One day, a farmer lived in a village near the forest. The farmer had a large garden, and in that garden was an ancient apple tree and many beautiful plants and flowers. Many pet animals lived in the garden.
When the farmer was a small boy, he used to spend beautiful times with the apple tree, but now the tree had stopped producing apple fruits. The farmer thought it had become useless because it had remained for many years without bearing the delicious red apples.
The farmer decided to cut down that huge tree and use the wood he would get from its trunk to make furniture. The farmer forgot what that great tree had given him since he was a boy, as it provided him shade from the heat of the sun and provided him with delicious apples that he ate every day.
Although the apple tree no longer produced apple fruits, it was still useful because it was a shelter for many small animals, birds, and insects. The farmer grabbed his axe and began cutting down that tree.
The animals and birds hurried toward the tree and kept crying, asking the farmer to stop cutting it. The birds built nests on the tree and placed their young there. Even the ants stored their food inside the tree, and even the locust fed on the tree leaves.
The farmer didn’t pay attention to the animals’ words and kept cutting the tree with the axe. The animals were screaming and asking him to leave it, but the farmer didn’t listen to them. The animals tried to convince the farmer not to cut the tree.
The bird told him that he would sing to him to relieve his loneliness, and they would take care of his small child while he was away. But the farmer insisted on cutting the tree despite all the attempts the animals made. The animals stood crying, sad about the tree that had been their shelter for many years.
Suddenly, while the farmer was cutting the tree, he saw something golden inside the tree trunk. The farmer stopped and extended his hand, and there was delicious honey flowing from inside the tree. He extended his hand toward his mouth and tasted it, finding its taste extremely delicious. He even remembered the honey he used to get since he was small.
The farmer decided to refrain from cutting the tree. He looked around and found the animals and birds crying. He stopped his action and left the tree without cutting it, and the animals rejoiced.
Moral of the story: To teach children to think of others, and not to think selfishly, but to try not to harm others for the sake of personal interest.
Translated from story: the apple tree and the farmer