The Old Woman and the Doctor
Story by: Aesop
Source: Aesop's Fables
An old woman who was having trouble with her eyesight decided to consult a doctor who was known throughout the town for his medical skills.
“Doctor,” she said when he arrived at her humble cottage, “my eyes have grown so dim that I can barely see. I’ve heard you can cure such ailments. Please help me, and I will pay you well for your services.”
The doctor examined her eyes carefully and nodded thoughtfully.
“Indeed, I can help you,” he said. “But the treatment will take time and multiple visits. I will need to apply special medicine to your eyes each day, and during the treatment, you must keep your eyes tightly closed and not open them until I tell you it’s safe.”
The old woman agreed eagerly, desperate to regain her sight.
“There is one more thing,” added the doctor. “The medicine is very delicate and works best in complete stillness. While your eyes are closed, you must remain perfectly motionless. Do not move or open your eyes, no matter what you might hear around you.”
Each day, the doctor returned to treat the old woman. She would sit perfectly still in her chair with her eyes closed while he supposedly applied his medicine. True to her word, she never moved or opened her eyes during the treatments.
However, the doctor was not the honorable man he pretended to be. While the old woman sat with her eyes closed, trusting and vulnerable, he quietly began stealing her belongings. Each day, he would take something valuable from her home – first her silver candlesticks, then her pewter plates, then her warm woolen blankets.
After many weeks, the doctor announced that the treatment was complete.
“You may now open your eyes,” he declared. “Your sight should be fully restored.”
The old woman opened her eyes with great anticipation, expecting to see the world clearly again. To her joy, she found that her vision was indeed much improved. But as she looked around her cottage, her happiness quickly turned to dismay.
“Doctor,” she said, looking around her nearly empty home, “something is terribly wrong. I can see much better now, but I can see that most of my possessions have disappeared! My candlesticks, my plates, my blankets – where have they all gone?”
The doctor pretended to be shocked. “How strange! Perhaps thieves have been taking advantage of your condition. But surely you’re not suggesting that I, a respected physician, would have anything to do with such a thing?”
“Oh, but I am,” said the old woman firmly. “You see, doctor, there is nothing wrong with my mind, only my eyes were dim. Before you began treating me, I could see poorly, but I could still make out the shapes of my belongings. Now that my sight is restored, I can see clearly that they are gone. Since you were the only person who visited me during the treatment, and I was told to keep my eyes closed, the truth is quite obvious.”
The doctor realized his deception had been discovered and tried to leave quickly, but the old woman called for her neighbors, and soon the whole story came to light.
Moral: Those who abuse the trust placed in them will eventually be found out. Taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability is both wrong and ultimately foolish.
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