Once upon a time in a faraway village by a great river there lived two brothers named Antek and Jonek. Jonek was a kind hearted and patient man always eager to help others and it was with gratitude that he took over the running of his parents farm once they had become too old to care for the animals. Jonek was a successful farmer and soon married a beautiful woman who was as gentle and hardworking as he. Antek helped his brother at the beginning but he soon tired of farming and moved on from one job to another first becoming a carpenters apprentice then a bakers assistant and then a blacksmiths assistant. Being a lazy man Antek was unable to stay in any one job and would always move on when the work became too hard or tiresome. Finally he settled down and married the daughter of a very rich widow and lived a comfortable and luxurious life which required very little work. Jonek despite being a diligent and compassionate man had no such luck. He toiled in the fields but his crops did not yield very much come harvest time. The wheat that did grow was soon beaten down by angry storms and merciless winds and his cattle were plagued by disease and hunger. His wife and children tended a small vegetable patch in the modest garden while Jonek took on various odd jobs around the village. The family spent many years living an impoverished life all the time wary of the wolves who roamed in the forest all the time hungry for food or in need of extra money to buy clothes or medicines. One day as Antek was hosting a lavish wedding for his eldest daughter Jonek decided to visit the church to pray for help. In the church he saw his brother and his family all sitting in the front row all dressed in extravagant silks and furs and smooth leather boots while poor Jonek remained at the back of the church a cold and hungry figure hiding in the shadows. Once the ceremony had come to an end Jonek followed the wedding procession towards his old family home. He stayed in the background where he would not be seen tears filling his eyes overcome with grief at all that he had lost. When he reached the farmhouse he stood hunched in the doorway and pleaded with his brother. Brother he whispered God be with you. I am famished. My wife and children are starving. Take a moment from your festivities to help us please. Jonek was overcome with despair and anger at how his own brother could treat him so callously. He took the bone and ran from the farm into the cold.