The Woman and the Young Man
Once upon a time, in a fancy town by the sea, there was a showy mansion. In this mansion lived a proud woman who deceived everyone with her sweet words. The woman loved to show off her wealth and to catch young people in her net with charming words. An honest and clever young man, newly arrived in the town, soon heard of this woman's fame. The young man wanted to see with his own eyes the truth hidden beneath the outer beauty. One evening the young man knocked on the gold-worked door and stepped into the garden of the mansion. The lady of the house showed the young man her silkiest fabrics and her bright jewels.
The woman said, “If you stay loyal to me, all of this splendid life can be yours.” The young man smiled, but he never lost the calm and deep look in his eyes. “Your words shine like diamonds, but I would like to hear the voice of your heart,” he answered. Thinking that he was an innocent prey, the woman went on listing sweet promises. But the young man took a plain wooden box out of his bag and put it on the table. “The most precious treasure in the world is hidden inside this box,” he said, and he awakened the woman's curiosity. The woman opened the box impatiently, but inside she saw only a dried rose petal.
The astonished woman cried out angrily, “Is this worthless petal your treasure?” The young man said calmly, “True love and sincerity do not fade with time; they become memories.” At that moment the woman understood that she had tried to deceive the young man only for property and money. She grasped how empty her show, built upon lies, was before an honest heart. The ashamed woman bowed her head, and the young man left the mansion as calmly as he had come. Wise hearts that are not fooled by appearances and sweet words never fall into the trap of trickery. A lie never lasts long; the truth always comes to light.