The Reward of Truth
Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a poor but honest boy named Ayan. He worked as a woodcutter to support his old mother. Every day, he went to the forest, cut wood, and sold it in the market.
One afternoon, while cutting wood near a river, his axe slipped from his hands and fell into the deep water. Ayan became very sad because it was his only axe, and he had no money to buy another one. He sat near the river and began to pray.
Suddenly, a kind old man appeared from the river. He asked Ayan why he was crying. Ayan told him the truth about his lost axe. The old man dived into the river and brought out a golden axe.
"Is this your axe?" he asked.
Ayan replied honestly, "No, sir. My axe was made of iron, not gold."
The old man dived again and brought a silver axe.
"Is this yours?"
Again, Ayan said, "No, sir."
Finally, the old man brought his old iron axe. Ayan's face lit up with happiness.
"Yes! This is my axe."
The old man smiled and said, "Because you are honest and did not lie for gold or silver, I will give you all three axes as a reward."
Ayan thanked him and returned home happily. From that day on, he lived a comfortable life and always remembered that truthfulness is always rewarded.