The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs

The story

Once, at the edge of a small village, there lived a farmer and his wife. They were not rich. They had only a low little house, a small vegetable garden, and one white goose in the yard. The goose was plump, with soft white feathers and an orange bill, and it waddled about so cheerfully that it was a pleasure to watch.

One early morning, the farmer went to the goose's nest to gather the eggs. He reached in — and stopped in surprise. There in the straw lay an egg, heavy and shining. It was a golden egg! Full of wonder and joy, the farmer cupped it in his hands and ran inside, calling, "Come and see! Our goose has laid a golden egg!"

The husband and wife took the golden egg to market and sold it for a great deal of money. They bought fresh bread, mended their leaky roof, and all at once their life grew easier. Best of all, every single morning the white goose settled into its nest and laid another golden egg. One, and then another, until the couple's wooden chest slowly filled with gold.

But a person's heart is not easily satisfied. After a while, the farmer began to think one egg a day was far too slow. Frowning, he said to his wife, "Only one a day — how long must we wait to be truly rich?" His wife nodded, her eyes bright and eager. They sat by the oil lamp, talking back and forth, and the more they talked, the greedier they grew.

At last the farmer slapped his knee. "I have it!" he said. "If this goose can lay golden eggs, there must be a great lump of gold hidden inside it. Why wait one small egg at a time? If we take all the gold at once, we will be rich this very day!" His wife thought this made good sense, and the two of them were too excited to sleep.

The next morning they could wait no longer. The farmer hardened his heart and killed the goose, meaning to take out all the gold inside at once. But when they opened it up, the inside was just like any ordinary goose — there was not the smallest piece of gold to be found. The husband and wife stood there dumbstruck, their hands empty, with nothing at all to show for it.

And now the goose that laid golden eggs was gone, and the one golden egg each morning would never come again. The couple gazed at the empty nest, and only then were they sorry. If they had been willing to treasure one golden egg a day, that good fortune might have stayed with them for a long, long time. Evening settled softly down, a thin crescent moon rose in the sky, and the quiet yard was still — nothing left but the empty nest and two regretful figures.