The Honest Woodcutter (Part 2 of 2)

The Honest Woodcutter (Part 2 of 2)

Then there was a long silence. The water spirit breathed a gentle but lengthy sigh. "You have lied to me this time. You are not the first to drop an axe into my pond, young man. Those men chose to lie when their greedy eyes laid down upon the golden axe in my hand. Yet you lied to me when I hold this haggard axe. Pray, tell me why did you not lie and claim the golden axe belonged to you, like all the men before you?"

The woodcutter looked to the ground before lifting his strong eyes to the spirit. "That golden axe could have given me the luxury many men craved... I could sell it in the village. Then I could stop cutting woods and live without having to think about money for the rest of my life perhaps."

He continued, "It is the nature of men to desire easy living. I find that there is nothing wrong with that. Who would enjoy living a life when you cannot afford to acquire the things that you want, or most importantly, the things that you need? What makes a man utterly ugly is when that desire is stronger than other more meaningful desires. It breeds greed and dishonesty."

"However, I admit that golden axe would have made my life easier," the woodcutter added slowly.

The spirit simply looked at him with gentle eyes and the woodcutter's weary eyes was on hers. After a moment's silence, she broke it, "But that is not what you most desire."

He nodded almost imperceptibly. The spirit posed more questions to him, "Why then did you refuse to admit the silver axe was yours? Did you not drop the axe into my pond?"

"I did drop that axe into the pond, lady, but it is not mine. I found it deserted in a mill and I took it. But that does not make it mine... I have yet to decide what to do with that axe, much like my life."

The spirit smiled and waited, as if she knew he would talk more if adequate silence was provided. Soon the woodcutter's voice echoed in the forest, "Like that silver axe, I hold my life in hand in front of me. But what shape I want my life to take form I do not know... And I am embarassed with that uncertainty. How could I claim that this life is mine when I cannot proudly proclaim what I want to do with my life? You have to decide to make it yours."

"Therefore, no, my lady, that axe is not mine!" he finished.

"I understand," she said softly. "But why did you lie when I presented the third axe," she lifted the axe higher. The blade of sunlight through the high canopy of the forest rested on the axe's head, giving it a fresh beauty of gleam. "- this worn iron axe that I hold right now?"

The woodcutter's face frowned in reluctance. His lips fluttered with a duality of preserving and breaking the silence of the woods. He made his mind up and finally said, "Perhaps I lied because I refuse to return to my life in the scarce cabin, spending time with no one but the animals."

"You are a very lonely man, are you not? And it pains you," her voice stirred the water around her.

"Loneliness is like barbed vines. They grow slowly at first without you noticing. By the time you realise its presence, your body and limbs are already twined - both your mind and heart encumbered down. The thorns cuts deep into the flesh of your soul and they only go deeper. With your hands numb and trapped, it is simply impossible to strike the vines down. Only a companion can save you from that suffering," he gave his answer.

He added, "Taking that axe back from you would mean that loneliness will consume me again and nothing will change. I would return home with my axe, continue to chop woods as I always do. I would chop and chop all day long. And chopping is all I have time for. To find companions, I would require time and opportunity. Both I do not possess."

The water spirit looked at him, while he looked at the ground near his feet with his head down. When she spoke, one could gather it was with compassion. "Tell me, my dear man. How would that lie help you achieve what you most desire? For dispelling that engulfing desolation is what you desire most, is it not?"

"Yes, I desire that more than anything. To have companions by my side - ah, that would deliver great joy to my heart! But I believe the lie and denial were nothing more than an initiation. In my contemplation, I realised that to change my life the first step was needed. Without it, there never will be any following steps forward and I will never reach new places. While I do not know how I will reach those places, I have first shattered the stasis."

A smile of gladness dispersed across the spirit's splendid face. In her mirthful voice, she said, almost songfully, "Then you have not told me a lie, but instead a beautiful truth. For your newfound wisdom and honesty, dear sir, I reward you with these axes." As she spoke, two more axes ascended from the deep blur of the pond and levitated on her right and left - the white glow of the silver axe and the yellow glow of the golden axe seemed to radiate warmth. She continued, "With these axes, discover how you will shape your life. With these axes, you will learn how to take the second step, and the next, and the next, until you reach new places. Return and may your virtues bring you fortune!"

She elegantly immersed into the water before the woodcutter can express his gratitude. Regardless, he softly said, "I thank you, my lady." He knew in his heart that the spirit could hear him.

And so the woodcutter returned home to his cabin and he eagerly told his story to the sheltering animals.

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Once upon a time, in a large warm, cozy cabin at the edge of a quiet forest, there lived a wise woodcutter with his beloved companion. Living among affectionate squirrels, rabbits, and birds, the couple spent their life together in happiness. And of course, as a woodcutter, he cut woods.

- The End -