The Honest Woodcutter and the Axe of Gold
Read the beginning of the story and complete it with an appropriate title and moral:
Once upon a time, there lived a poor woodcutter in a humble village near a deep forest. He earned his meager livelihood by chopping firewood and selling it in the local market. One afternoon, while cutting a thick branch of a tree on the bank of a deep river, the heavy iron axe slipped from his sweaty hand and fell straight into the deep water. The poor woodcutter was struck with grief because the axe was his sole means of survival...
Completed Story:
Sitting on the riverbank, the woodcutter wept bitterly, lamenting his cruel misfortune. Suddenly, hearing his piteous cries, the Water God Mercury appeared before him from the shimmering waves. Seeing the man's grief, the deity asked why he was weeping. The woodcutter narrated the tragic loss of his only axe.
Mercury comforted him and dove deep into the water. Moments later, he surfaced holding a glittering golden axe and asked, "Is this magnificent axe yours, my good man?" The woodcutter looked at it, shook his head gently, and answered, "No, holy spirit, this valuable axe does not belong to me." The water deity plunged into the depths a second time and emerged holding a gleaming silver axe. Again the woodcutter replied with profound humility, "Nay, my lord, this is not my axe either."
Finally, Mercury dove underwater for the third time and brought out the old, rusty iron axe with its worn wooden handle. The woodcutter leaped with joy and cried out, "Yes, indeed! That is my axe, the instrument of my daily bread!"
The Water God was deeply impressed by the woodcutter's rare honesty and unwavering integrity. He said, "You are truly a noble and truthful soul who refused wealth not belonging to you." Pleased beyond measure, Mercury presented him with both the gold and silver axes as rewards alongside his own iron axe. The woodcutter returned home happily and lived comfortably with his family, proving that truthfulness never goes unrewarded.