Section 1
A destitute man with twelve children struggled to make ends meet, working tirelessly day and night just to provide for them. When his thirteenth child was born, he didn't know what to do, so he went out to the highway to find the first person who could be the child's godfather. The first person he met was God, who already knew what was in his heart. God said to him, "I feel sorry for you, poor man. I will stand by your child at their baptism, take care of them, and ensure their happiness on earth." The man asked, "Who are you?" - "I am God." The man replied, "Then I don't want you to be the godfather. You give to the rich and ignore the poor." The man spoke without realizing that God's wealth and poverty distribution is always wise. He turned his back on God and walked away. The devil then appeared and said, "What are you looking for? If you make me your child's godfather, I will give them unlimited gold and all the joys of the world." The man asked, "Who are you?" - "I am the devil." The man replied, "Then I don't want you to be the godfather. You deceive and mislead people." The man continued on his way, and then Death, on his withered legs, came walking towards him and said, "Make me your child's godfather." The man asked, "Who are you?" - "I am Death, who makes everyone equal." The man said, "You're the one I've been looking for. You take away the rich and the poor without discrimination. You shall be my child's godfather." Death said, "I will make your child rich and famous because whoever has me as a friend cannot fail." The man said, "The baptism is next Sunday. Be there on time." Death appeared as promised and served as the godfather in an orderly manner.
Once the boy had reached adulthood, his godfather appeared to him and invited him to go for a walk. They went into the woods where the godfather revealed an herb that grew there. He declared that it was a gift for the boy and that he would become a renowned physician. The godfather explained that he would appear to the boy whenever he was called to attend to a sick person. If the godfather stood at the head of the sick person, the boy could confidently administer the herb, and the patient would recover. However, if the godfather stood at the patient's feet, the boy was to declare that the illness was beyond help and that no physician could save the patient. The godfather warned the boy not to use the herb against his will, or else something terrible would happen to him.
Soon after, the young man gained a reputation as the most renowned physician in the world. Word spread that he could diagnose a patient’s condition with just a single glance, accurately predicting whether they would recover or die. People traveled from afar, bringing their sick to him, paying him so generously that he amassed a great fortune in no time. One day, the king fell ill, and the physician was summoned to determine if there was any chance of his recovery. As he approached the sickbed, he saw Death standing at the king’s feet, indicating that no herb or medicine could save him. The physician, however, desperately wanted to deceive Death, even if it meant angering him. He thought to himself, “Perhaps I can trick Death just this once. He might be angry, but as his godson, he might let it slide. I’ll take the risk.” With that, he turned the king around so that Death was now standing at the head of the bed. He gave the king some of the herb, and the king made a full recovery. But Death was not pleased with it. He appeared to the physician, scowling and threatening him with a pointed finger. “You have betrayed me,” Death said. “I will let it go this time because you are my godson, but if you ever try to cheat me again, I will take you away with me.”
