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Once upon a time, a farmer and his wife lived in a little house in the countryside. Their farm was small, but they kept cows, pigs and hens, and grew fruit and vegetables. Although they worked from sunrise to sunset, they had little money. They always found ways to be happy with what they had, but sometimes struggled to make ends meet.
One morning, the farmer went to the henhouse as usual to collect the eggs laid overnight. He did this carefully, knowing the eggs were important both to eat and to sell at the market. That morning, however, something extraordinary happened. Among the usual white and brown eggs was one that seemed to shine with light. He bent down, picked it up and felt how heavy it was. Looking closer, he saw it was pure gold!
He could hardly believe his eyes. With his heart pounding, he ran home and called to his wife:
“Look! Our hen has laid a golden egg!”
His wife was making breakfast, but stopped what she was doing and hurried over. When she saw the shining egg, her eyes opened wide.
“A golden egg!” she cried excitedly. “This will make us rich!”
They were so happy that they danced and jumped around the house. They began imagining how their lives might change. They could sell the egg and earn a great deal of money. Perhaps they would buy a bigger house, new clothes and even more animals for their farm.
The next morning, the farmer returned to the henhouse expecting the usual eggs. To his surprise, he found another golden one! Every morning the hen gave them a golden egg, and every morning they grew a little richer.
With the money, they were able to do many things. First they repaired their little house, painting its walls in bright colours, buying new furniture and planting a garden full of flowers. Then they bought new clothes and shoes. They even bought a horse to help on the farm and a few more cows so they could sell more milk.
They no longer had to work so hard. They had everything they needed and lived much more comfortably. But as they became richer, they also became more ambitious. They began thinking they could have even more. The more money they had, the more they wanted.
One evening over supper, the farmer thought about their remarkable hen.
“If she can lay a golden egg every day, perhaps there is a great golden treasure inside her,” he said to his wife.
Her eyes shone.
“You’re right! Perhaps there are lots of golden eggs inside. If we take them all at once, we’ll be rich forever!”
With that idea in mind, they decided to kill the hen and take out all the gold they imagined was inside. They were so excited that they did not think about the consequences.
The next morning, the farmer carefully picked up the hen. His wife watched expectantly, certain they would find a great treasure. They killed the hen, but when they looked inside, they found no golden eggs. She was an ordinary hen inside, with no hidden treasure at all.
The farmer and his wife stared in despair.
“What have we done?” he said, his eyes filling with tears. “We have killed the hen that gave us golden eggs.”
Without her, there were no more golden eggs. Little by little, their money ran out, and they had to work very hard on the farm again. This time, they no longer had the help that had made their lives so comfortable.
In time, they understood their terrible mistake. Greed had made them lose what they already had. If they had continued caring for the hen and appreciating her daily gift, they could have gone on living happily. By wanting everything at once, they had lost it.
They learned an important lesson: patience and gratitude are worth far more than greed. They began valuing life’s simple things, such as health, family and friends. They cared for their farm and worked hard again, but now their hearts were grateful for the little things that made them happy.
Although they were no longer rich in money, they discovered that true wealth meant having love, peace and joy in their hearts. They lived happily, caring for their farm and enjoying the simple, peaceful life they had built together.
