The Three Bridges

"They say the three bridges over the Basawa river were made by fairies. Three different fairies, in fact, and so you be careful if you ever go that once you use one of the bridges, that's the only one you ever use. You know how fairies are."
On hearing that, three men conceived a desire to test the patience of the fairies. The first believed in fairies as much as he believed in honest judges. The second had purchased at a great price a blade promised to be effective against fairies and wanted to try it out. The third no longer had much use for the world.
The three traveled together to the Basawa and agreed that each would take one bridge, then shuffle themselves and go back over, and then move on to the third, one at a time. There was no particular reason for it except a whim, and since that was behind the whole trip, well.
They arrived at the three bridges. One was made of wood that came from those ever-growing trees that men aren't allowed to see. One was made from that metal that's harder than iron and redder than blood that men can't mine. The giants take care of that. One was made from pearl, the entire thing. They made quite a spectacle, all in all.
The three travelers carried out their plan, and at the end of it, the fairies appeared. "Who are these mortals who try to tease us when they have no ability? They can't pretend they don't know how to act."
The fairies came closer, three at first and then three hundred and three thousand after that. The three men were unafraid, and then the fairies realized.
"Oh yes, it's the gods of the ocean, the earth below, and the verdant surface who told us to build these bridges to remind them who they are when they finished their terms of incarnation. Well, never mind then, never mind."
The gods returned to their thrones, and the new era began.
Finis