Axe and Gloves
An Inspirational Story About Work Skills
An old man died and left everything he had to his three sons.
The oldest one got the house, the middle one – the cow, and the youngest one – an axe and gloves.
The oldest son settled in the house, the middle one – started trading milk, and the youngest one – started earning his bread and butter with the axe and the gloves.
Many years passed. The house of the oldest son looked as messy as its landlord. The cow of the middle son as lazy as its owner. The gloves and the axe – well, they hadn’t stopped working for a minute. They erected cities, constructed bridges, built dams, raised mills. The younger son earned his money, so he bought his own house and his own cow.
The brothers thought that the axe is bewitched, so they decided to steal it. They tried working with it, but it didn’t seem right. Apparently, they thought, the axe doesn’t work all by itself. So, they stole the gloves as well. Once again – nothing.
The youngest brother didn’t mind losing the gloves and the axe. Being a skilled worker, he just went out and bought a new axe and a new pair of gloves. And he started working once again, merrily, while singing a song.
The brothers finally understood: it wasn’t the axe and it wasn’t the gloves. It was the skill. So, they became skilled workers as well.
Source: Permyak E. All the Colours of the Rainbow. M., 1987.