Once upon a time there lived a rich merchant and he owned a precious stone, which had no equal in all the earth. He loved this stone more than anything in the world and never parted with it. Day and night the merchant admired his stone, forgetting about sleep and food, and his health began to deteriorate as a result.
The merchant's wife became worried that it would not be long before she lost her husband, and, taking with her money and gifts, she went for advice to the wise Taoist, whose fame flew to all directions of the world faster than an arrow fired from a tight bow. The Taoist graciously accepted the gifts and, promising to help, sent the unfortunate woman on her way.
Two nights later, the full moon came, and the rich man in love with the stone went out into the garden to admire how the moonlight played on the edges of his treasure, lighting multi-colored lights in the shimmering depths of the stone. Suddenly a cold breath touched the merchant’s cheek and, turning around, he saw next to him, as if woven from the darkness, a faceless figure in strange clothes made of rags and feathers.
-Who are you and what are you doing here? - the rich man asked in a trembling voice, peering with horror at the ominous outlines of the stranger.
“I am your death and I have come for you,” answered a strange, dull voice.
“But I’m still young and don’t want to die,” the merchant whispered in a voice shrunken with fear.
“I can fulfill your last wish,” said death. - Ask for whatever you want, except for one thing - to stay on earth.
- Can I not part with the stone even after death? - asked the rich man with hidden hope.
“Of course, if this is your last wish,” Death answered indifferently. - Both you and your treasure will be forever imprisoned in cold, impenetrable darkness. You will not be able to see your stone, but you will forever clutch it in your hands.
“And I’ll never see the moon again?” — the merchant asked sadly.
“You will never see the moon, or the garden, or your relatives again,” Death laughed. “You won’t be able to admire flowers, caress your wife, eat delicacies, bask in the sun and expose your face to the summer breeze.” But why do you need all this? All your life you have seen only one thing - a precious stone, and after death you will not part with it.
“Give me time to say goodbye to my family,” the rich man cried desperately, falling to his knees. - I will do whatever you want; just leave me one more day!
“Okay,” says death, “I’ll give you one day if you give me your jewel in exchange.”
The merchant handed the stone to death without even looking at it, and ran into the house. He rushes around the rooms, calling his wife, but she is nowhere to be found. He ran out into the garden again and looked - his wife was standing at the gate and holding his treasured jewel in her hands.
-Where did you get the stone from? - the rich man screamed, losing his mind. - Did his death give you?
-What are you talking about? - the wife was surprised. “The Taoist gave it to me when he left our garden.”
Then the merchant realized with whom he was having a night conversation. He cried with relief, then laughed, hugged his wife, took the stone from her and, swinging it, threw it into the river.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru