"Watermelon Magic" is a tale from Vietnam.

Long ago, in the days when the Turtle spirit guarded their realm and the Dragon Lord of Lac served as protector, Vietnam was ruled by generous kings. One of them, King Hung Vuong III, had only one daughter, so he adopted a poor boy from an island, and named the child An Tiem.

An Tiem grew to be intelligent, wise and skillful, and the king so loved him, he decided An Tiem must marry his daughter. Together they would rule the land after the king died.

An Tiem and the king's daughter married. They loved each other deeply and had two children. Their lives seemed blessed.

But some in the king's court envied the young man, and their envy turned to hatred. They spread rumors of his pride and disrespect. Before long, these stories reached the king.

The king brushed aside the rumors. But they grew more insistent. Word spread that An Tiem would not wait for the king's death to rule.

The king began to wonder. Might the stories be true? Would the young man he treated as his own son turn on the king? He began to think betrayal might be possible.

Consumed by his suspicions, the king decided he must exile An Tiem. With a heavy heart but fearful of the future, the king sent the prince and his family away to live on a desolate island. He hid his tears as the family departed, for he believed they could never survive.

The island was battered by winds and waves that crashed on the shores. An Tiem's wife wept when she saw how they would live. But she had faith in her husband, so remained devoted to An Tiem. They worked hard to make life bearable on the barren island.

A few years later, An Tiem was walking along the beach when he noticed yellow sea birds among the rocks, pecking at black seeds. Some of the seeds dropped into the sand.

An Tiem and his wife planted the seeds and soon tender shoots sprouted from the earth. The shoots grew into vines and buds appeared on the vines. The buds flowered and turned into fruits, which grew as large as a head, and were covered with smooth, green skin.

The fruits smelled delightful, and when An Tiem sliced one open, he discovered inside red pulp sprinkled with the black seeds. He tasted the pulp — it was fresh, cool and sweet. His wife, hearing the cry of the birds that had carried the seeds, said, "Listen to their song."

"Tay qua," the birds seemed to cry. "Tay qua" (meaning watermelon).

One day, An Tiem sat on the beach looking toward his old land. Suddenly he had an idea. He gathered some watermelons and wrote his name on them. Then he set them adrift.

When the king's servants discovered the peculiar fruits bobbing on the sea outside the palace, they gathered them and carried them to the king.

When the king saw An Tiem's name, his heart swelled.

"So he is not dead," the king cried out with joy. Then he tasted the wonderful new fruit, and he understood that An Tiem's resourcefulness had served him and his family well.

The king longed for his son and daughter and grandchildren, so he sent for them. And forevermore, all the people of Vietnam told the story of those birds and their magical black seeds and the sweetness of An Tiem's gift, the watermelon.