Mutual Aid

A certain peasant died. When they began looking for people to help bury him, three volunteers stepped forward. On the way to the cemetery, they noticed a guard standing near a nearby garden and approached him:

"Brother, help us carry the deceased to the cemetery."

"I can't," replied the guard, "I'm busy, I have a lot of work to do."

The man lying in the coffin raised his head and said:

"I, too, had many unfinished tasks, but death came. I left my affairs behind and am departing from this world. Help carry me to the cemetery, so that others may help bury you after your death."

More fairy tales

• The Pomegranate Seed
• The Merchant Ambartsum's Children
• Earned by One's Own Labor
• The Tale of the Prince and the Daughter of the Genie King
• The Snake and the Poor Man