Then the peacock said, “Oh, my friend, tidy up the courtyard a bit, will you?” and immediately she coated the courtyard floor with a new layer of mud.

Then the peacock said, “Oh, my friend, decorate it a bit, will you?” and immediately she sprinkled the floor with white, pink, and yellow paint in criss-crosses and curves, petals and paisleys.

Then the peacock said in the same tone, “Oh, my friend, will you sing me a song?” And she began to hum a tender song with a melody so sweet it tickled his tongue.

She stirred clarified butter and raw sugar into a glass of fresh, warm milk and served it to her dear friend. He drank the milk and began clucking, “Dhekoom! Dhekoom! Tell me, dear… Should I flutter-flutter the right or should I flutter-flutter the left?”

She clapped her hands in excitement and said: “Dear, flutter-flutter any wing you like!”

The peacock, fluttering-fluttering, stretched his umbrella of a tail open. He twirled around and began to dance. Each dip and spin sent gold and gems rolling into different parts of the design on the floor. He was completely lost in his elated performance.

The youngest sister scurried around behind his turns quickly so as not to disturb him. She had to collect every piece of jewelry for him. He had entrusted it to her, you see.

The next day the other sisters heard what had happened. They flew to the crow’s house as soon as the news reached. Their voices cracked with envy as they repeated every detail to him.

The crow thought to himself, “If so much jewelry is handed out just for sitting with a merchant in his wedding cart, there will be no harm in going there myself.”

The same wedding procession was there on the path where the peacock had last left it. They were waiting in hopes of his return. What would a peacock need with all that finery, anyway?

The long-awaited peacock was yet to be spied, but look! A crow had appeared in the sky instead!