Section 1
Once upon a time, there was a king who owned a magnificent garden. In the garden grew a tree that produced precious golden apples. The king made sure to count the apples every day, and as they approached ripeness, he noticed that one apple went missing every night. The king was furious and demanded that the gardener keep watch under the tree throughout the night. The gardener instructed his oldest son to keep watch, but he fell asleep at midnight, and another apple was missing by morning. The second son tried to keep watch, but he also dozed off at midnight, and another apple vanished. Finally, the third son offered to watch the tree, but the gardener hesitated to let him, fearing for his safety. After much persuasion, the young man was allowed to take the task. He lay beneath the tree and waited. At midnight, he heard a fluttering sound in the air and saw a golden bird pecking at one of the apples. The gardener's son quickly grabbed his bow and arrow and shot at the bird, which dropped a feather from its tail and flew away, unharmed. The golden feather was brought to the king the following morning, and his council deemed it to be worth more than the kingdom's entire wealth. The king, however, was not satisfied with a single feather and insisted on having the entire bird.
The gardener's eldest son set out on a quest to find the golden bird, thinking it would be an easy task. He walked for a while and soon came across a wood where he spotted a fox. He aimed his bow at the fox, but the fox spoke up, "Do not shoot me, for I can give you good advice. I know what you seek, and you will come across a village in the evening with two inns. One inn will appear magnificent and the other one will be poor and shabby. Do not be deceived by appearances and stay at the poorer one for the night." The son scoffed at the idea that a fox could offer useful advice, so he ignored the fox's warning and shot his arrow. However, he missed, and the fox ran away into the woods. Later, he reached the village and saw the two inns. One inn was lively with music, dancing, and people feasting, while the other inn looked dull and uninviting. Despite the fox's advice, the son decided to go to the fancier inn to eat and drink instead of following the advice and staying at the poorer inn. He became so engrossed in the festivities that he forgot all about the golden bird and his country.
Days went by, and as the eldest son failed to return and no news was heard about him, the second son decided to go in search of the golden bird. As he set out, he also encountered the same fox who gave him the same counsel as his brother. However, when he reached the village, he saw his elder brother standing by the window of the lively inn, calling out to him to come inside. Tempted by the fun and festivities, the second son could not resist the urge and went inside the fancy inn, forgetting all about the golden bird and his country just like his elder brother.
As more time passed, the youngest son also became eager to venture out into the world to search for the golden bird. His father, who dearly loved him, was initially reluctant to let him go, fearing that something unfortunate might befall him too, and he may not return. Nevertheless, the youngest son's determination to leave home could not be swayed. As he journeyed through the woods, he too encountered the wise fox, who offered him the same advice as his brothers. Unlike his older brothers, he was grateful for the fox's counsel and had no intention of harming him. The fox then suggested, "Sit on my tail, and I'll take you there faster." The youngest son agreed, and the fox darted off, running at an astonishing speed, hurtling over all manner of obstacles so quickly that their hair fluttered in the wind.
Upon arriving at the village, the son heeded the fox's advice and went straight to the humble inn without looking elsewhere. He rested there for the night. The next morning, the fox appeared again as the son was about to continue his journey. The fox said, "Keep going straight ahead until you reach a castle. In front of it, there will be a group of soldiers sound asleep and snoring. Pay them no attention and continue through the castle until you reach a room where the golden bird sits in a wooden cage. Next to it, there will be a golden cage. But, whatever you do, don't try to transfer the bird from the shabby cage to the exquisite one, or you will regret it." Once again, the fox extended its tail, and the young man sat on it, and they flew over rough terrain at a tremendous speed that caused their hair to whistle in the wind.
