The Old Man Who Moved the Mountains

Long, long ago, in China, there lived a grandfather who was ninety years old. In front of his house stood two enormous mountains. To go to the village, the market or a neighbour's house, you had to walk all the way around these mountains, and the journey sometimes took days.

One evening the grandfather gathered his whole family: "These mountains are blocking our way. Come, let's move them. Let's carry the stones and the earth to the sea." Everyone was surprised, but his sons and grandsons said, "All right, Grandfather." Only his old wife was a little worried: "You can't even carry away a small hill. Where will you put all those stones?" The grandfather smiled: "Into the sea. The sea will take them all."

The next morning they set to work. They broke the stones with picks and carried them in baskets. The journey to the sea and back took a whole year. The neighbour's seven-year-old son came skipping along to help them too.

In the village there was a man who thought himself very clever. When he saw the grandfather, he laughed: "How foolish you are! At your age you can't move even one piece of the mountain." The grandfather took a deep breath: "If I die, my son will carry on. My son will have sons, and they will have sons too. There will be no end to my grandchildren. But the mountains won't grow any bigger. So why shouldn't we finish?" The clever man did not know what to say, and he quietly went away.

The spirits of the mountains heard the grandfather's words and were afraid: "This family will never give up!" They went and told the ruler of the sky. The ruler was so moved by the grandfather's determination that he sent two mighty giants. The giants lifted the mountains onto their backs and carried them far, far away.

From that day on, a straight road ran from the grandfather's house. The villagers could go to the market and back in an hour.

This tale tells us: great things begin with small steps. A patient heart that never gives up can move even mountains.