The ear of gold a short story for kids | Stories in English for Kids
Adaptation of the folk tale of Peru
In the beautiful and remote lands of Peru lived a young couple who had five small children. Their life was hard enough and they couldn’t afford any luxury. The family got ahead thanks to the cultivation of corn in a small field that they had very close to their home. Every morning, the woman would grind it and make bread and cakes with it to feed her children. If there was any left over from the harvest, he would sell it in the afternoon in the nearest village and return home with a couple of silver coins.
From so much working from sunrise to sunset, the peasant was exhausted. Her husband, on the other hand, did nothing. He spent his time lazing around and taking walks in the mountains while the kids were at school or playing hide and seek.
One day, the girl sat in the barn and began to clean, as always, the ears that she had collected during the day. They were big and they looked great. For a few moments he was very happy, but when he began to count, he found that there was not enough to make bread for everyone, much less to sell to the neighbors.
The poor, heartbroken, knelt down and began to cry.How could she feed her five little children if she could not make enough flour? … If only her husband helped her, they could join forces and grow more corn, but it was selfish that He was only thinking of himself and his own comfort. He looked up at the sky and asked the good god to have compassion and give him the strength to continue.
Suddenly, he noticed that in a corner something was glowing brightly. She was very surprised but did not even come close; he imagined it was a ray of sunlight striking a metal box, the kind where tools are kept.
She blew it off for a while longer and wiped away her tears with the cuff of her worn blouse. Looking up, his eyes still glassy, he saw that the strange glow was still there, not moving from the corner of the barn. He realized that it was almost night, so it was clear that the sun could not be.
A little scared, she approached slowly to see what it was about. The glow was more intense as he approached, and he even had to look away to avoid being dazzled. His surprise was immense when he discovered that it was a huge golden ear. He couldn’t believe it! Its grains were made of pure gold and intense beams of light came from them.
The peasant woman looked up. The god had helped her by attending to her prayers! She took the corn delicately and went in search of her husband, who was snoring in a hammock, letting the hours pass.
With a still trembling voice, she told him what had happened and the man, for the first time in his life, was ashamed of his behavior. He understood that his wife had always carried the responsibility of the house, the children and the hard work in the fields. It was her and not him that the divine god had rewarded!
From that day on, the boy changed forever. They sold the ear of gold and made a lot of money. Afterward, they fixed the house, bought a larger piece of land, and their children grew up healthy and happy. They were never lacking for anything again.
