(Der goldene Schlüssel, Kinder und Hausmärchen, No. 200, Aarne-Thompson Index type 2260)
by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
The story
Once in the wintertime when the snow was very deep, a poor boy had to go out and fetch wood on a sled.
After he had gathered it together and loaded it, he did not want to go straight home, because he was so frozen, but instead to make a fire and warm himself a little first. So, he scraped the snow away, and while he was thus clearing the ground, he found a small golden key.
Now he believed that where there was a key, there must also be a lock, so he dug in the ground and found a little iron chest. "If only the key fits!" he thought. "Certainly, there are valuable things in the chest."
He looked, but there was no keyhole. Finally, he found one, but so small that it could scarcely be seen. He tried the key, and fortunately it fitted. Then he turned it once, and now we must wait until he has finished unlocking it and has opened the lid.
Then we shall find out what kind of wonderful things there were in the little chest.
The end of story
•••
This intriguing folktale describes somewhat the activities in business.
A client enquires a product or service. You employ people, knowledge and skills, a lot of hard work, invest time and money, overcome unpredictable situations and do your best.
And, in the end, there are wonderful things to get… But, you must open the lid, and it depends on you.
The boy in the story did not know what was in the lid.
A businessman must know!