The Two Bald Men
Once upon a time, two close friends lived in a cheerful town where golden ears of wheat waved. The most striking feature of these friends was their bald heads that shone brightly. The people of the town easily recognized them even from a far distance thanks to the shine on their heads. Both set out on the road one cool morning in order to go to the market place. While they chatted pleasantly along the way, their eyes suddenly turned to a shining object among the bushes. When they came near with curiosity, they noticed an ornate comb that gleamed like a treasure fallen to the earth. The handle made of ivory and the very fine teeth of the comb looked wonderful in the morning sun.
First the tall one darted forward, took the comb in his hand and shouted with joy. “I saw this magnificent comb first, so from now on it is completely mine!” he said. His short friend objected to this at once and frowned. “No, my friend, it was my eyes that first noticed it among the bushes!” he cried out. Within a few seconds the two old friends fell into a merciless quarrel to own the comb. One pulled the comb to the right, while the other hung on to the left with all his strength. As their anger grew their voices rose and they began to push and shove each other roughly.
An old grandfather who was passing on the road came near them when he saw this fiery quarrel. He looked at the two men and at the ornate comb in their hands and burst into deep laughter. “Come now, what is it that you cannot share; there is not even a single hair on your heads!” he cried. The two friends paused at once and looked first at the comb in their hands and then at the bald heads of each other. When they understood that they were fighting over an object that was of no use to them, they smiled with shame. They left the comb on a stone at the side of the road and went on their way in silence. Breaking a friendship for the sake of things that are of no use to a person only earns them regret. If the bald man had a remedy, he would rub it on his own head.