The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs

A poor farmer and his wife lived in a small house near their fields.

They worked hard every day, but they had very little money.

One morning, the farmer went to feed his goose and discovered a bright golden egg in her nest.

At first, he thought someone was playing a trick on him.

He picked up the egg and took it to a merchant in town.

The merchant examined it carefully and said:

— This egg is made of pure gold.

The farmer could hardly believe his good fortune.

The next morning, the goose laid another golden egg.

Every day after that, the farmer found one golden egg in the nest.

He sold the eggs and slowly became wealthy.

The farmer and his wife repaired their home, bought better tools, and no longer worried about having enough food.

For a while, they were grateful for the goose.

But as their wealth increased, the farmer became impatient.

— Why should we wait for only one egg each day? — he said. — The goose must have many golden eggs inside her.

His wife warned him:

— We already receive more than we ever imagined. We should be patient and thankful.

But the farmer did not listen.

He wanted all the gold immediately.

The next morning, he opened the goose, expecting to find a great treasure inside.

But there were no golden eggs.

The goose was just like every other goose.

The farmer had destroyed the source of his daily fortune.

From that day forward, there were no more golden eggs.

The farmer deeply regretted his greed, but it was too late to undo what he had done.