Wormwood – A Remedy for All Misfortunes
In ancient times, there lived a peasant. And this peasant firmly believed in the magical properties of wormwood. Every summer, he would gather wormwood, dry it, tie it into bundles, and say:"There is no misfortune that wormwood cannot help with." One night, a thief broke into his house. He crept inside, pulled out a money pouch from under the pillow, and dashed out of the house. But he didn’t get far—the peasant woke up. So, the thief had to hide under a bush in the garden.
The peasant stepped into the yard, looked around, and suddenly noticed a trail near the bush. "No doubt, the thief left a trail," thought the peasant. "I should take a closer look."
He brought a bundle of dried wormwood and lit a fire. The flames grew hotter and hotter. The thief lay under the bush, weeping, as the fire crept closer to his heels. He endured and endured, but finally couldn’t take it anymore and bolted.
As he ran, he thought, "What kind of extraordinary herb did he burn? It must be magical—it pointed right to where I was hiding! Wonders! I’d better return the money."
Meanwhile, the peasant noticed nothing. He sat on his haunches, examining the thief’s trail. Suddenly, he saw the thief crawling out of the bushes, holding out the money pouch.
"Take your pouch," the thief said. "But what kind of magical herb did you burn?"
"It’s wormwood, a remedy for all misfortunes," the peasant replied, then added, "Including thieves."
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