A very, very poor man had so many children, he didn't know what to do when his thirteenth baby arrived! "Who will be the special godparent for this little one?" he sighed, walking down the main road.

First, he met a kind-looking gentleman. "I am God," said the man. "I will be your child's godparent. I will make him happy."
The poor man thought for a moment. "Hmm," he said, "you give riches to some and let others be hungry. No, thank you."

He walked on and soon met another fellow, this one with a mischievous grin. "I am the Devil," he cackled. "I'll be the godparent! I'll give your son gold and all the world's joys."
"Ah," said the poor man, "but you trick people. No, thank you."

He continued his walk and then, a tall, bony figure appeared. It was Death. "I will be the godparent," Death said in a quiet, steady voice.
The poor man looked at Death. "You take everyone," he said, "the rich and the poor, the good and the bad, without making any difference. You treat everyone the same. Yes, you shall be the godparent."

So Death became the boy's godparent. When the boy grew up, Death came to him one day. "My dear godson," Death said, "I want to make you rich and famous. You will be a doctor."
Death then showed him a special plant. "Whenever you are called to a sick person," Death explained, "I will appear. If I am standing at the head of the sick person's bed, you can give them this plant, and they will get well. But if I am standing at the foot of the bed, they belong to me, and nothing can save them. You must not use the plant then."

The young man quickly became the most famous doctor in the land. People came from far and wide.

One day, the King became very ill. The doctor was called. When he entered the King's room, he saw Death standing at the foot of the bed. "Oh dear," thought the doctor, "the King must die." But then he had a clever idea. He quickly told the servants, "Turn the bed around! Quickly!" They spun the bed, and now Death was standing at the King's head! The doctor gave the King the magic plant, and the King recovered.

Death was not happy. He came to the doctor, looking stern. "You tricked me this time," Death said. "I will let it go because you are my godson. But if you ever do it again, you will be in big trouble."

Not long after, the King's only daughter, the beautiful Princess, fell terribly sick. The King promised her hand in marriage and his kingdom to whoever could save her.
The doctor went to the Princess's bedside. His heart sank. Death was standing right at the foot of her bed. The Princess was so beautiful, and the thought of becoming King was so tempting, that the doctor forgot Death's warning. He quickly gave the Princess the magic plant. She opened her eyes and smiled.

But Death was furious! He grabbed the doctor by the arm. "You have tricked me again!" Death's voice was like a cold wind. "Now your time is up. Come with me."

Death led the doctor to a huge, dark cave. Inside, thousands and thousands of candles were burning. Some were big and tall, burning brightly. Others were small, flickering weakly, and some were just about to go out.
"What are these?" asked the doctor, his voice trembling.
"These are the life-lights of all people," Death explained. "The tall ones are for people with long lives ahead. The short ones are for those whose lives are nearly over."
The doctor looked around wildly. "Where is my candle?" he asked.
Death pointed to a tiny little stump of a candle, its flame sputtering and about to go out.
"Oh, Godfather!" cried the doctor. "Please, be kind! Light a new, long candle for me from this one, so I can live longer and enjoy being King!"
"I cannot do that," said Death. "You had your chance." He reached for the little candle. "I must make it seem as if I am lighting a new one for you," Death said, and as he pretended to transfer the flame, he "accidentally" knocked over the tiny candle.
The little flame flickered one last time and went out.
And in that very moment, the doctor fell down, and his life was over.

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