The Old Woman's Scarf (An Original Children's Story)

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There was once a young woodcutter who had spent all his life working. His father had also been a woodcutter, as well as his father before him, but none of them had been very successful in their chosen craft. His generation had been much worse, because the demand for wood had decreased dramatically, since people often preferred to use steel and stones for their houses. But the woodcutter never gave up. He knew that his hard work and perseverance will be all worth it someday.

One day, he went to the forest to start working, when all at once, he came across an old woman. "Good morning, young man. What brought you here so early?," the woman said. "Good morning, Ma'am. I am here to cut some trees. It's what I do for a living," he replied.

"Do you happen to have any spare change for me? I am so hungry and thirsty, and I'm still so far from my destination."

The young woodcutter groped in his pocket and  found some silver coins that he was saving up. He thought that the woman needed it more than he did, so he gave the coins to her.

"Bless you, young man. You have been so kind to me, and I think it's only right for me to give you something in return. Take this scarf of mine and tie it around your neck, and the next tree that you will cut will give you a huge fortune. But, you may only cut one tree everyday, and no more. Good luck."

And before the woodcutter could even thank the old woman, she was gone. He did as what he was told, he tied the scarf around his neck and went on his way. Little did he know that another woodcutter happened to pass by and heard his conversation with the old woman.   He sneakily followed the young man until they stopped in front of a huge tree.

The young woodcutter began working on his axe. And not long after, the tree fell down in a loud crash. Just as the old woman had promised, the woodcutter found hundreds of gold coins right where the tree used to be. He jumped in joy and whispered his words of gratitude towards the kind stranger.

The other woodcutter who hid himself in a bush saw everything that happened, and was convinced that he had to own that scarf at any cost. So he came out from his hiding place and  lunged himself towards the young woodcutter, pinning the latter into the ground. He untied the scarf from the young man's neck, pulled the scarf and ran as fast as he could.

The young woodcutter hurriedly gathered his gold coins and went home. He swore never to go back to that forest again. The money he had found will be enough for him to start a new life.

The next day, the other woodcutter decided to try the scarf for himself. He started cutting a tree, and just as he had witnessed before, the stump of the tree had given him hundreds of gold coins. He gathered his coins and went home right away. 

At home, he was restless. If one tree could give him hundreds of gold coins, he will surely become a millionaire if he cut some more. So he took his axe and went back to the forest to cut another tree. The problem was, he had not heard of the old woman's warning that the scarf could only allow him to cut one tree per day. And so as soon as his axe had touched the tree, the man realized he couldn't lift his arm. He froze right on the spot and felt his feet being rooted on the ground. It didn't take long and the man was soon covered in bark. Thick branches had also started to grow from his body, and before the day was over, he had completely turned into a tree.

Meanwhile, the young woodcutter started to buy some chicken and cattle using money he had found from his tree. After a year, he was able to buy his own farm and a bigger house. He will never forget the day his life had changed, and he will forever be grateful for the luck that was given to him.