In a town called Elefh, three poor labourers had nothing to eat for many days. Hungry, they sat on a bridge over the lake in the town.
As they watched the lake in silence, they spotted a fawn wandering near the edge of the forest, which surrounded the lake.
“We must hunt it down and satisfy our hunger,” said the youngest of the labourers. His companions agreed.
The three men devised a strategy and surrounded the fawn. The poor animal was finally trapped.
When it was time to slaughter the animal, they saw the fawn’s eyes had welled up with tears. The little creature looked sad.
The labourers decided not to kill the fawn. Seeing no herd around, they understood the fawn must have been separated from its mother.
“We must be kind to the fawn and unite it with its mother,” said the eldest labourer. The others agreed.
The three started walking into the jungle, hungry and tired. After walking some distance, they met a woodcutter.
“Where are you talking this fawn?” the woodcutter asked.
The labourers explained to him where they were going. The woodcutter’s heart was warmed by their kindness.
“I have enough food for the three of you. You can eat it,” said the woodcutter.
The labourers sat down immediately and ate their fill. They then thanked the woodcutter and set off again.
After covering a long distance, they came across a woman.
“Have you seen any herd to which this fawn might belong?” they asked the woman.
“No,” she replied, asking their purpose.
After hearing from them their story of kindness, the woman offered the three men water from her vessel so that they could quench their thirst.
They thanked her and set off again.
They kept walking through the jungle but they did not see any herd.
Somewhere deep into the forest, they met an old man who was sitting on a log.
He, too, asked them where they were heading.
On hearing their story, he told them: “I was a rich man. But I learnt there is nothing better than being kind to others. So, I turned all my wealth into gold and have been waiting here for the most deserving person. I think you deserve my wealth the most.”
He handed his bags full of gold to the three labourers.
Right then, they spotted the herd in the trees behind the old man. The fawn smelt its mother and called out to her. The deer came running to take its fawn.
The three labourers were happy as they had succeeded in uniting the fawn with its mother. They left the forest and they did not have to starve ever again.
