Theme: Honesty

The three axes

Once a lumberjack, who was chopping wood near a river, sat down and in a careless movement let his ax fall into the water. The ax was his working instrument and he was very sad to see it sink into the river and disappear.

There was a very kind spirit who cared for that river, helping nature. Moved by the situation, the divine helper withdrew a golden ax from the water and asked the man if it belonged to him.

The lumberjack was an honest man and only wanted his ax back to be able to work. So, he spoke the truth. He said no.

Then the spirit brought from the waters a second ax, this time a silver one. The man once again denied that it was his.

Finally, the spirit took out a third iron ax, which the man confirmed to be his own. Then, for his honesty, the spirit let him keep all the three axes.

The lumberjack was very pleased and thanked him. Back at his workplace he told his teammates what had happened.

One of his companions, wanted to repeat his friend's experience, also went to the river and threw his ax into the water. He sat down, pretended to be sad and even cried.

Soon the benefactor spirit appeared before him. The second lumberjack then told him that his ax had fallen into the river and asked him for help. The spirit, who was very kind and wise, recovered the ax thrown into the river and gave it to the man. But he was disappointed and did not accept it on the grounds that this was not his own ax, telling him that his ax was made of gold.

The spirit felt sorry the man's response and told him that this was the only ax in the river, but if it wasn't his own, he would keep it back at the bottom of the river.

The spirit was gone, and the liar lumberjack ran out of ax.

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com