In a small village, there lived a poor woodcutter. He earned his livelihood by chopping wood from the forest and selling them in the market. His only possession was his iron axe.

One day, like any other day, the woodcutter was cutting wood near the river. Suddenly, his iron axe slipped from his hand and fell into the deep river.

The river was too deep for the woodcutter. He was distressed as he couldn't dive into the river to retrieve his axe. Without his axe, he couldn't earn for his survival.

Seeing the woodcutter in distress, an angel appeared from the river. She asked the woodcutter about his problem. Hearing his plight, the angel dived into the river to find his axe.

The angel emerged from the water holding a golden axe. She asked, 'Is this your axe?' The woodcutter, despite his poverty, honestly replied, 'No, that's not my axe.'

The angel then dived again and this time, she brought up a silver axe. She asked the same question, and the woodcutter again denied that it was his axe.

For the third time, the angel dived into the water. This time she brought up an iron axe. The woodcutter jumped with joy, 'That's my axe!' he exclaimed.

The woodcutter thanked the angel profusely for her help. He explained that without his axe, he wouldn't be able to do any work. He didn't even have money to buy a new axe.

The angel was impressed by the honesty and integrity of the poor woodcutter. As a reward for his honesty, she gave him all three axes - the golden, the silver, and his iron axe.

With his new found wealth, the woodcutter's life improved. He still continued to earn his living by cutting wood, but he no longer had to worry about his survival.

The woodcutter became an inspiration in his village. His story of honesty and integrity spread far and wide, teaching everyone a valuable lesson.

Despite his wealth, the woodcutter remained humble and honest. He proved that honesty is indeed the best policy and greed only leads to downfall.