Woodcutter & Angel

[3] Woodcutter & Angel

 

Once upon a time there lived a nice woodcutting man in a small village over the mountain with his mother. He was quite old but still single, so he really wanted to meet a nice girl, to get married, and to live happily forever. He always went to mountains everyday to cut trees and sell them for a living. He had many friends in the forest since he came there everyday.

Woodcutter: (Brightly) Good morning! Deer!

Deer: Good morning! Woodcutter! How are you?

Woodcutter: I'm fine, and you?

Deer: (Brightly) I am enjoying the moment this morning, as you can see.

Woodcutter: Hey? Deer! You know what?

Deer: What?

Woodcutter: (Cautiously) I have seen some hunters around the woods recently. Have you ever seen those hunters?

Deer: (Surprised) Not yet. Are you sure that you've seen them around here?

Woodcutter: Yeah. (Cautiously) You need to be careful not to be seen by them.

Deer: Thanks for worrying about me. Ill be watching out.

Woodcutter: All right! See you around!.

Deer disappears into the woods.

 

One late afternoon, the woodcutter was finished with his woodcutting for the day and was taking a break in the woods alone.

Woodcutter: Wow! I've worked so hard. I think it is enough for today. I think I can get a lot of money and buy some delicious food for my mother. (Exhales and sits on the rock) Let me take a break for a while. (Smiles)

At the moment, Deer runs over to the woodcutter and says hurriedly.

Deer: (Out of breath) Help! Help! Please help me! The hunter is chasing after me! Please hide me somewhere!(Deer asks for help with tears in his eyes.)

Woodcutter: (Looks around for a place) See! Let me see!

Deer: (Out of breath) Please! Please!

Woodcutter: Come over here quickly behind this bush. I am going to be quiet and not to tell him that I've seen you. Trust me!

Deer: Thanks!!!!!!!! (Hides himself behind the bush)

After a while, a hunter with a hunting hat appears with a long hunting rifle, looking around the woods carefully. When he sees the woodcutter, he asks questions.

Hunter: Did you see a deer running by a few minutes ago? I almost got it... hmm. (Suspiciously looks around)

Woodcutter: Yeah! I saw it.

Hunter: (Gladly) Really! Where did it go? Did you see where it moved?

Woodcutter: (Points at the opposite direction) It went that way.

Hunter: All right! Thank you very much! This time I am not going to let it get away.

The hunter disappears into the direction the woodcutter pointed. After a while, the woodcutter whispers to Deer to come out of the bush since the hunter's gone.

Deer: Whew! Thank you... thank you so much, Woodcutter. You saved my life. How can I pay this back to you?

Woodcutter: Oh! Forget about it! A friend in need is a friend indeed!

Deer: Thanks! Thanks! Anyway, aren't you married yet, are you? That's what I know.

Woodcutter: Not yet, I live with my mother down there.

Deer: This could be a good idea for you. If you go to the east side of this mountain on the full moon night, and find a pond there, some heavenly fairies come down from heaven and take a bath in the pond.

Woodcutter: So? What are you talking about?

Deer: (Says seriously) Listen! When it gets dark, they come and get into the water for a bath.

Woodcutter: Why are you telling it to me?

Deer: You just wait for the time. You pick one of the clothes the heavenly fairies took off, and hide it. one of them will not be able to go up to heaven because of the clothes, even after their bath. Then, you can invite her to your house and help her.

Woodcutter: (Shakes his head) No, I cannot steal the clothes. Oh! No!

Deer: (Persuasively) You could have a chance to get married, couldn't you?

Woodcutter: (Very worried) Still, do I have to steal the clothes?

Deer: You are not stealing the clothes. You are just going to keep her clothes in a safe place until she has four children.

Woodcutter: (Reluctantly) Sure. I want to get married, have children, and live happily forever.

Deer: (Says firmly) Remember that you should not show the clothes until she has had four children. Don't forget it!

Woodcutter: (Nods feebly) I will.

 

One full moon night, the woodcutter waited for the right time to go to the pond and do what Deer said to him. He really didn't want to steal the clothes, but he decided to do it because he might get married this time. His mother would be very happy!

 

He approached the pond carefully and quietly. Down there, several fairies were in the pond, laughing, playing with each other and taking a bath.

Woodcutter: (Quietly approaches the place where the fairies took their clothes off, and taking one of their clothes away with him) This would be it. Tonight, one of them will not be able to go up to the heaven, and be left behind. Then I will come to her and help her not worry about it.

Sitting at the distance from the pond, he kept waiting for his chance to help her and invite her to his house.

 

After they were done with bathing, the fairies came up to the place where they took their clothes off to get ready to fly up to heaven.

Fairy 1: It was a nice bath, wasn't it?

