Once upon a time, there lived a poor woodcutter who used to cut wood from the forest and sell it in the market. He was very honest and hardworking. He lived with his wife and children in a small hut near the forest.
One day, he went to the forest as usual and started chopping a big tree near the river. As he was cutting the tree, his axe slipped from his hand and fell into the river. The river was deep and the current was strong. The woodcutter tried to find his axe, but he could not see it. He felt very sad and started crying.
“Oh, what will I do now? How will I earn my living? How will I feed my family?” he lamented.
Suddenly, he heard a voice from the river. He looked up and saw a beautiful fairy standing on the water. She had a golden crown on her head and a silver wand in her hand.
“Who are you? And why are you crying?” she asked.
The woodcutter told her about his misfortune and how he lost his axe in the river.
“Don’t worry, I can help you. I am the fairy of this river. I have seen your honesty and hard work. Wait here, I will bring your axe back,” she said.
She dived into the water and came back with an axe in her hand. It was a golden axe with a shiny handle.
“Is this your axe?” she asked.
The woodcutter looked at the axe and shook his head.
“No, this is not my axe. My axe was made of iron. This is a golden axe. It is very valuable, but it is not mine,” he said.
The fairy smiled and dived again. She came back with another axe in her hand. It was a silver axe with a sparkling handle.
“Is this your axe?” she asked.
The woodcutter looked at the axe and shook his head again.
“No, this is not my axe either. My axe was made of iron. This is a silver axe. It is very precious, but it is not mine,” he said.
The fairy nodded and dived for the third time. She came back with another axe in her hand. It was an iron axe with a wooden handle.
“Is this your axe?” she asked.
The woodcutter looked at the axe and his eyes lit up.
“Yes, this is my axe! This is the one I lost in the river! Thank you so much for finding it for me!” he exclaimed.
The fairy was very pleased with his honesty and sincerity.
“You are a very honest and good man. You did not lie or try to take advantage of me. You deserve a reward for your virtue. Here, take these three axes as a gift from me. You can keep them all and use them as you wish,” she said.
She handed him the three axes and disappeared into the water.
The woodcutter was overjoyed and thanked the fairy again and again. He took the three axes and went back to his hut. He told his wife and children about his encounter with the fairy and showed them the three axes. They were very happy and proud of him.
From that day on, the woodcutter became very rich and prosperous. He used the golden and silver axes to buy more land and cattle. He used the iron axe to cut more wood and sell it in the market. He also helped other poor people in his village with his wealth and generosity.
He always remembered the fairy’s kindness and never forgot to be honest and grateful in his life.
Moral
Honesty is the best policy. Honesty always pays off in the end. Honesty brings happiness and prosperity.
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