The Secret Of The Golden Lake

Long ago a young man, named Gidron, found a magic lake that, if anything was submerged  in it, would turn that thing instantly to gold.
And bringing all his pots, pans, plates, cups, knives, forks and spoons to the lake he started dipping them in the lake waters; turning them into fine gold things that he could sell.
As he was dipping them in the lake, however, a monster with the body of a bear but the head and horns of an elk came out from behind a nearby tree and started to roar at him.
Fortunately Gidron had his bow and arrow with him and shot the creature through the heart.
Then, once he had buried the monster nearby, he went back to making golden things out of ordinary ones.
And he returned to the lake several times after that, each time bringing more things of wood and clay and cheap metals to turn them to gold and, by selling them, became rich beyond his wildest dreams.
The 9th time that Gidron visited the lake however, as he was bent at its edge, washing a wooden plate in its magic water, he noticed something odd about his reflection in the lakes surface.
His face was changing, he thought, becoming just like the face of an elk and elk antlers were growing out of the top of his head.
And as he touched his head to see if the antlers were real, he noticed that his hands were changing too, turning into hairy bear claws.
Infact, it wasn't long before the man had changed completely from a human being into a strange creature, half bear and half elk.
Some days later another man discovered the secret of the lake and he too started to dip items of wood and clay and copper into it, turning them to gold.
Gidron tried to run out and warn him; shout to him, "Stop! The golden lake turns men to monsters".
But all the man could see when he looked at Gidron was a bear with an elks head and all he could hear coming out of Gidrons mouth was a monster roar.
Acting swiftly, the man picked up his bow and arrow and shot Gidron, killing him.
Then, burying the body nearby, he went back, with a smile, to making golden things out of ordinary ones.