She asks him what is the matter, and he replies "I have lost my axe in your waters, and now I am without the means of providing myself with food and drink."
So the pool goddess sinks back into the whater and shortly returns with an axe of gold. She asks the man "Is this your axe, dear sir." and he says "No, I'm afraid it isn't."
And she sinks into the water, never to be seen again (by the poor woodcutter).
The woodcutter returns to his house in a state of shock, and his richer neighbor, who is also a woodcutter, wheedles the story out of him over a glass of vodka. Then, the richer neighbor follows the poorer woodcutter's directions, and arrives at the pool.
Throwing his axe into the water, he begins wailing loudly "Oooh!! I have lost my axe! What will I do!!!", and is soon greeted by the rising figure of the pool goddess, who is carrying a golden axe. "Is this your axe?" she asks solemly. The richer woodcutter shouts "Yes! Yes! That is my axe, dear lady." And the pool goddess gives it to him.
And the moral is: Never refuse a offer of something valuable, even if it isn't yours.
Meanwhile, the turtle, who was left behind at the starting line a short while after the race begun, kept plodding along steadily and eventually (after several hours) passed the sleeping hare and headed off towards the finish line. However, as the turtle neglected to allow his tired body any rest, he died of severe heat stroke.
Some time later the rabbit awoke, and, taking another long drink, stood up and raced to the finish line. Finding that the turtle was not there, she left a note "Hare was Here" and left for home, as it was already late after-noon.
The rabbit went on to live a long and happy life, and had many descendants who she told the story to every night.
And the moral is: Even when you are in a race, do not neglect your body's basic needs, or you shall suffer the consequences.
Jeff was very honest and always told the truth, whilst Anne manipulated facts and data to better support her plans. Jeff and Anne both became members of a large corporation, and after working there for many years Jeff managed to advance to Senior Secretary. Anne, with her more ruthless policies, managed to scramble here way to the top as Corporate Executive Officer and, one day, she invited Jeff to her birthday party. Jeff, with his low salary, did nnt have enough money to buy a present, so he made her a card instead. When he came to the party in his best clothes, nobody noticed him except for the servantfolk, who offered him many trays of food and expensive wine to distribute among the partygoers. He immediately left in a huff, and the next day, recived a notice via courier that he was being fired. Complaining, he went to his sister, but she brushed him away like an annoying insect. Broke and dejected, Jeff commits suicide a week later. And the moral is: It is better to be morally corrupt and rich than good but poor (and deceased).
It should be told that most of the stories listed here seem to be based on some of Aesop's fables. This similarity is pure coincidence, etc. etc.