One bright morning, a woodcutter was busy near a wide, flowing river. He swung his axe with all his might, CHOP, CHOP, CHOP, at a big tree. But oh dear! With one extra strong swing, his axe slipped right out of his hands! SPLASH! It flew into the deep, swirling water and disappeared.

The woodcutter felt a big lump in his throat. "Oh no!" he wailed, wringing his hands. "That was my only axe! How will I chop wood for my family now? How will I earn money?" He sat down on the riverbank, his head in his hands, feeling very, very sad.

Suddenly, a shimmery light appeared, and standing before him was a young man with little wings on his sandals and a winged cap on his head. It was Mercury, the speedy messenger of the gods!

"Hello there!" said Mercury, his voice kind. "Why do you look so unhappy, my friend?"

The woodcutter looked up, surprised. "Oh, sir," he sniffled, "I've lost my axe. It fell into the river, and it's the only one I have."

Mercury smiled. "Hmm, perhaps I can help." And with a quick little hop, WHOOSH, he dived straight into the river. The water bubbled, and then, just as quickly, Mercury popped back up. In his hand, he held a magnificent axe made of pure, shining gold.

"Is this your axe?" Mercury asked, holding out the golden axe.

The woodcutter's eyes grew wide. "Wow!" he said. "That's the most beautiful axe I've ever seen! But... no, it's not mine. My axe was just an ordinary iron one."

Mercury nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. He dived back into the river, SPLOOSH! A moment later, he surfaced again, this time holding an axe made of gleaming, bright silver.

"Well then," said Mercury, "is this one yours?"

The woodcutter looked at the silver axe. It sparkled in the sunlight. "That's a very fine axe too, sir," he said politely. "But it's not mine either. Mine was much plainer than that."

Mercury's smile grew wider. He dived into the river one last time, GLUG-GLUG-GLUG. When he came up, he was holding a simple, well-used iron axe with a wooden handle. It was a bit rusty and a bit worn, but it looked very familiar.

"And what about this one?" Mercury asked, holding it out.

The woodcutter's face lit up like the sun! "Yes! Yes! That's it!" he cried joyfully. "That's my axe! Oh, thank you, thank you so much for finding it!"

Mercury beamed at the woodcutter. "You are a very honest man," he said. "You could have claimed the gold axe or the silver axe, but you told the truth. Because you were so honest, I want you to have all three axes!"

And so, the happy woodcutter went home not just with his own trusty iron axe, but also with a golden axe and a silver axe, all because he chose to be honest. He never forgot the day he met Mercury, and he always remembered that telling the truth was the best reward of all.

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