They tell this one in Liberia, too, the one about the lonely fisherman named Wana who would have preferred a wife to all the fishes in the river. Every day he sat alone in his canoe, and every evening returned to an empty hut where he prepared his own meal and passed the night alone. Often he told the river how much he desired a wife, and prayed that some day he might be blessed with many children.

A river spirit who had the form of a crocodile overheard him, and she often watched the man and saw that he was gentle, good and honest. One day, after Wana had left his fishing early to attend the weekly market, the water spirit came out of the water and stepped out of her crocodile skin. She hid the skin beneath a large rock and went to the market, where everyone wondered who the beautiful young maiden could be.

At nightfall she followed Wana home and made her presence known to him by calling out, "O fisherman, I am a stranger far from my own village; may I sleep tonight in your hut?" He of course allowed her to, where she rested the night untouched. In the morning he escorted her down the road, but near the river she thanked him and insisted she go on alone now. Once by herself she slipped into the crocodile skin and returned to the bottom of the river. In the days that followed she heard Wana sighing with longing for the lovely maiden who had spent the night in his hut.

So the next week and for many weeks thereafter on market day the water spirit came out of the river, hid her crocodile skin beneath the rock, went to the market and then begged shelter for the night at Wana's hut. Wana came to feel an intense love for the beautiful maiden.

One day, wishing to learn more about her and finding her so evasive in answering his questions, after escorting her to the river Wana only pretended to turn back toward his hut and instead snuck around to a place where he could observe which direction she went. He was astonished to see her take the crocodile skin from beneath the rock, put it on and go into the water. "So this is it?" he said to himself. "She is a water spirit? How am I to win and wed her if she must live in the water for six days of the week?"

The following week, as the maiden slept in his hut, he slipped away and hurried to the river, where he took the crocodile skin from under the rock and carried it far away and buried it. In the morning he escorted the maiden to the river as usual and then turned back at her request. He went home to wait.

The maiden was startled to discover that her skin had gone missing! She searched for it all up and down the river bank, to no avail. According to spirit law she was to return to the river, but now she could not. Dizzily, she sat down and cried for awhile. Then she rose and went to the fisherman who was so kind and good.

She went to him with affection, and thus they were wed and passed the night together. In the morning she whispered to him, "I am the happiest of wives. But last night I had a terrible dream, and this I now know: if a man should ever bring the skin of a crocodile to this village, I shall surely die! Wana, if you should ever see such a thing along the river bank, drop it in the river if you love me."