Three Wishes
By Ricardo E. Alegría
Many years ago, there lived a woodsman and his wife.
They were very poor but very happy in their little house in
the forest. Poor as they were, they were always ready to
share what little they had with anyone who came to their
door. They loved each other very much and were quite
content with their life together. Each evening, before eating,
they gave thanks to God for their happiness.
One day, while the husband was working far off in the
woods, an old man came to the little house and said that he
had lost his way in the forest and had eaten nothing for
many days. The woodsman’s wife had little to eat herself,
but, as was her custom, she gave a large portion of it to the
old man. After he had eaten everything she gave him, he
told the woman that he had been sent to test her and that,
as a reward for the kindness she and her husband showed
to all who came to their house, they would be granted a
special grace. This pleased the woman, and she asked what
the special grace was.
The old man answered, “Beginning immediately, any
three wishes you or your husband may wish will come
true.”
When she heard these words, the woman was overjoyed
and exclaimed, “Oh, if my husband were only here to hear
what you say!”
The last word had scarcely left her lips when the woodsman
appeared in the little house with the ax still in his
hands. The first wish had come true.
The woodsman couldn’t understand it at all. How did it
happen that he, who had been cutting wood in the forest,
found himself here in his house? His wife explained it all as
she embraced him. The woodsman just stood there, thinking
over what his wife had said. He looked at the old man
who stood quietly, too, saying nothing.
Suddenly he realized that his wife, without stopping to
think, had used one of the three wishes, and he became
very annoyed when he remembered all of the useful things
she might have asked for with the first wish. For the first
time, he became angry with his wife. The desire for riches
had turned his head, and he scolded his wife, shouting at
her, among other things, “It doesn’t seem possible that you
could be so stupid! You’ve wasted one of our wishes, and
now we have only two left! May you grow ears of a donkey!”
He had no sooner said the words than his wife’s ears
began to grow, and they continued to grow until they
changed into the pointed, furry ears of a donkey.
When the woman put her
hand up and felt them, she
knew what had happened and
began to cry. Her husband was
very ashamed and sorry,
indeed, for what he had done in
his temper, and he went to his
wife to comfort her.
The old man, who had stood
by silently, now came to them
and said, “Until now, you have
known happiness together and
have never quarreled with each
other. Nevertheless, the mere
knowledge that you could have
riches and power has changed
you both. Remember, you have
only one wish left. What do you
want? Riches? Beautiful
clothes? Servants? Power?”
The woodsman tightened his
arm about his wife, looked at
the old man, and said, “We
want only the happiness and
joy we knew before my wife
grew donkey’s ears.”
No sooner had he said these
words than the donkey ears
disappeared. The woodsman and his wife fell upon their
knees to ask forgiveness for having acted, if only for a
moment, out of covetousness1 and greed. Then they gave
thanks for all their happiness.
The old man left, but before going, he told them that they
had undergone this test in order to learn that there can be
happiness in poverty just as there can be unhappiness in
riches. As a reward for their repentance, the old man said
that he would bestow upon them the greatest happiness a
married couple could know. Months later, a son was born
to them. The family lived happily all the rest of their lives.