The Four Brothers
A Poor Family and a Difficult Decision
Once, in a small village, there lived a fisherman with his four sons. His sons were named Rob, Cole, Alex, and Harry. The fisherman was very poor. Selling fish was his only source of income, and he managed to earn just enough to feed his family.
He had nothing left to give his sons. One day, he called them to him and said:
— My children, listen! I have nothing to offer. You are old enough now, so you must go out into the world, find a vocation, and try your luck.
— But Father, we don't know any craft or art. What will we do away from home?
— That's exactly what you need to find out. You must leave to discover what kind of work you are capable of doing.
— But Father, we've never gone out on our own before.
— My child, nothing will go wrong. I don't want you to live a fisherman's life. We can barely survive on this work. Go and learn a profitable trade.
— Alright, Father, if that's what you want, we will certainly go.
— Yes, Father, we'll go.
Separate Roads and New Beginnings
The four brothers said goodbye to their father and left. After a certain distance, they saw four roads, all going in different directions. Rob told his brothers:
— I think each of us should choose one of these roads and meet back here after four years.
— As you say, big brother! As you say, big brother!
The four brothers went down the four different roads. Rob met a man on the road.
— Friend, this is the end of the road. Where are you going?
— I want to learn a trade, any kind of trade that will allow me to earn a living.
— Then come with me. I will make you the cleverest thief in the world.
— No, no. I want to live honestly, not through thievery. I want to live free and not be thrown in prison.
— Look, friend, who's asking you to go to prison? Learn the skills of a thief, but use them to do good.
Rob agreed with him. He believed there was nothing wrong with learning a trade, so he went with the man. The man made him so skilled in thievery that whatever Rob wanted, he could easily steal without anyone ever knowing.
Cole and the Magic Binoculars
While walking, Cole arrived at a place where a river flowed and there was only one house in the area, with nothing else around. He saw a man sitting by the river. He was holding a machine made of glass. Cole couldn't understand what it was. He went toward him.
— Hello, friend! What are you doing?
— With this machine, you can easily see things in the distance. It's called binoculars.
— That seems very interesting. Can you teach me how to use it?
— If you want to learn, I will certainly teach you.
Cole began living with that man. The man taught him the skill of using binoculars. Within a few months, Cole became an expert at it.
— You've learned well. So if you want to leave, you're free to go.
— Yes. A whole year has passed. Now I must leave.
— Good, take your binoculars with you. With them, you'll be able to see everything, whether on land or in the sky.
Alex and the Art of Hunting
Meanwhile, the third brother, Alex, met a hunter. He stayed with the hunter at his house and learned from him the skill of hunting.
— Alex, we've had many days of training here in the field. Today we must train in the jungle. Let's see if you can aim at moving targets.
— Alright.
Both headed into the forest, where the hunter showed Alex how to aim at a running deer. The arrow hit the deer and killed it.
— Alex, come on! Now it's your turn.
Alex took an arrow and aimed at a flying bird. But the arrow missed.
— Alex, you still need to practice. From now on, every day we will come to the jungle to train.
— As you say.
Every day, the hunter came with Alex to the forest for training. Eventually, Alex could hit targets and never miss one. He became an absolute expert in the art of hunting.
— Well done, Alex! Your aim is perfect and you've learned every aspect of this skill.
— Thank you, friend. You've helped me so much. But it's only because of you that I managed to learn this. Now I want to go home to help my father.
— Sure. You may leave. Take this bow and this arrow. They will be useful.
Harry and the Craft of Tailoring
The youngest brother, Harry, had arrived in a village where he met a tailor.
— Brother, who are you? And what are you doing here?
— My name is Harry and I want to learn any kind of trade.
— Good. Tell me if you want to become a tailor. I can teach you.
— Sure, why not? I'd like to learn.
Harry began living in the tailor's house. With all his heart, the tailor taught Harry about the art of sewing clothes. He explained the smallest details of the work, such as how to thread the needle, how to hold a piece of cloth before sewing it — he taught him everything.
As time passed, Harry learned tailoring very well. The tailor was very pleased with Harry for his hard work and sincerity. When Harry was leaving, the tailor handed him a needle and thread and said:
— I am very pleased with your work. Take this needle and thread. Keep it as soft as wool and as tough as steel. Then you can sew anything and no one will ever see the stitching in whatever you sew.
The Reunion and the Father's Challenge
The four brothers arrived at the same place where they had promised to meet after four years. From there, they returned home together. When they arrived home, they met their father and told him what each of them had learned.
One day, when they were all sitting with their father under a tree in the yard, he said:
— Today I want to see how skilled you are at the trades you've learned. There is a nest at the top of the tree. Tell me how many eggs are in it.
— Five!
— Good, Rob. Now bring me the eggs from under the bird sitting on top of them. But the bird must not know.
Rob climbed the tree and without the bird seeing him, stole the eggs. He was so good that the bird didn't realize the eggs had disappeared from under her.
— Wow! Extraordinary!
The fisherman placed the four eggs on the four corners of the table and said to his son Alex:
— Cut all four eggs in half with a single arrow, but the chicks inside must not be harmed.
Alex drew his bow and with a single arrow cut the eggs in half. The fisherman was very happy to see this and then said to his son Harry:
— Now, sew these eggs back together so the bird can hatch her chicks.
Harry took out his needle and sewed the eggs. Then Rob put them back in the nest. The bird didn't even know.
— Very well, my children! You have all learned with complete sincerity in these four years. I have no gift to give you, but I am sure life will reward you for your hard work.
Saving the Princess and the Reward
After a few days, news spread throughout the kingdom that a dragon had kidnapped the princess. The king declared that whoever finds the princess would receive her hand in marriage.
— My sons, you have the chance to show your talents. Go save the princess from the dragon's clutches.
All four brothers prepared and set off to save the princess. Cole looked through his binoculars and said:
— I can see where the princess is. The dragon has hidden her on an island in the middle of the sea and is guarding her there.
Then they went to the king and asked for a boat to reach the island. The king gave them a ship, and the four arrived on the island. Cole looked through the binoculars and said:
— The dragon is sleeping nearby and its head is in the princess's lap.
— In that case, I can't aim so that the arrow won't harm the princess.
— Wait! I'll steal the princess and bring her. Keep the boat ready.
Rob stole the princess from the dragon. But when he was returning to the ship, the dragon woke up and flew above them, chasing them. It was about to attack when Alex killed it with his arrows. But when the dragon fell into the water, the impact created huge waves that smashed the ship to pieces. Everyone was floating on different pieces of the ship.
So Harry took out his needle, grabbed long threads, and began sewing the wooden panels together. Soon enough panels were sewn for everyone to stand on. Then they arrived home safely with the princess.
When they went to the king, he told them:
— You four decide who will marry the princess.
When they heard this, all four brothers began to argue.
— If I hadn't found the princess, what would you three have done? Therefore, I will marry the princess.
— If I hadn't rescued the princess from the dragon, what would you three have done? I will marry the princess.
— If I hadn't killed the dragon, would you have ever managed to bring the princess home? How can you marry her? I should be the one to marry her.
— If I hadn't sewn the boat, you would have all drowned. Therefore, I will marry the princess.
Seeing the four brothers arguing, the king decided that none of them would marry the princess, because no one would be happy that way. The king gave half of his kingdom to the four brothers as a reward.
The brothers got everything they wanted. And in this way, the fisherman finally escaped his poverty and they all lived happily ever after.
