School Time FlashBack (Story Of A Woodcutter And His Daughter)

Once in the Royal city of Barsoom, there was an old woodcutter who lived alone in forest with his young daughter. Every day, the woodcutter went out to the forest to gather thorn bushes, then sell them in the marketplace as firewood. In this way, he earned the bare necessities for the two of them.

One morning, the woodcutter’s daughter came to her father and said, “Father, we do have enough to eat the regular things but just once, it would be nice to have something special. Do you think you could buy us some cakes?”

As the woodcutter’s life was in poverty, he could only offer meal for his daughter and himself because he was not able to work with his molding age. But the woodcutter replied to his daughter with all the ease, “Yes, I think I could do that my dear, I’ll just gather some extra wood today, so that we could have a nice meal with luscious cake.”

So the woodcutter walked farther into the forest that day to gather some more thorn bushes, while returning back home he took a little longer than he meant to. By the time he got back with the wood, darkness had fallen. It was too late to get to the marketplace. So he decided to get home and have some rest. As he reached the main door of his house, knocked the door and said with a tired voice. “Daughter, please open the door.”

He heard no response.

After a collapsing long breath, Woodcutter convinced himself as he was so tired and said with a mumbling voice, “Alright… let me sleep outside, my daughter might be in a deep sleep until now, as it is so dark already.”

That night woodcutter slept outside his house and woke up early the next morning. While it was still dark. He thought, l might as well go out right now and get another big load of wood. Then I can sell twice as much and buy some cakes for me and my daughter.

So he left his previously gathered load of wood there itself and went back to the forest to gather some more bushes. But again while returning back he took longer time than he estimated, and as he was on his way to his home, it was dark and as soon as he reached, the door was bolted. So again he had to sleep at the doorstep. He settled his new load of bushes with the old one, took a long breath and sat on the steps.

He was hungry…

He mumbled with painful blaming voice and said, “I am too tired, but having worked all day, there is no one to give me food, what a miserable life I have!”

He put down his back on the door step under the moonlight, assuming the dark sky with twinkling stars, the chirping sound of grasshopper from the woods, he felt someone passing through the forest road as he focused his sight to conform his doubt, a voice asked him- “what’s wrong child?”

It was an old man with a long white beard, wearing a red pointed hat with a big cotton pouch on his shoulder.

The woodcutter woke up squashing his eyes and surprisingly asked the white beard man – “Am I dreaming or is it real?” “What makes you through the forest at this dark hour, old man?”

The white beard man gave him a big smile and replied – “I like to travel for the search of my happiness and life takes me to the right path…”

Woodcutter felt a delightfulness in his heart by this answer.

The white beard man was an intelligent one, he quickly came to know that the woodcutter was depressed with something and he asked – “Why are you so down hearted son?”

Woodcutter was surprised by his question, became pleased to answer and said – “Father, for two days I have gone out to gather thorn bushes, and for two days I have come home too late to get inside my house. And today I have nothing to eat.”

The white beard man took some roasted peanuts from his pouch and handed them to the woodcutter, and said – “Here, share this with me, I will feel blissful if you accept my offering.

Woodcutter took the roasted peanuts and overwhelmingly said – “Father, you have a kind heart, and I am so thankful for this.

Then the white beard man said – “If you want your good fortune to continue, here is what you must do. Every week, find someone in need. Then share what you have. That way, you both will be helped, and life will be blissful upon you.”

And as soon as the woodcutter took his eyes off from the roasted peanuts.
The white beard man vanished.

Next morning the door to his house swung open and his daughter came out and asked her father – “Father, where have you been?” “Ohh, please come inside! I was so worried!”

Woodcutter woke up with a smile on his face, entered his house with his daughter, fresh himself up, spent some time chatting with his daughter while having breakfast and later he moved forward to the market place to sell the bushes. Later that afternoon when woodcutter came with some extra money and luscious cakes, he felt happy to see the surprising smile on his daughter’s face.

[To be continued in two hours....]