Gold Ax and Silver Ax

Once upon a time there lived a good woodcutter. He was a man who cared for his parents with all his heart. But he was poor. He used to go to the forest to cut down trees.

One day while he was searching for a tree to cut down, he decided to cut down a tree that was near a pond. While he was cutting down the tree, his old ax fell into the pond by mistake. He said to himself, "Oh, my God! If I don't have my ax, I can't cut down trees and then I will not be able to earn any money. How will I take care of my parents?" He was crying because he was sad.

At the time, the god of the mountains appeared.from the pond and asked, "Why are you sad?"

"I'm a woodcutter, and when I was cutting down the tree, my ax fell into the pond. If I don't have my ax, I won't be able to earn any money," he answered.

"I'm willing to bring you your ax," said the god of the mountains. The god of the mountains disappeared. The god soon appeared with a gold ax. He asked, "Is this gold ax yours?" "No, it isn't," he answered. The god disappeared again. He came back with a silver ax. He asked, "Is this silver ax yours?" The woodcutter answered, "No, it isn't." He asked, "Then is this old metal ax yours?" The woodcutter answered, "Yes, it's mine."

The god of the mountains said with a smile, "You are very honest. I will give you all three axes as a reward." The god gave him all three axes. The woodcutter and his parents lived happily ever after.

You Jin, Korea-AE2, CESL Today v56, 2004