Once upon a time, there was a wealthy man who had a rebellious son. No matter how much the father advised his son to avoid bad company and refrain from wasteful spending, warning that these friends were no good and only after his money, the ignorant young man refused to listen.
Until one day, the father’s death came. Before passing away, the father told his son, “My child, I have a last wish for you. I am leaving this world, but I’ve locked a small kitchen, and I’m giving you the key. Inside that kitchen, there’s a noose hanging from the ceiling. Whenever you find yourself lost and have nowhere to turn, go there and hang that noose around your neck and end your life, for life will no longer be worth living.”
The father passed away, and the son, indulging excessively with his friends and companions, squandered all his wealth. His friends and acquaintances, seeing the situation, scattered away from him.
The son, filled with remorse and regret, remembered his father’s advice. To shake off his melancholy, one day he made two eggs and a piece of bread and set off into the wilderness to spend his day from dawn to dusk by a riverbank or under a tree, hoping to find solace. As he left home and journeyed into the desert, he reached the riverbank.
He put down his handkerchief and took off his shoes to splash water on his face. At that moment, a crow swooped down from the sky, snatched the handkerchief with its beak, and flew off. Disheartened and hungry, he continued until he reached a place where he saw his former companions sitting by the river, enjoying themselves.
He greeted them, but they responded with dry politeness. He sat beside them and started talking. He said, “I came out of the house with two eggs and a piece of bread, planning to wash my face by the river. But a crow took my handkerchief.” The companions burst into laughter, mocking him, “Why lie? You’re hungry; just say you’re hungry, and we’ll give you a piece of bread.” Disheartened, the son became silent.
He ate nothing and returned home. Upon arriving home, he remembered his father’s words. He said, “God forgive my father, he knew I would become destitute, so he made such a request. Now it’s time for me to go to the kitchen and hang myself with the rope my father mentioned.”
He went to the kitchen, put the rope around his neck, and as he shook it, suddenly gold coins fell from the ceiling. When the son looked, he saw the floor covered in jewels. He said, “God forgive you, Father, for saving me. After all, he invited ten hefty men with axes, prepared seven-course meals, and also invited his dear friends! And dear friends! He invites himself as well. When friends come and realize that the fire and the stove are on, they become flattered and apologize to him.
In short, they gather around in the room and start talking and laughing. At this point, the son says, “I have a story. Today I saw a crow with a vulture between its legs, and the crow flew away and took the vulture.” Friends say, “That’s not surprising; you’re telling the truth. It’s possible.”
The son says, “Unfairly, I said I picked up a small handkerchief, and you made fun of me. Now how can you say a crow can pick up a vulture?”
He calls the men with the axes. He hits them hard and kicks them out, saying, “You don’t love me; you’re only after money.” He feeds the food to the men with the axes and changes his way of life.
