Seven years! That's how long Hans had worked for his master. When it was time to go home, his master said, "You've been a good worker, Hans. Here is your pay." And what a payment it was! A lump of gold as big as Hans's head!

"Wow!" thought Hans. "This is heavy!" He started walking home, but the gold was so heavy. "Oof, my shoulders!" he puffed.

Just then, a man rode by on a bouncy, happy horse. "Hello there!" said the man. "That gold looks heavy."
"It is!" said Hans. "I wish I had a horse like yours. Then I wouldn't have to carry this!"
"Well," said the man with a smile, "I could trade you my horse for your gold."
"What a great idea!" cried Hans. He gave the man the gold, and the man gave Hans the horse. "Now I can ride home like a king!" Hans thought.

But the horse was a bit too bouncy. It bucked and kicked, and soon Hans found himself sitting on the dusty road. "Ouch!" he said. "Maybe a horse isn't so good after all."

Along came a farmer with a gentle cow. "Moo," said the cow.
"That cow looks much calmer than my horse," Hans thought. "And I could get milk, and cheese, and butter!"
So, Hans told the farmer, "My horse is a bit too wild. Would you trade your cow for it?"
The farmer, seeing a fine horse, quickly agreed. Hans was happy again. "Milk every day!" he cheered.

But when Hans tried to milk the cow, she kicked the bucket over! And she wouldn't give any milk. "Oh dear," sighed Hans. "This cow is no good for milk."

Soon, he met a butcher walking with a plump pig. "Oink, oink!" went the pig.
"A pig!" Hans exclaimed. "That's much better! I can make sausages and bacon!"
He told the butcher about his unmilky cow. The butcher chuckled and said, "I'll trade you this fine pig for your cow."
"Wonderful!" said Hans, and off he went with the pig.

As he walked, a boy came by carrying a big white goose. "Honk, honk!" said the goose.
The boy told Hans, "Be careful with that pig! I heard the mayor's pig was stolen, and it looked just like yours!"
Hans got scared. "Oh no! I don't want to be in trouble!" He quickly asked the boy, "Would you trade your goose for my pig? A goose is good for roasting, and no one will think it's stolen!"
The boy agreed, and Hans walked on, now carrying the goose.

But the goose was heavy! "My arms are getting tired," Hans grumbled.
He then saw a knife-grinder with a big, spinning grindstone. "Clang, whirr!" went the stone.
"Hello!" said Hans. "That grindstone looks useful. You can sharpen things and make money!"
The knife-grinder said, "It is! But this goose you have would make a fine dinner. Tell you what, I'll trade you my grindstone for your goose. I'll even throw in this other strong stone you can rest it on."
"Perfect!" said Hans. He took the two stones.

Now, the grindstone and the extra stone were very, very heavy. Hans huffed and puffed. He was also very thirsty. He came to a well. "Ah, water!" he said. He leaned the heavy stones on the edge of the well while he bent down to drink.
But as he leaned, he accidentally nudged the stones. Splash! Ker-plunk! Both stones tumbled right into the deep well.

Hans watched them disappear. At first, he was a little surprised. But then, he started to smile. Then he started to laugh!
"I'm the luckiest person in the world!" he shouted with joy. "First, I had that heavy gold. Then the wild horse. Then the grumpy cow. Then the noisy pig. Then the heavy goose. And then those super heavy stones!"
He clapped his hands. "Now, I have nothing to carry! I'm free! I can walk home with light feet and a happy heart!"

And so, Hans skipped the rest of the way home, feeling like the luckiest, happiest fellow ever, with no burdens at all.

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