Three Children

Three women were gathered by the fountain, talking. An old man was sitting a little away, listening to the women praising their children.

One of the women said:

-My son is so skilful that no one can compete with him in this matter…He is a complete acrobat! You should see him walk on a rope!

The other woman jumped excitedly:

-If you knew the voice of my son, she said. He sings just like a nightingale. No one on earth has such a voice. It is God’s gift…

The third woman was silent. The others asked:

-Why don’t you praise your child? What’s wrong with him?

-My child doesn’t have anything outstanding… Why should I praise him out of the blue?

The women filled their buckets and set off. The old man started to walk after them. The women had difficulty carrying the heavy buckets, so they stopped and rested from time to time. Their backs were in pain. At this time their children came out to meet them.

The first child immediately stood up on his hands and performed various feats. The women exclaimed, their eyes wide with astonishment:

-What a talented child!

The second child sang such beautiful songs with a voice like gold that the women listened to him with tears of admiration… The third child came running, took the bucket from his mother’s hand and carried it home.

The women turned to the old man and said:

-What do you say about our children, they said.

The old man was surprised:

-Your children? He said. I don’t know about them. There was only one, he took the bucket from his mother’s hand and carried it home. I liked him very much…