THE CLEVER YOUNGEST SON
Once upon a time, there lived a poor farmer with three sons. The farmer was growing old, and the family had a large debt to repay. One day, he called his sons and said, “We must work hard and repay our debt. Go to the forest and bring back some wood to sell.”
The eldest son went first. He walked deep into the forest and began chopping a fir tree. Suddenly, a huge troll appeared from behind the trees. It was so frightening that the boy dropped his axe.
“Get out of my forest!” the troll roared. “If I ever see you here again, I will eat you!”
The terrified boy ran all the way home. When he told his father what had happened, the farmer shook his head.
“Why are you so frightened?” he asked. “No troll ever scared me when I was young!”
The next morning, the second son went into the forest. But the moment he began chopping a tree, the same enormous troll appeared.
“Leave my forest at once!” it thundered.
The second son was even more frightened than his brother and ran home without taking a single piece of wood.
Finally, it was the youngest son’s turn. Unlike his brothers, he was not easily frightened. Before leaving, he put a large piece of cheese into his knapsack.
When he reached the forest, he calmly began chopping wood.
Soon, the troll appeared.
“What are you doing in my forest?” it roared. “Leave immediately!”
The young man looked at the troll and smiled.
“Why should I be afraid of you?” he asked.
The troll stepped closer threateningly. But the young man took the cheese from his knapsack and squeezed it tightly. The soft cheese oozed through his fingers.
“See this white stone?” he said boldly. “If you make me angry, I will squeeze you just as easily!”
The troll stared at the “stone” and became terrified.
“Please don't!” it cried. “Spare me, and I will help you chop the wood.”
The young man agreed. Together, they worked quickly and gathered a huge pile of wood.
As evening approached, the troll invited the young man to its home for dinner. There, the troll cooked a giant pot of delicious porridge.
“Let us have an eating contest!” suggested the young man.
The troll eagerly agreed, certain that it could out-eat the boy.
But the young man had a clever plan. Before sitting down, he secretly tied his empty knapsack in front of himself. As he pretended to eat, he quietly dropped spoonful after spoonful of porridge into the knapsack.
Soon, the knapsack was completely full.
The young man secretly made a small cut in it with his knife. Then he pretended to cut his own stomach.
“Look!” he exclaimed. “I have made more room in my belly. Now I can eat even more!”
The foolish troll believed him.
“If you can do that, so can I!” it cried.
Without thinking, the troll followed the young man's advice. That was the end of the foolish troll.
The young man then searched the troll's home. Hidden inside were piles of gold and silver that the troll had collected over many years.
He gathered the treasure and returned home.
His father and brothers were amazed when they heard the whole story. The gold and silver were enough to pay off their debt, and the family could finally live without worry.
The farmer proudly hugged his youngest son.
“You proved that courage is not always about being strong,” he said. “Sometimes, a calm mind and a clever idea are more powerful than great strength.”
And from that day onwards, the family lived happily and peacefully.
Moral: Courage, intelligence and presence of mind can help us overcome even the greatest challenges.
