5. Honesty and Greed

Oneday a woodcutter was cutting wood on the bank of a river.

Suddenly his axe fell into the water.The poor woodcutter did not know how to swim.

So he prayed to the river fairy.

The river fairy heard his prayer and appeared before him.

"What is the matter,my good man?" she asked.

"Help me," said the woodcutter."I am poor and I lost my axe.If I don't get my
axe back,I will starve to death."

"Very well"'answered the fairy."You shall have your axe. Fairy dived into the river
and brought up an axe made of gold. "Is this your axe,my good man?"she asked.

"No," said the woodcutter."That is not my axe."

Then the fairy brought out a silver axe.The woodcutter again said that it was
not his axe.The third time she brought up the axe which woodcutter had lost.

The woodcutter was very happy and said, "This is my axe."

The fairy was pleased with woodcutter's honesty.She gave the gold axe and the
silver axe to him and praised him for being honest and said

"The gold and silver axes are rewards for your honesty."

The happy woodcutter returned home with all the axes.

The woodcutter's neighbour was curious and went to him and asked

How is it,my friend you have a gold and silver axe with you?"

The woodcutter told him what happened and the next day the neighbour took an
axe to the river to try his luck.

He dropped the axe into the river and waited for the fairy.

The fairy came out with the same axe he dropped and asked
Is this your axe,my good man?"

No," said the woodcutter."That is not my axe."

Then the fairy undestood the greed of this man and wanted to teach him
a lesson.The fairy again dived into the water and brought the silver axe out.

The woodcutter again said that it was not his axe hoping that she will bring the

gold axe next.

The fairy came out with the gold axe and asked "Is this your axe?"

And he said,"Yes its mine" and he reached his arm out to grab it.

The angry fairy dropped the gold axe in the water and said
'You are a greedy man,I know that the first axe you dropped was yours."

'The gold and the silver axe don't belong to you."

Then the fairy vanished into the water.The greedy woodcutter lost even his own

axe for being dishonest.

He returned home with nothing in hand.


The moral he learnt was"Honesty is the best policy and greed will take him nowhere."