The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs

Part One · The Golden Eggs

Long ago, a poor farmer and his wife lived in a small house at the edge of a village. They worked hard from morning until night, but they never seemed to have enough. All they owned was one thin cow and a few hens. They also had a plump white goose, who followed the farmer's wife wherever she went.

One chilly morning, the farmer went out to the goose's nest to look for eggs. He stopped and stared. There in the straw sat an egg that shone like the sun. He picked it up, and it was so heavy that he nearly dropped it. "This is no ordinary egg," he whispered.

He hurried into town and showed the egg to the goldsmith. The goldsmith bit it, weighed it and rubbed it on a stone. "It is solid gold," he said, "and I will pay you a fine price for it." The farmer walked home with his pockets full of coins and a smile on his face.

The next morning, the goose laid another golden egg. The morning after that, there was another, and another after that. Every single day, the goose laid one shining egg. The farmer and his wife mended their roof, bought warm blankets and filled their kitchen with good food. They had never been so happy.

But as the months went by, the farmer began to grow restless. He had a new roof and a new cow. Now he wanted a grand house, a coach with four horses and a hundred acres of land. "One egg a day is too slow," he grumbled. "I want to be rich right now."

One evening he sat by the fire, thinking hard. "That goose lays a golden egg every day," he said slowly. "So she must be full of gold! If I could get it all out at once, I would be richer than the king." His wife shook her head. "Please be patient," she said. "The goose gives us plenty."

But the farmer would not listen. At sunrise the next day, he marched out to the yard and caught the goose in both hands. He squeezed her tight and shook her up and down, trying to make the gold fall out. The goose honked and flapped. White feathers flew in every direction.

The goose wriggled and twisted until she slipped out of his grip. She ran across the yard with her wings spread wide. She hopped onto the fence and flapped up into the sky. The farmer ran after her, waving his arms, but she flew over the hills and out of sight.

The next morning, the farmer hurried to the nest. It was empty. He looked the next morning, and the morning after that, but there was never another golden egg. The goose never came back. Some people say she found a quiet pond far away, where nobody ever grabbed at her.

The farmer sat down beside the empty nest for a long time. He had wanted all the gold at once, and now he would have no more at all. After that, he worked his fields as he had before, and he was glad of whatever each day brought.