Ole was a poor gardener. He lived in a small hut with his wife Kirsten and son Hans. Unfortunately, Hans could not stand or walk. He lay in bed knitting woollen socks and caps.
Kirsten worked for a rich family. Every Christmas, the master and the mistress invited poor families and distributed gifts, clothes and food.
One Christmas, Kirsten’s mistress presented Hans with a book. Kirsten said to Ole, “Why did the mistress give Hans a story-book? Food or clothes would have been a better gift for him.” Ole agreed but Hans was very happy.
One night, the poor couple came home tired. They complained to each other, “We are all God’s children, so why did He make some of us poor and some so rich?”
Hans overheard them and said, “Come; listen to this story from the book.”
And he started, “Once, a King fell very ill. None was able to cure him. One day, a wise man visited him and stated that the King could be cured only if he wore the shirt of a person who had no regrets or sorrows in life.
The royal guards set off in search of such a person. Finally, they met a poor man singing loudly and declaring that he was the happiest person in the world. The royal guards asked him for his shirt. The poor man laughed and said, ‘I would readily give away my shirt but I do not own a shirt.’”
Listening to the story, Ole and Kirsten were amazed that a man who did not even have a shirt to wear could be so happy in life. They felt ashamed and decided never to complain.
Sometime later, Kirsten’s mistress gifted Hans a black bird in a cage.
One day, Hans saw a cat crawling towards the bird-cage. Hans wanted to save the bird but could not move due to his crippled legs. However, as the cat jumped up on the cage, Hans surprisingly jumped to his feet and saved the bird. Amazed that he could move, he ran out into the garden and shouted, “Mother, I can walk.”
His parent’s joy knew no bounds and all of them thanked God.
The mistress sent Hans to a boarding school. He often wrote letters to his parents about his new life.
Now, Ole and Kirsten still read their favourite stories from Hans’ book.
