08/09/2022
A lamplighter lived in a medieval town. A man of advanced years, nondescript in appearance, quiet and meek, every evening he walked around the city and lit up the streets. A small old man struck a match on the sole of his worn boot, and the darkest lane became light and therefore cozy. The neighbors knew little about the poor lamplighter. To them, he seemed unsociable and in some ways even strange. The townspeople considered him a loafer: “Well, isn’t he a loafer,” they were indignant, “he sleeps all day and admires the stars at night.” And the children called them the midnight dwarf, because the old man appeared on the street only at dusk.
But each time, striking a match on the old sole, the little lamplighter decreased in stature.
Once a man said to him:
How can you live like this? You'll be gone soon! Have pity on yourself, anyway, in return, except for insults, you get nothing from people! Not fair.
To which the lamplighter replied:
“People will be left without electricity if I stop doing my job. What if someone can not reach the house, lost in the dark? And even worse, if someone is offended at night on a dark street. Is this fair? And when it's light, it's easier for people. No, no, and someone in the shower will thank you. And I don't need more. So the humble old man struck a match on the sole, becoming smaller and smaller, until he completely disappeared. Nobody noticed this. But everyone noticed that in the evening the lights did not light up in the city.
