Once upon a time, a woodcutter named Ravi lived in a little village. Despite his honest and diligent work ethic, he was not well-off. His axe dropped into the water from his hands one day as he was cutting wood beside the river. Since the water was deep, Ravi was unable to swim. He sobbed when he sat down beside the river.



Unexpectedly, a fairy showed up and inquired as to why he was crying. Ravi informed her of his misplaced axe. After plunging into the river, the fairy surfaced holding a golden axe. She asked, "Is this your axe?" Ravi shook his head, glancing at the exquisite axe. Retorting, "No, that's not my axe,"

 

Once more plunging into the water, the fairy surfaced with a silver axe. She asked, "Is this your axe?" Gazing at the gleaming axe, Ravi shook his head once more. "No, that's not my axe," he interrupted.



The fairy dove into the water again and produced Ravi's ancient wooden axe. She asked, "Is this your axe?" Ravi's expression became happy. That is, indeed, his axe, he exclaimed.



Ravi's honesty pleased the fairy, who rewarded him with all three axes. Ravi was happy to return home and felt appreciative of the fairy's generosity. He kept up his hard work and honest lifestyle, and he never would have imagined how much happiness and success his honesty had brought him.

 


Moral of Story : The best policy is to be honest.