Fairy 2: Yes, it was. (Looks for her clothes) Let's get ready to go up to the sky.

Fairy 3: (Starts to look for her clothes) We had a really good time in the pond. I enjoyed playing with you in the pond. (Still looks for it here and there, and starts to be worried)

Fairy 2: I am ready to fly up. (Looks at Fairy 3) What are you still doing over there?

Fairy 3: (Still looks for her clothes) I can't find my clothes anywhere· What can I do?

(Starts to cry)

Fairy 1: Please calm down, and let's start over from the beginning.

(Points Fairy 2) You search there. I will search here.

The three fairies searched everywhere to find her clothes until dawn. They became fairly tired and had to make a decision about what to do.

Fairy 3: I have searched everywhere, and can't find them anywhere. What shall I do?

(With a crying voice)· ... you two go up to heaven first, I will follow you as soon as I find my clothes.

Fairy 1, 2: (Crying) How could we leave you here? Surely, we can find them together. (Starts to look for them again, looking around)

Fairy 3: You go up first, please. I am going to find them soon.

Fairy 1, 2: (Reluctantly) All right. (Hug one another) See you soon.

 

The two fairies left for heaven in their flying clothes, and the fairy waved at them. After they left, she cried sitting on the rock. She didn't know what to do without her flying clothes.

At this moment, the woodcutter came to her, and pretended that he knew nothing about what happened to her.

Woodcutter: (With a worrying voice) What happened to you? Why are you crying so sadly?

Fairy : (Explains about her situation) I came down from heaven to take a bath with my friends in the pond. We had a great time there. When it was time to go back to heaven, everyone found their clothes except me.

Woodcutter: (With a worrying voice) I am very sorry to hear your story. I live around here. You can go with me to my house until you find your clothes if you don't mind.

Fairy : (Reluctantly says to herself) What can I do now? Yeah... Can I stay in your house for a while until I find my clothes?

Woodcutter: (Happily) Sure, you can.

The two disappears together.

 

His mother was so happy to have such a beautiful and nice daughter-in-law, and also three grandchildren. The woodcutter worked hard for his family. The fairy cooked meals, cleaned up around the house, and was very nice to her mother-in-law. Finally, they had three children together. The three children played around their house. on the other hand, the woodcutter always felt sorry about what he did to her. He thought that his wife could have lived a comfortable life up in heaven if he had not done it to her. one day,

Woodcutter: (Says to himself) Deer asked me not to show her the flying clothes until she had four children. Now we have three children together. What can she do with the clothes now even after she finds them? She already has three children.

Woodcutter: (Approaches his wife who is cleaning up the floor) Darling!

Fairy wife: What? Do you have something to tell me?

Woodcutter: (Reluctantly) Yeah·

Fairy wife: (Curiously) What do you want to talk about? What is it?

Woodcutter: (Seriously and quietly) I have something to show you. (Approaches the closet in the room and finds her flying clothes) I have been keeping your clothes for a long time, and I have felt guilty whenever I thought about your life here.

Fairy wife: (Amazingly) Oh! (Buries her face in her flying clothes) My clothes! Let me try them on! It has been a long time since I wore them several years ago. Oh!

Woodcutter: (Still quietly) Sure, you can try them on. It has been a long time, hasn't it? I am very sorry about what I did to you.

Once she tried her flying clothes on, she started to call the three children's names. She held the three children, and flew up to the sky with them. The woodcutter was so shocked that his wife flew up with the three children. He never expected that would happen.

Woodcutter: (Shouts at her) Where are you going? Where are you going?

They disappears gradually in the air.

Woodcutter: (Crying) Please, don't leave me. Please, please. I should have listened to Deer. Please come back to me, please!

 

As usual, he went to the woods to cut trees, but his face looked pale and sad. He sighed heavily and looked up to the sky, thinking about his wife and three children. Down there, there was the pond where his wife took a bath a long time ago. He kept looking at the pond, thinking about his wife and children.

Woodcutter: (Sighs and Cries) What can I do now? I deserve this life because I did wrong to her. I have been a bad person to her.

At the moment, a big bucket fell down to the pond from the sky. There was a heavenly soldier in the bucket. He came out of the bucket.

Soldier: I am looking for a person. Could you help me find him?

Woodcutter: Sure.

Soldier: Do you know where the woodcutter who had lived with a heavenly fairy lives? I am looking for him now.

Woodcutter: Yeah·.., but is something wrong with him?

Soldier: Nothing is wrong with him. I just have been ordered to take him to heaven because his wife and children are waiting for him in heaven.

Woodcutter: That's me, Soldier!

The woodcutter met his fairy wife and their three children in heaven, and lived happily ever after.

 

- The End -