The farmer crossed in safety, then he called back to his wife:
“Walk very carefully, Maya, for the plank is not strong!”
“I will not walk carefully!” the wife declared.
She flung herself on the plank with all her weight and when she got to the middle of the stream she jumped up and down just to show her husband how contrary she could be. Well, the plank broke with a snap, Maya fell into the water, the current carried her off, and she was drowned!
Her husband, seeing what had happened, ran madly upstream shouting:
“Help! Help!”
The haymakers heard him and came running to see what was the matter.
“My wife has fallen into the river!” he cried, “and the current has carried her body away!”
“What ails you?” the haymakers said. “Are you mad? If the current has carried your wife away, she’s floating downstream, not upstream!”
“Any other woman would float downstream,” the farmer said. “Yes! But you know Maya! She’s so contrary she’d float upstream every time!”