One sunny morning, a little tailor named Tom packed his needle and thread and set off on a journey. He hummed a happy tune as he walked, but soon his tummy rumbled like a distant drum. He hadn't eaten much for breakfast!

Along the path, he met a wealthy merchant. The merchant's pockets jingled with coins, but he had a rather grumpy face.
"Excuse me, sir," said Tom politely, his voice hopeful. "I'm a simple tailor on my way to the next town, and I'm quite hungry. Could you perhaps spare a tiny coin so I might buy a piece of bread?"

The merchant looked Tom up and down. "A coin for you? Nonsense!" he huffed. "Why should I give my hard-earned money to a wanderer? Go find some work!" And he stomped off, leaving Tom feeling rather disappointed.

Tom sighed and looked up at the bright, warm sun shining in the sky. "Oh, sun," he said quietly to himself, "you see everything. You see how some can be so unkind."

He continued on his way, his stomach still rumbling. A little while later, as Tom walked through a quiet part of the woods, he saw something terrible. There, by the side of the path, lay the same wealthy merchant! He had been robbed, and he was very badly hurt.

Tom rushed to his side. The merchant opened his eyes, his voice just a whisper. "The bright sun..." he gasped, "...it will bring the truth to light." And then, he said no more.

Tom felt very sad and a little scared. Just then, some people from the nearby village came along the path. They saw Tom standing over the merchant.
"Aha!" cried one. "You must be the robber! You hurt him!"
"No, no!" pleaded Tom. "I just found him like this!"
But they didn't believe him. They tied Tom's hands and took him to the town to see the judge.

In the courtroom, things looked very bad for Tom. Everyone thought he was guilty. The judge, a stern but fair man, was about to give his decision.
Suddenly, a bright ray of sunshine burst through the courtroom window. It shone right onto the wall behind the judge, making a golden patch of light.

When Tom saw it, he remembered the merchant's last words. He couldn't help himself. He pointed to the sunbeam and exclaimed, "See! The bright sun! It brings the truth to light!"

The judge looked surprised. "What do you mean by that, young man?" he asked.
So, Tom told the whole story: how he had asked the merchant for help, how the merchant had refused, and the merchant's very last words about the sun bringing the truth to light.

Now, it just so happened that the real robbers were hiding in the back of the courtroom, curious to see what would happen. When they heard Tom repeat the merchant's dying words, they turned pale as ghosts. They started whispering to each other, looking very frightened.

The judge, who was very observant, noticed their strange behavior. "You two back there!" he called out. "Why do you look so worried?"
The robbers were so startled and felt so guilty hearing the merchant's words again that they couldn't keep their secret any longer. They confessed to everything!

So, Tom the tailor was set free, and everyone apologized for thinking he was the bad guy. And just as the merchant had said, the bright sun, in its own special way, had helped to bring the real truth out into the open for everyone to see.

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