The Honest Woodcutter
Once upon a time, there lived a poor woodcutter in a small village. Every day, he would go into the forest to cut wood and sell it in the market to earn a living.
One day, while cutting a tree near a river, his axe accidentally slipped from his hands and fell into the deep water. The woodcutter was very sad, as he had no money to buy a new axe. He sat on the riverbank and started crying.
Suddenly, a beautiful angel appeared from the water. She asked, “Why are you crying?”
The woodcutter told her what had happened. The angel smiled and disappeared into the river. A moment later, she came back with a golden axe and asked, “Is this your axe?”
The woodcutter looked at it and said, “No, this is not mine.”
The angel went into the river again and returned with a silver axe. “Is this your axe?” she asked.
Again, the woodcutter shook his head and said, “No, that is not mine either.”
Finally, the angel came back with his old iron axe. The woodcutter smiled and said, “Yes! That is mine!”
The angel was very impressed with his honesty. She gave him all three axes — the gold, silver, and his old one — as a reward for his truthfulness.
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