One day, a woodcutter was chopping trees by the river when suddenly his axe fell into the water. He began to cry.
At that moment, the landowner happened to pass by and asked why he was crying. The woodcutter explained that his axe, which he used to make a living, had fallen into the river.
The landowner went into the water and came out holding an axe made of gold and diamonds. He asked the woodcutter, “Is this your axe?”
“No,” replied the woodcutter.
The landowner went into the water again and came out with a silver axe.
“Is this your axe?” he asked.
“No,” said the woodcutter.
The landowner went in a third time and came out with an iron axe.
“Is this your axe?”
“Yes!” the woodcutter replied happily.
The landowner was so pleased to find such an honest man that he gave him all three axes. The woodcutter went home full of joy.
A few days later, the woodcutter and his wife went walking by the river. Suddenly, his wife fell into the water. Again the woodcutter began to cry, and again the landowner appeared and asked why.
“My wife fell into the river!” said the miserable woodcutter.
The landowner went into the water and came out with Audrey Hepburn at her prime.
“Is this your wife?” he asked.
“Yes!” said the woodcutter.
“You lied to me!” shouted the landowner, furious.
“Please understand,” replied the woodcutter. “If I had said no, you would have come out with Scarlett Johansson or some such. And if I had said no again, you would have brought out my real wife, and then I would have said yes. That way you would have given me all three! But I’m a poor man – I can’t take care of three women. So I said yes right away to Audrey…”
Moral of the story: You may need more than one axe, but not more than one woman...