The Story of the Tailor

In the city of Basra, a humble tailor and his wife invited a jovial hunchback to dine with them. During the meal, the hunchback choked on a large fishbone and fell still. Panicked and fearing they would be accused of murder, the tailor and his wife carried the body to the house of a Jewish physician, leaving it on the stairs. The physician, rushing down in the dark, accidentally kicked the body, causing it to tumble. Believing he had killed a patient, the physician passed the body to a sultan's steward, who in turn thought he had struck a thief. This chain of mishaps continued until the body was found by a Christian merchant. Eventually, the group was brought before the King of China to face execution. To save their lives, each man told a marvelous tale to amuse the King. The tailor shared the story of a young man and a meddlesome, talkative barber. The King was so entertained by the absurdity of the events and the tailor's wit that he pardoned the entire group, realizing that fate often weaves more complex patterns than any man can plan.