A Golden Ax and A Silver Ax

Once up on a time in Korea, a longer went to a forest and he started cutting down some trees.  After a while, he wanted something to drink because he felt tired and thirsty.  Therefore, he went to a pond and drank some water.  After he drank some water, he kept on cutting down trees.  When he was cutting down trees, he threw his bronze ax into the pond.  therefore, he was really upset because he was very poor and he couldn't buy another ax.  At that time, the guardian spirit of the mountain suddenly appeared before the logger with a golden ax.  At that time, the guardian spirit said, "Is this golden ax yours?"
   The logger replied, "No, that is not mine."  Therefore, the guardian spirit went into the pond and appeared with a silver ax.
   The guardian spirit said, "Is this silver ax yours?"
   The logger replied, "No, that is not mine."  so, the guardian spirit went into the pond and appeared with a bronze ax.
   The guardian spirit said, "Is this bronze ax yours?"
   The logger replied, "Yes, that is my ax, thank you very much."
   The guardian spirit said, "I am deeply moved by your honesty; therefore, I will give you a golden ax and a silver ax."  So, the logger went back to his home with three axes.
   This fable is very common in Korea.  In my childhood, I heard this fable from my mother.  At that time, my mother said, "You have to become an honest person because honesty is the most important thing in your life.  If you always live honestly, you will have many friends around and they will think that you are a reliable person."  In addition, I think that my mother's speech is true; therefore, I like this fable.  Finally, I expect that many children will read this fable and they will recognize the importance of honesty.

  -Ui-Suk, Chung