, who appeared as beautiful women during the day. He had heard of the merchants' fate and had come to help them escape.
The leader said that he was indeed worried about the loss of some of his men, but that he could not imagine that the lovely women could be responsible. He also wondered how the magic horse had learned of their plight, but thought that perhaps under the circumstances he had better not ask.
"I am very happy here," he told the horse. "My wife has just given birth to a baby boy, and at night she stays in my home. I do not think that she is a flesh-eating demon."
The horse told the merchant to stay awake at night and watch; then he flew into the air, scattering gold dust from his hooves.
The merchant was most troubled by the meeting and what the horse had said. He thought that the horse must indeed be special, perhaps even Chenrezik himself come to help them, and so he decided to stay awake that night and watch.
Just as the horse had said, his beautiful wife left the house in the early hours of the morning, and together with the other women he saw her change into a horrible, ugly demon. They carried away one of the merchants, but the leader did not wish to follow and watch what was to become of this poor man. Instead he returned to his bed, but sleep did not come easily that night, and he made up his mind to return to the beach the next day in hope of seeing the horse again.
At daybreak the leader of the merchants made his way to the beach and was pleased to see that the horse was already waiting for him. The merchant thought he was a beautiful horse, with wings of golden brown and skin that shone with all the richness of gold. The light emitted from the horses body was pure white, but like a mist, insubstantial, almost ethereal. The merchant told the horse about the events of the previous night, and asked for help in getting off the island.
"We cannot repair the ship," he told the horse, "and the small boats that we have will not be able to survive in a storm."
The horse listened to the merchant, and then said, "If you and the rest of your men meet me on the beach I will carry you to safety, but it must be at the full moon, for the demons' power is not so great then."
The merchant agreed to meet the horse when the day of the next full moon arrived, and then bade the horse farewell until then. "Do not worry," said the horse as he flew into the air, "I will be watching over you."
The merchant returned to the village to tell his men about the demons and to plan the escape. A meeting was held, at which only the men were allowed; when the leader told them of what he had seen, and about the magic horse, the men were all afraid. A plan was decided upon to save them all from perishing at the hands of the demons before the full moon day arrived, and that was for half of the men to stay awake during the night to keep watch while the others slept, and they in turn would sleep during the day while their companions kept watch over them. Although they knew that the demons usually worked during the night, they did not want to risk the chance of their hunger making them turn into demons during the day and devouring them all as they slept.
When the full moon day arrived the men went to the beach to meet the horse. The women followed, crying and begging their men not to leave them. Some held onto the arms of their husbands, refusing to let go, and others held their babies in their arms, pleading with the fathers not to desert their children. The horse arrived and many of the men climbed onto his back, while others, persuaded by their wives, stayed behind, refusing to leave the island.
As the horse flew up into the air, the women shouted at their menfolk to come back, and many, still tied by emotional bonds to their women and children, fell from the horses back, only to find that as they reached the ground the women had turned into demons and were waiting to devour their flesh. In the end only very few men escaped from the island on the back of the horse, and they luckily lived to tell this story and prevent others from being fooled by the beautiful women.
