A woodcutter was chopping wood from a tree near the bank of a river.
Suddenly, his axe slipped from his hands and fell down into the river.
The woodcutter searched for his axe in the river, but he could not find it.
Cursing his luck, the dejected woodcutter sat sadly on the bank.
Suddenly, a water-fairy came out of the river.
“Why do you look worried?” The water-fairy asked in a soft voice.
“My axe has fallen into the river. I don’t have another axe,” the woodcutter answered sadly.
The water-fairy assured him that she would get his axe for him. Saying so, she dived back.
“Is this gold axe yours?” The water-fairy asked coming out of the water.
“No, that is not my axe,” the honest woodcutter replied promptly.
Next, the water-fairy came out with a silver axe but the woodcutter refused again.
Impressed by the honesty of the woodcutter the water-fairy gifted him the gold and silver axes and his iron axe too.
Moral : Honesty always pays.
The Milkmaid’s Dream
A milkmaid was carrying a pot of milk on her head to sell it.
The milkmaid was dreaming that she would get good money by selling milk.
She would buy eggs from that money, and the eggs would hatch into chickens.
The chickens would turn hens, lay eggs and she would make money by selling them. Thereafter, she
would run a big poultry business.
When she got very, very rich, she would purchase a palatial bungalow.
With cars and servants she would look great like a princess.
Charming princes would come to her with marriage proposals.
But she would refuse them by shaking her head.
As soon as the day-dreaming milkmaid shook her head, the pot fell to the ground and all the milk spilled.
Nothing was left except repenting on the part of the silly milkmaid.
Moral : Day-dreaming is of no use.
