Vardapet and the Servant

A vardapet (monk) had a servant. Whatever the vardapet asked, the servant always did the opposite. Therefore, the vardapet had to give his instructions in reverse as well. If he wanted the servant to bring water, he would say, "Do not bring water."

One day, the vardapet loaded his belongings onto a mule and set off with the servant to a neighboring village. The servant was driving the mule. They came to a deep river. The mule with the load entered the water. In the middle of the river, the load tilted and almost fell into the water. The vardapet shouted:

"Ah, lad, tilt the load, tilt the load!"

The vardapet knew the servant's habits and was sure that the servant would do the opposite and straighten the load. However, upon hearing the vardapet's shout, the servant tilted the load, and it fell into the water.

"Ah, lad, what have you done? I asked you to tilt the load!"
"Holy father, you said 'tilt,' so I thought: for all the time I've been eating this man's bread, let me at least once follow his order exactly as he said. As you commanded, so I did."

More fairy tales

• The Power of Habit
• The Merchant Ambartsum's Children
• Earned by One's Own Labor
• The Travelers
• The Wise Weaver