The Stonecutter’s Choice

Jide was a simple stonecutter, tired of his life. Every day, he struck stones with his hammer, sweat dripping from his brow. One afternoon, as he worked under the scorching sun, he sighed, “If only I were powerful, my life would be better.”

At that moment, a strange wind blew, and suddenly, he became a wealthy merchant. He wore fine clothes, had servants at his call, and no longer had to cut stones. But as he walked the streets, he saw the king passing by in his golden chariot. The people bowed, and the merchant Jide thought, The king is more powerful than a merchant. If only I were a king.

And just like that, he became a king. He commanded armies, ruled over people, and sat on a golden throne. But one day, as he stood on his palace balcony, the sun blazed down on him, making him sweat. “Even a king cannot escape the power of the sun,” he murmured. “I wish I were the sun.”

In a flash, he became the sun, shining bright, scorching the earth. He felt unstoppable. But then, a dark cloud drifted in front of him, blocking his light. “Even the sun is powerless before the clouds,” he thought. “I wish I were a cloud.”

And so, he became a mighty cloud, pouring rain, flooding cities, and bending trees. But then, he felt something strong beneath him, the mountain. No matter how much he rained, the mountain stood tall and unshaken. “The mountain is stronger than me,” he realized. “I wish I were a mountain.”

He became the mountain, immovable and mighty. But as he stood, feeling invincible, he heard a small, steady sound tap, tap, tap. A stonecutter was chipping away at him.

Jide gasped. “A simple stonecutter is stronger than the mighty mountain?”

And in that moment, he understood. Power was not in titles or riches it was in perseverance. The stonecutter, though small, kept going. And that was the greatest power of all.

Jide awoke from his strange dream, still a stonecutter, but now, he smiled. He swung his hammer with a new determination, knowing that small efforts, done consistently, can shape even the strongest of mountains.

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