Once, there was a very skilled stone-cutter. He cut slabs from rocks in a mountain to make urns, tables, shelves, decorations and even headstones for those who were to be buried. The mountain spirits liked the stone-cutter and wished to bless him.
One day, when the stone-cutter went to the house of a very rich man to deliver a stone urn, he was fascinated seeing the lavish house with grand furniture and there was even a bed with silken curtains.
‘I wish I could be rich and have a bed like that!’ thought the stone-cutter.
The mountain spirits heard him and decided to give him a gift. When he reached home, he found in place of his cottage, a magnificent palace. And it even had a bed with silken curtains. The stone-cutter was thrilled.
Sometime later, he saw a prince passing along the road in a grand carriage, with servants carrying a golden umbrella over his head. He thought it would be grand to be a prince with a carriage and servants. And immediately, he became a prince wearing rich clothes, with servants carrying a red and gold umbrella. But in the summer, the stone-cutter found his skin getting tanned and burnt. The sun was more powerful. Now the stone-cutter turned prince wished to be like the sun. And in a flash, he became a sun–bright and golden. He looked around at everything getting brown or burnt because of his heat, till a cloud covered him.
‘The cloud can shut out the sun,’ thought the stone- cutter, ‘It must be more powerful. I wish I were a cloud!’
And he became a cloud. Soon, he brought shade and showers and the earth became green and flowers bloomed everywhere. But suddenly, there was a heavy downpour of rain and the earth was flooded. People and animals ran for cover, and homes were destroyed.
‘The cloud stopped only when it hit into a mountain and couldn’t go over it! I think I should be a high mountain,’ thought the stone- cutter and the mountain spirits made him into a big mountain with rocks.
He was happy being a rocky mountain till he heard something going THUK–THUK-THUK! Someone was cutting the rock! ‘It must be someone stronger than rock,’ thought the stone-cutter, ‘Then the stone-cutter is the strongest! I wish I were a stone-cutter again!’
And thus, he became a stone-cutter again and was really very happy.
