Once there were two boys living in a small village. They were the best of friends. One was 10 years old and the other just 6.
One day, while playing together, they wandered a bit too far from the village without noticing. Lost in their games, the older boy slipped and fell into a ditch that had some water in it. He didn’t know how to swim and got scared, so he started yelling for help.
The younger boy looked around, but there was no one in sight to help. Then, suddenly, he noticed a bucket tied to a rope nearby. Without wasting any time, he threw the bucket down into the ditch for his friend to grab onto. The older boy held tight to the bucket, and the younger boy pulled with all his strength. It wasn’t easy, but he kept trying—and finally, he managed to pull his friend out of the ditch.
The boys were so happy, they hugged each other and danced around in joy. But soon, they started to worry about what the villagers might say. They thought they’d be scolded for going too far from home.
But something unexpected happened. Instead of being angry, the villagers were shocked. They found it hard to believe that a 6-year-old, who couldn’t even lift a full bucket of water, had pulled a 10-year-old boy out of a ditch!
No one believed the story—except one old man in the village, known for being wise. He praised the boys for their bravery and strength.
Curious, the villagers asked the old man if he really thought the story was true.
The wise man said, “The question isn’t whether the story is true or not. The real question is—how did a small 6-year-old boy manage to pull out a 10-year-old from a ditch?”
Then he answered, “It’s because there was no one around at that moment to tell the little boy he couldn’t do it. Not even himself.”