The Golden Star Fruit Tree Fairy Tale

The fairy tale "The Golden Star Fruit Tree" is a lesson for the greedy and willing who sacrifice their sibling bonds in pursuit of wealth.

The Golden Star Fruit Tree

Illustration: My Hanh Le (Lê Mỹ Hạnh)

Once upon a time, there were two brothers who had lost their parents. Despite the adversity, they worked hard and managed to lead a smooth life. However, as time passed, the elder brother grew indolent after marriage and left all the difficult tasks to his younger brother and his wife. The younger brother and his spouse worked diligently to cultivate rice, but the elder brother refused to share the profits and demanded that they live apart.

As a result, the younger brother was given a ramshackle hut with a star fruit tree in front of it, while the elder brother took possession of all the rice fields. Without any complaints, the younger brother and his wife began working for other farmers. The elder brother hired laborers to manage his fields and lived a life of luxury. As he never heard any grievances from his younger brother, he deemed him to be foolish and stopped visiting him.

Every year, the younger brother and his wife eagerly awaited the star fruit tree to bear fruit. They took great care of the tree throughout the year by watering it and removing worms and ants. The tree's shade covered their small garden, and its fruits hung so low that even a small child could pluck them.

One morning, the couple carried bamboo poles and baskets to the star fruit tree to collect some fruits to sell in the market. Suddenly, the tree began to shake, and they noticed a huge bird feasting on the ripe fruit. They stood there and waited until the bird flew away, then climbed the tree to pick some fruits. The giant bird visited them every morning after that, eating from the tree and reducing the amount of fruit significantly.

One day, the wife spoke up, "If you keep eating like this, will there be any fruit left for us?"

The bird craned its neck, blinked its eyes, and replied:

"Start fruit I eat,
With gold I pay.
Remember to sew an exact three-foot bag,
I will come back to pick you up tomorrow."

It repeated these words three times before flying away.

Astounded that the bird could speak, the couple decided to follow its instructions. The wife sewed a large bag that measured exactly three arm-spans.

The next morning, as soon as the couple finished their breakfast, a fierce wind arose. The bird landed on the tree and tilted its head towards them. The husband brought the three-span bag, and the bird spread its wings, inviting him to climb onto its back.

He sat on the bird's back and held on tight as it raised its neck and soared into the sky. They flew through silver clouds, over vast fields and mountains, and above the sea, where huge waves slammed into small islands and tossed up white bubbles. The bird landed on an island studded with colorful jewels that shimmered in the sun. The man saw no other living beings.

The bird pointed towards a cave and instructed the man to enter, saying, "You may take whatever you like." At the entrance to the cave, the man saw brightly colored jewels. He did not dare venture too far inside but collected some gold and gems and placed them in his cloth bag. He then returned to the bird and climbed onto its back to go home.

The wife was overjoyed to see her husband home safely. She gratefully stroked the bird and offered it some fruit. The bird had a snack, then bade the couple farewell. After that, it rarely returned to eat their fruit.

The Golden Star Fruit Tree Fairy Tale

When the older brother heard of his younger brother's good fortune, he rushed over to him with an eager proposal: "Let's trade houses," he said, hoping to take possession of the lucky star fruit tree.

To his surprise, his younger brother agreed, and the greedy older brother and his wife moved into the small shack. They spent their days watching the star fruit tree and waiting for the chance to profit from its magical fruits.

One day, a strong wind blew through the area, and the couple looked outside to see a huge bird eating the star fruit. Although the bird had only taken a few bites, the couple panicked, crying out, "Our entire family survives from this fruit! How will we live if you eat them all?"

The bird calmly replied:

"Start fruit I eat,
With gold I pay.
Remember to sew an exact three-foot bag,
I will come back to pick you up tomorrow."

The older brother and his wife were thrilled at the opportunity, but they immediately began to argue about how to make the bag. They wanted to make many bags but feared the bird would not agree. Finally, they settled on making a single bag that was three times as big as the one the younger brother had used.

The next morning, the bird landed in the couple's garden. Without eating breakfast, the pair rushed out with their giant bag. The man jumped onto the bird, and the wife bowed down fervently as the bird took flight.

When they landed on the island, the older brother was dazzled by the gleaming diamonds and pearls. Inside the cave, he was stupefied by the sight of all the gold and gems, unaware of his hunger and thirst as he collected as much as he could carry. He even knotted the bottoms of his pants and sleeves and stuffed them with gold.

The greedy brother could barely walk out of the cave with his load. The bird grew anxious as it waited for him, and it was not until late afternoon that he managed to carry his load out. It took all his strength to heave it up onto the bird's back and tie it to his body with a rope.

As the bird took off, however, the load was so heavy that it could barely fly above the sea. The older brother dreamed of his unlimited wealth, unaware of the danger they were in. As the bird struggled to stay aloft, the wind rose higher, and as the bird banked to avoid a huge wave, the bag of gold on its back shifted, then fell. The brother and his huge bag vanished into the sea.

The bird shook off its wet wings and flew back to its mountain home. And so the lucky star fruit tree remained with the younger brother, who enjoyed its fruits and lived contentedly for the rest of his days.

The Golden Star Fruit Tree Fairy Tale
- Vietnamese Fairy Tale -