The Tongue-Cut Sparrow

In a small house near an old bamboo forest lived a kind old woodcutter and his incredibly grumpy, greedy wife. The woodcutter had found a tiny, injured sparrow and nursed it back to health. He loved the little bird and fed it crumbs from his own dinner plate.

His wife, however, hated the sparrow’s cheerful chirping. One day, while the woodcutter was out working, the sparrow accidentally ate some starch she had made for laundry. Furious, the cruel wife chased the bird entirely out of the house into the deep woods.

When the kind woodcutter returned and found his little friend missing, he was heartbroken. He searched the forest for days until he finally stumbled upon a hidden sparrow village. To his amazement, the sparrow welcomed him into its magical home, treating him to an incredibly beautiful feast and wonderful music.

When it was time for the woodcutter to go home, the sparrow brought out two baskets—one was very heavy, and the other was very light.

“Please take a gift to remember us,” the sparrow offered.

Being a humble man, the woodcutter chose the light basket. When he reached home and opened it, he was amazed to find it packed with sparkling gold coins and precious jewels!

His greedy wife’s eyes widened with extreme jealousy. She immediately grabbed her coat, rushed furiously to the sparrow village, aggressively demanded a gift, and forcefully snatched the heaviest basket she could find without even saying thank you.

She was too impatient to wait until she got home. Halfway through the dark forest, she ripped the heavy basket open, expecting mountains of gold. Instead, a swarm of terrifying goblins and scary bugs swarmed out, chasing the cruel woman far, far away, teaching her a harsh lesson about greed.

Moral of the Story: Kindness brings quiet rewards, while reckless greed will always invite extreme trouble into your life.