Poor Woodcutter and the River Goddess

Poor Woodcutter and the River Goddess

(Story Writing)

In one of the forests a woodcutter could cut wood every day. He was very poor. He used to sell wood daily and earn some money from it. One day he went to a forest to cut wood by the riverside of the village he lived in. When he reached there, he hit a tree with an axe, but his hand slipped and the axe fell into the deep water. The depth of the river was very frightening. Apart from that, the fear of crocodiles was terrible. So, being very helpless, the woodcutter sat at the base of the tree and began to cry.

He was so poor that he could not afford to buy another axe. So what would he do, he sat at the base of the tree and began to think. Whenever he thought about the axe, the tears fall from his eyes.

After a while, a river-goddess suddenly got up from the river and asked him, why are you crying?

The woodcutter said, I am very poor; my axe has fallen into the water, so I am crying.

The river-goddess said, "Well, I'm bringing your axe, don't cry." Saying this, the river-goddess immediately dived into the river, picked up a golden axe and asked, "Is this yours?"

The woodcutter looked closely and said, “No”.

Immediately he plunged into the water again and brought a silver axe and asked the river-goddess, but is it yours?

This time, too, the woodcutter examined it in a special way and said, no, not this either.

Then the river-goddess dived again and brought an iron axe and showed it to him. The woodcutter recognized his axe after so long and said happily, "Yes, this is mine."

The river-goddess was impressed by the woodcutter's honesty. He gave her back his own axe, and both the gold and silver axe disappeared into the water with the gift.

After getting so much gold and silver, the condition of the woodcutter became very good. He got a lot of money by selling those two axes in the market. So, he started spending his days very happily and comfortably.

Meanwhile, after hearing this story from the poor woodcutter’s mouth, another woodcutter became very greedy. One day he (the greedy woodcutter) secretly went to cut down a tree by the river and deliberately threw his axe into the water. Then he sat there and started crying. Hearing his cries, the river-goddess appeared again. As before, she picked up a gold axe and asked him, "Is this yours?"

The golden axe glitters dazzlingly in the open sunlight. Seeing this, the woodcutter's eyes sparkled with greed. He immediately said, yes, this is mine.

Immediately the river-goddess understood the gluttony of the greedy woodcutter. Soon, she jumped into the river-bed and went elsewhere.

The greedy woodcutter began to moan and slapped himself on the forehead and said, Alas! Alas! Why did I go to lie, that's why I was punished! Stay away from getting gold and silver axes; I lost the iron axe I had.

Moral: "Truth and honest living are the keys to survive"

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