#el lobo

He wandered for many miles on the road, unsure of where he was going, but determined.

First, he encountered an angel, who offered to be his son's godparent, but he refused. "You condone poverty and suffering," he said. "Your offers of health and happiness for him are not enough to ignore that."

Next, he encountered a demon, who offered to be his son's godparent, but he refused. "You deceive and trick humanity," he said. "Your offers of gold and the world's joys for him are not enough to ignore that."

He wandered for many more miles, still unsure of where he was going, but determined.

And then, he met two figures, clad in black and red. Flowers blossomed around one, while the grass withered around the other.

Death and Life stood in front of him and offered to be his child's godparents.

He considered it. Life gave everyone the chance to make the most of it, and Death took everyone in the end. Whether rich or poor, young or old, they did not care. Everyone had the same chance, and everyone met the same fate.

He accepted the offer.

His son grew up clever and smart, and when he came of age, Life and Death appeared before him. They asked him what he wished to be, for they wished to help him, and he revealed he wished to be a doctor.

For her gift, Life taught the son about herbs. She explained which were poison and which were medicine, how to turn poison into medicine and medicine into poison. She taught him how to grow the herbs, and soon he had a flourishing garden.

For his gift, Death offered himself. He told the son that, when he visited a sick person, he would see him. If Death nodded, the person would be well. If Death shook his head, the person was doomed to die, and he had no choice in the matter.

The doctor soon became known for his ability to foresee whether a person would recover or not. If a patient were to live, he would whip up a miraculous cure. He gained fame and riches. However, to him, those were worthless compared to the pride his godparents felt in him.

One day, however, the king himself came to the doctor, begging and pleading for his aid. His daughter, the beloved princess, had fallen ill. The doctor came to the palace immediately, seeing nothing but another person who needed his help.

However, things were different.

The moment he laid eyes upon her, the doctor fell deeply in love with the princess.

However, Death appeared to him and shook his head.

She was doomed to die.

But the doctor had fallen in love and would not be persuaded. He said that the princess could be cured and whipped up a miraculous cure. When he fed it to her, she recovered. Death turned away from him.

The doctor lingered by the princess's side. They talked for hours about various subjects, and he fell even deeper in love, charmed by her wit and her cleverness. For her part, she admitted that she loved him as well, charmed by his knowledge and the stories of the people he had met.

However, this was not to last.

The princess took ill again, and once again, Death shook his head. The doctor ignored him and whipped up another cure.

The princess recovered again, and she asked him to marry her. He agreed, and the two were married in a small ceremony. The king was delighted by the match and promised the doctor that, when he passed, he would be king.

However, this was not to last.

The doctor's wife took ill again. This time was much, much worse, and once again, Death shook his head. Once again, the doctor turned to ignore him, but Death stopped him.

He guided him away from his wife and told him he had to show him something.

He guided him to a cave full of candles. He explained that each of these candles was a person's life, each created by Life. He explained that a candle could not keep on burning, not when it had reached the end of its wick. His wife's candle, he explained, was at the very end, and he showed her candle, nothing more than a pile of wax, with a flame feebly clinging on.

The doctor pleaded for a way to save her. He would do anything, even give up his own candle, just to save her. Death shook his head. He could not, as much as he wished he could. To cure her would only drag things out.

A flame went out.