A traveler was returning home along the banks of a cheerful and murmuring mountain river. The day was drawing to a close, and the sun was casting its last rays on the river and the towering cliffs surrounding it. Exhausted from a long day of work, the traveler decided to wash and refresh himself in the fresh and clear waters of the river. He placed his shoes in his backpack and carefully stepped into the cold waters of the mountain stream, splashing the ringing water with his bare feet and scooping it up with his hands to drink.
The cool and clean water of the mountain river refreshed him and gave him new strength. As he was about to step back onto the bank, his attention was caught by a faint glimmer in the depths of the river. It seemed as if the river's waters had brought a precious gem from the mountain cliffs, shining from the depths of the river and reflecting all the colors of the rainbow. Overjoyed by the unexpected discovery, the traveler reached out and picked up an unusual stone that resembled a small star. The stone shimmered in the sunlight, looking like an unimaginable small treasure.
After checking his surroundings and ensuring that no one was watching but the clear sky and the singing birds in the forest, the traveler quickly placed the stone in his pocket and jumped out of the river. Barely having time to put on his worn-out shoes, he hurried back to his home. He was certain that he had found a treasure. From now on, he would be rich! No one would dare take it away from him. No one and never.
He sprinted down the mountain, running through the bushes and scraping his face and hands. He stumbled over tree roots in the evening darkness, not knowing where he was going. In his haste, he hit his head against a tree, leaving a large bump. He was in a hurry to carry his treasure where it belongs.
By the end of the day, after navigating the forest in a rush, he had returned to his home. As soon as the first logs caught fire in his fireplace, he threw his soaked clothes on the floor, shook out the stone he had carefully hidden, and began to turn and examine it in the dancing light of the flames. To his disappointment, the stone, which had once seemed like a precious treasure, now looked completely ordinary. Having dried and lost its sunny and water magic, it no longer sparkled. Its rough surface did not reflect the sunlight, making it appear mundane.
In tears and resentment, scolding God and his own foolishness, the upset and exhausted traveler opened the door of his home once again and threw the ridiculous stone away with all his might. Little did he know that the very stone he had so recently mistaken for a treasure and then for a worthless trinket was a piece of gold that had been carried by a mountain stream from the king's mines. The river silt had enveloped it and concealed its value from casual observation, but the mountain stream and the sun had temporarily revealed it. In the evening darkness, the traveler failed to notice or understand what fate itself had placed in his hands.
And the golden pebble that the traveler threw away, as the heavenly birds tell us in their joyful morning songs in a language unknown to man, still lies among the mountain cliffs, sparkling in the rays of the rising sun. It awaits those who do not judge by appearance.