English · Completing Story
Honesty Is the Best Policy — Completing Story
Model completing story “Honesty Is the Best Policy” (the honest woodcutter) with moral — SSC & HSC.
A completing story about an honest woodcutter rewarded for his truthfulness by a river spirit.
The story begins: Once there lived a poor woodcutter in a village. He earned his living by cutting wood in the forest and selling it in the market.
The Story
The woodcutter was very poor, but he was honest and hard-working. He had only one old axe, and with it he cut wood every day to feed his family. He was content with his simple life.
One morning he went to cut wood near a deep river that flowed through the forest. He began to cut a tree that stood on the bank, close to the water's edge.
Suddenly his hands slipped, and the axe flew out of his grip. It fell into the deep river with a splash and sank at once. The woodcutter could not swim, and the water was far too deep for him to search.
He sat down on the bank and began to weep bitterly. The axe was his only means of living, and without it his family would starve. He did not know what to do.
Just then a water fairy rose from the river. She felt pity for the poor man and asked him why he was crying. The woodcutter told her the whole story honestly.
The fairy dived into the water and came up holding a shining golden axe. "Is this your axe?" she asked. The woodcutter looked at it and said, "No, madam, that is not mine."
The fairy dived again and brought up a bright silver axe. Again she asked if it was his. Once more the honest woodcutter shook his head and said, "No, that one is not mine either."
The fairy dived a third time and brought up his own old iron axe. At once the woodcutter's face lit up with joy. "Yes, that is my axe!" he cried gratefully.
The fairy was very pleased with his honesty. She returned his own axe and, as a reward, gave him the golden and silver axes as well. The woodcutter thanked her and went home a happy and richer man.
When his neighbours heard the story, one greedy man threw his own axe into the river on purpose and pretended to weep. But when the fairy showed him the golden axe, he greedily claimed it as his own. The angry fairy vanished, leaving him with nothing, not even his own axe.
Moral: Honesty is the best policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
The moral is that honesty is always rewarded, while greed and lies bring loss. An honest person may seem to gain little at first, but in the end honesty pays the best.
The fairy rewarded him because he was honest. He refused to claim the costly golden and silver axes and accepted only his own old iron axe, so she gave him all three.
The greedy man threw his axe into the river on purpose and falsely claimed the golden axe. The fairy grew angry and disappeared, and he lost even his own axe.
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