Indonesia
The Doctor Who Didn’t Cure
Once upon a time, an old woman lost her sight. She went to the doctor for healing. Then they came into an agreement. If the doctor could make her better, the old woman would pay her with a considerable sum of money. But, if he didn’t, the old woman would not pay her a dime.
The doctor was indeed well known for his ability to heal blindness. He has special salve with special treatment too. The salve must be applied to the eyes in certain period. It’s guaranteed that the blind patient would gain back her sight. The old woman agreed.
So, the doctor began to his regular visit. However, having learned that the woman was completely blind, he never returned home empty handed. After applying the salve, the doctor picked items from inside the house, one at the time. It went down everyday, after there’s nothing more for him to steal. That’s when the doctor decided to cure the woman and collect the payment.
Yes, the woman got her sight back. She saw her house was empty, everything was gone. The woman knew, it was the doctor. So she pretended to still blind and refused to pay. The doctor got very angry, accusing the old woman lied because he was sure that she gained back her eyes. He demanded payment for his service curing the woman, still rejected.
So the two brought the problem before the court. The doctor charged the woman deceiving him. The judge asked the old woman, why did she refuse to pay the doctor. Here ‘s the answer, “The doctor did say the truth. I promised to pay him if he could make me see again. But if i stay blind, i didn’t have to pay anything. Now he claimed to have cured me and wanted me to pay, but i am still blind.”
Everyone in the court turned at the woman in shock. “How could you say that? Everyone here knows that you can see again. Your eyes are cured, the sight returned,“ the judge asked her in cold tone. “Your honor, i really can’t see. Before i lost my sight, i saw many things in my house. But now, despite the doctor’s claim to have cured me, i can’t see any of those things at home.” The judge agreed that the old woman was still blind, and release her for any obligation to pay.
This fable Aesop is retold by Hafida Indrawati.
ILLUSTRATION: THINKSTOCK PHOTOS
