. The Honest Woodcutter
One day, a poor woodcutter was chopping wood near a river. By accident, his axe fell into the water. He sat down, worried, as it was his only way to earn a living.
Suddenly, a river goddess appeared and asked, “Why are you sad?” The woodcutter explained, and she dived into the river, bringing out a golden axe.
“Is this yours?” she asked.
The woodcutter shook his head. “No, mine was made of iron.”
The goddess smiled and brought out a silver axe. “Is this yours?”
Again, he refused, saying, “No, mine was not that valuable.”
Finally, she brought out his old iron axe. The woodcutter was overjoyed and said, “Yes, this is mine!” Impressed by his honesty, the goddess rewarded him with all three axes.
Moral:
- Honesty is always rewarded.
The Greedy Dog
One day, a hungry dog found a juicy bone and happily ran away with it. As he was crossing a river, he saw his reflection in the water. Thinking it was another dog with a bigger bone, he barked to scare it away.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, his own bone fell into the river and was lost forever. He had been greedy and ended up with nothing.
Moral:
- Greed leads to loss. Be happy with what you have.
