Lazy Heinz
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Let me tell you about a fellow named Heinz. Heinz wasn't a fan of hard work. In fact, his favorite thing to do was... well, not much at all! He thought, "If I'm going to be lazy, I need a wife who understands the joy of doing nothing." And so, he married Trina, who was just as fond of relaxing as he was.
One day, Heinz said, "Trina, my dear, we have this cow. But taking it to the field every day to eat grass? That sounds like a lot of effort."
Trina yawned. "You're right, Heinz. It's very tiring. What should we do?"
"Let's trade it!" Heinz declared. "For something easier."
So, they took their cow to the market and swapped it for a plump little pig.
"Much better!" said Heinz. "No fields to walk to!"
But soon, Trina said, "Heinz, this pig needs food. And we have to make sure it doesn't run away. That's still a bit of work, isn't it?"
Heinz nodded slowly. "You're right, Trina. Let's trade the pig."
They found someone who wanted a pig and gave them a fluffy white goose in return.
"Perfect!" said Trina. "A goose is much simpler."
But after a while, Heinz sighed. "Trina, this goose might lay eggs. Then we'll have little goslings to look after. That sounds like a bother."
"Oh dear," said Trina. "More work! We must trade the goose."
So, they traded the goose. And what did they get? A big, round grindstone! The person who gave it to them also threw in a regular, heavy stone. "You can use this other stone as a pillow!" he said, though it didn't look very comfy.
Heinz and Trina started to carry the grindstone home. It was very, very heavy.
"Phew," puffed Heinz. "This is harder work than the cow, the pig, and the goose all together!"
Trina agreed, panting. "My arms are tired."
They finally reached a well and sat down to rest. They put the heavy grindstone on the edge of the well. The other stone, the "pillow" stone, they put beside it.
Trina leaned over to get a drink of water, and oops! She accidentally nudged the grindstone. With a big SPLASH, it tumbled right into the well! The "pillow" stone, being so close, rolled in right after it.
Heinz and Trina looked at each other. Then they started to smile. Then they started to laugh!
"Oh, thank goodness!" cried Heinz. "Now we don't have to carry that heavy grindstone anymore!"
Trina clapped her hands. "And the other stone is gone too! We are so lucky, Heinz! Now we have nothing to carry at all!"
And so, Heinz and Trina skipped home, feeling lighter than air. They had nothing left, and that, for them, was the happiest ending of all. No cow to pasture, no pig to feed, no goose to watch, and no heavy stones to carry. Just peace, quiet, and plenty of time for doing... absolutely nothing.
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