Louie's Father (An Original Children's Story)

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Long ago, when wells still grant people's wishes, there was a young man who went by the name Louie. He came from a poor family that owned a small piece of land and a very thin cow. But they were kind-hearted and generous with the little blessings that they had. The village where they lived in was small, and many families also struggled to bring food at their tables. Louie and his family always saw to it that no one in their town was hungry.

But when famine came, even Louie's family had nothing left to eat, and so the whole village starved. One day, their neighbors came to them with a suggestion. "What if we slaughtered your cow and divide its meat amongst us? It shall keep us fed for a week," one of them said. Louie's father thought about this and realized something.

"My friend, you have three cows yourself. We only have one. What if we slaughter one of your cows and divide the meat amongst us all as you have suggested?"

Their neighbor looked surprised to hear this and felt rejected. "Never mind. I think we can manage without your help," he marched away and started telling everyone that Louie's family refused to help them. He even added that Louie's father would rather let all of them die of hunger than to sacrifice his beloved cow. The villagers got angry and agreed to never speak to them again.

Louie and his father strived to keep their family fed, despite the rumors about them. Many times they tried to offer help to their neighbors but they were always ignored. When famine passed, the villagers went on with their lives and continued to ignore the family that had helped them before. For years, the villagers have managed to raise enough money to expand their farms and to buy more cattle, while Louie's family stayed in their humble life with their small piece of land and their old, thin cow. At least they were together, they would say.

But one day, a strong hurricane had hit the village, destroying the farms and killing the animals in its wake. All except for one. As soon as the hurricane started, Louie had managed to usher the cow towards their house. And because it was so thin, it fitted through the door easily.

That night, Louie's family huddled close together to make sure that everyone was alright. The hurricane lasted for three days, just as the last piece of bread was consumed. When they opened the door, everything was a mess. Their neighbors' homes were gone along with their livelihood. Louie's family rushed to aid the villagers, offering their little home for shelter. Everyone was weak and hungry, and Louie's father finally decided to slaughter their cow. 

"But, it's the only thing you have left," one of their neighbors cried.

"I can still buy another one, but you, all of you are irreplaceable. You are my friends, and I can't let anything happen to you."

They cried and thanked Louie's father, regretting everything they've said about him in the past. So they started to butcher the cow, and lo and behold, what they found inside the cow's body was unbelievable.

The cow's bones were made of pure gold. Even its blood was liquid gold! 

To make the story short, they feasted on the cow's meat that night, and everyone had their share of gold -- enough to replace everything that they have lost during the hurricane. Louie's father bought a dozen cows and a larger piece of land that he can farm. No one in that village had been poor ever since, but they all remained humble and kind -- a value they have learned from Louie's father.