The Donkey's Shadow
Once upon a time, there was a merchant traveling in a hot land where golden yellow sands stretched. This merchant hired a cute donkey and his owner to cover a long distance in the scorching summer heat. As the sun climbed to the top of the sky, the breathtaking heat began to burn everything around. The tired traveler wanted to rest by taking shelter in the shadow behind the donkey to cool off. Seeing this situation, the owner of the donkey immediately stood angrily in front of the merchant.
The villager shouted, "You only hired my donkey, I didn't give you the right to hire his shadow!" Falling into astonishment, the merchant replied, "I paid money for the donkey, therefore his shadow also belongs to me." The two men began to argue under the hot sun, speaking harsh words to each other. While the villager argued that shadow was subject to an extra fee, the merchant claimed it was nonsense. "If you want to sit in the shadow, you must give me a few more silver coins," said the donkey's owner greedily.
The merchant, not wanting to give up his rights, walked toward the man and continued to shout angrily. As voices rose, the fight between the two intensified and neither side stepped back. While they were wrestling over an insignificant shadow right, the donkey began to get frightened by this noise. Finally, the skittish animal could no longer stand the men's shouting and suddenly reared up. Galloping away on the dusty road, he disappeared into the distance.
The two fighting men were stunned looking after the dust cloud, wondering what had happened. Because of a foolish dispute, they lost both their donkey and the only shadow they could shelter under. All alone and helpless in the middle of the desert, they were left stranded under the heat. Meaningless fights over small interests cause a person to lose the true value in their hands. Throwing the helve after the hatchet.