The Hen That Laid Golden Eggs

Once upon a time, in a small cottage on the edge of a green valley, lived a Farmer named Ramu. Ramu was poor, but he had a very special treasure. He had a white Hen named Goldie. Goldie was no ordinary bird. Every morning, when the sun rose, she would lay one perfect, shiny Golden Egg. The egg was made of pure, solid gold!

Ramu would take the egg to the market and sell it. With the money, he bought good food, new clothes, and fixed his roof. Soon, he wasn’t poor anymore. He became the richest man in the village. He built a big house and wore silk robes. But as Ramu grew richer, he also grew greedier. He stopped appreciating Goldie. He stopped petting her or giving her extra corn. Instead, he just stared at her, impatient for the next egg.

“One egg a day is too slow,” Ramu grumbled. “I want to be the richest man in the WHOLE WORLD, not just the village.” He sat up late one night counting his coins. A wicked thought came into his head. “If she lays one golden egg every day,” he thought, “she must have a huge lump of gold inside her belly! A giant treasure! If I take it all out at once, I won’t have to wait every morning.”

His greed made him foolish. He forgot that Goldie was a living creature who needed care. He saw her only as a gold machine. The next morning, Ramu walked into the coop. He didn’t bring corn. He brought a sharp knife. His eyes looked wild and scary. “Come here, Goldie,” he said gruffly.

Goldie was a smart hen. She saw the knife. She saw the look in his eyes. She clucked in alarm. Buk-buk-buk-GAAWK! Just as Ramu reached for her, trying to grab her neck, Goldie flapped her wings with all her might. Whap! She slapped Ramu right in the face with her wing. Ramu stumbled back, dropping the knife. The door to the coop was open. Goldie didn’t wait. She flew out the door, ran across the yard, scrambled under the fence, and disappeared into the thick forest.

Ramu ran after her. “Come back! Come back!” he cried. But Goldie was gone. She was never seen again.

Ramu searched for days, but he never found his magical hen. The golden eggs stopped coming. Slowly, Ramu spent all the money he had saved. His fine clothes wore out, his big house got dirty, and soon, he was poor again. He sat in his empty cottage, regretting his mistake. He realized that in trying to get everything at once, he had lost the one good thing he had.

Moral of the Story: Greed destroys happiness. Be content with what you have, or you may lose it all.