Adapted from The Empty Pot by Demi (New York: Henry Holt, 1990); permission pending. Long, long ago, the Emperor of an ancient land was old and dying. He loved children but had none of his own. So the Emperor decided to choose one of the children of his land to be the next Emperor....

Long ago, it is said, there was a mighty flood, and the People left their world, the Fourth World, the Underworld, and came up into the Fifth World, the world we live in today. They found themselves on the shore of a great ocean. The People broke into groups by clan and went out to find new homes.