#WisdomTales 29May15 : Destiny…
A merchant in Baghdad sent his servant on an errand to the bazaar and the man came back white with fear and trembling.
“Master,” he said, “while I was in the marketplace, I walked into a stranger. When I looked him in the face, I found that it was Death. He made a threatening gesture at me and walked away. Now I am afraid that he is going to take me away. I do not want to die, please give me a horse so that I can ride at once to the far away city of Samara and put as great a distance as possible between Death and me.”
The merchant understood the anxiety for the man and gave him his swiftest steed. The servant was on it and went galloping away immediately.
Later in the day the merchant himself went down to the bazaar and saw the same persona whom his servant has described as Death, loitering there in the crowd. So he went up to him and said, “You made a threatening gesture at my poor servant this morning. What did it mean?”
“That was no threatening gesture at all, sir,” said Death. “I was only surprised to see him here in Baghdad today.”
“Why would he not be in Baghdad? This is where the man lives.” Said the merchant
“Well, I had been given to understand that I would need to pick him up from Samara tonight, you see…”
Whatever It is Worth... 