The Honest Woodcutter

Once upon a time, there lived a poor woodcutter named Peter. Every day, he would go to the forest to chop wood to earn his living.

One sunny morning, Peter was working near a deep river. As he swung his axe, it slipped from his hands and fell into the water. "Oh no!" cried Peter. "That was my only axe! How will I work now?"

Suddenly, the river began to bubble and glow. A beautiful water spirit rose from the depths. She held a shining golden axe. "Is this your axe, good woodcutter?" she asked.

Peter looked at the beautiful golden axe and shook his head. "No, that is not mine. My axe was made of simple iron."

The spirit smiled and dived back into the water. She returned with a silver axe. "Is this yours?" she asked again.

"No," Peter answered honestly. "That is not mine either."

Once more, the spirit dived down. This time, she brought up Peter's old iron axe. "Is this the one?" she asked.

"Yes! Yes! That is my axe!" Peter exclaimed happily.

The water spirit was so impressed by Peter's honesty that she gave him all three axes—the iron one, the silver one, and the golden one.

"Honesty is a treasure more valuable than gold," she said before disappearing into the river.

Peter returned home richer than he had ever been, but he knew that his greatest treasure was his honest heart. From that day on, he always told the truth, and his neighbors learned to trust and respect him.

**Moral Lesson:** Honesty is always the best policy. Being truthful, even when it's hard, brings its own rewards.