After seven long years of hard work, Hans was finally going home! His boss said, "You've been a great worker, Hans. Here is your pay!" And what was his pay? A giant lump of gold, as big as his head! Wow!

Hans was thrilled. "Gold!" he thought. "I'm rich!" He wrapped it in a cloth and started his journey. But oh dear, that gold was heavy. So heavy! His shoulders ached as he trudged along.

Soon, a man on a fine horse trotted by. "Why do you look so tired?" asked the man.
Hans explained about the heavy gold.
"Hmm," said the man. "A horse is much better for traveling. You can ride! How about we trade your gold for my horse?"
Hans thought, "Ride instead of walk? Brilliant!" So he traded his gold for the horse. He felt so clever!

He tried to jump on the horse, but whoops! The horse bucked and Hans tumbled right off into a ditch. "Oof!" he said. "Riding is trickier than I thought!"
Just then, a farmer came by leading a cow. "That horse looks a bit wild," said the farmer.
Hans agreed.
The farmer said, "A cow is much better. Fresh milk every day, butter, cheese! Want to trade your horse for my cow?"
Hans's eyes lit up. "Milk, butter, AND cheese? Yes, please!" So he traded the horse for the cow. "What a lucky fellow I am!" he thought.

He walked on, trying to get some milk, but the cow was old and wouldn't give a single drop. "Oh well," Hans thought.
Along came a butcher pushing a wheelbarrow with a plump pig in it. "No milk, eh?" said the butcher. "That's a shame. But a pig! Now, a pig means sausages, bacon! Much better than an old cow."
Hans licked his lips. "Sausages! That sounds delicious!" So he traded the cow for the pig. "I'm getting luckier by the minute!"

He trotted along with his pig, feeling quite pleased. Then he met a boy carrying a fluffy white goose. The boy looked at Hans's pig and said, "Sir, I just heard that the pig stolen from the mayor's farm looked just like yours! You might get into trouble."
Hans got worried. "Oh no! I don't want trouble!"
The boy said, "My goose is safe. And you get soft feathers for a pillow, and a tasty roast dinner! Want to trade?"
"A safe goose and a roast dinner? Perfect!" Hans exclaimed, and he traded the pig for the goose.

The goose was nice, but also a bit heavy to carry after a while. Soon, he saw a scissor-grinder with a big, round grindstone by his cart.
The grinder said, "That's a fine goose! But a grindstone is very useful. You can sharpen all your knives and scissors! It will make you money, and it will last forever!"
Hans thought, "Sharpen things and make money? That sounds very handy!" So he traded the goose for the grindstone. "This is my best trade yet!"

Now, this grindstone was REALLY heavy. Hans huffed and puffed. He was so thirsty. He stopped by a well to rest and get a drink. He put the heavy grindstone on the edge of the well while he leaned over.
But as he leaned, oops! The heavy grindstone slipped from the edge and PLOP! SPLASH! It fell right into the deep well and disappeared.

Hans watched it sink. And then, he started to laugh! He jumped up and down! He felt so light, so free!
"No heavy gold, no tricky horse, no old cow, no risky pig, no heavy goose, and no super heavy stone!" he cheered. "I have nothing to carry! Nothing to worry about! I'm the luckiest person in the world!"

And so, with empty hands but a very happy heart, Hans skipped the rest of the way home to his mother, feeling like the luckiest boy alive.

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