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> The Wizard and the Donkey
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The Wizard and the Donkey
There once was a good wizard who, after walking the entire day, stopped at a small country inn to rest. He ate his dinner and then went to bed. The host was very kind with him because, thinking he was a rich merchant with plenty of money with him, planned to rob him the next day.
The following morning, before dawn the host went to the forest and lied in wait for the wizard disguised like a bandit. When the good wizard arrived he heard a deep voice, “Give me the money!” And he saw the host disguised as a bandit with a gun pointed right at him. The wizard without loosing his calm turned around and touched the bandit with his magic stick saying “Be this a lesson to you!”
At those words the man turned into a beautiful donkey with long ears and tail. Then, the wizard took the donkey by its lead and continued his journey, until they reached a house where lived a peasant known to the wizard. The wizard asked the peasant if he needed and animal to help him on his farm, “I can lend it to you till I am back.”
The overjoyed peasant accepted and they agreed on the amount of money he had to pay to the wizard for the donkey.
After many months had passed, the wizard went back to the farm. The donkey had behaved well and worked hard. The peasant paid the money he owed the wizard and returned the animal. The wizard continued his journey and went back to the same country inn, where he had first stayed. There he found the host’s wife in mourning because she thought her husband had died. The good wizard felt moved by her sorrow and said to her,
“Why are you crying instead of having hope? Your husband is not dead, I can tell you! He is as alive as you and I, he only went away to make some money.”
After saying this he touched the donkey with his stick and the animal turned again into the host making the wife extremely happy.
The host was full of shame; he threw himself at the feet of the wizard and begged for forgiveness. The wizard counted the money he had received from the peasant and said “Take this and live in peace! This money really belongs to you because you earned it with your work!”
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