In their ramshackle hut  on the edge of the woods, a husband and wife were in despair. The woman had just given birth  to their thirteenth child, and the growing family was quickly  running out of food and money. The father walked into the woods  to ponder their problem. After hours spent wandering  through the trees, he encountered two shadowy silhouettes. The first figure appeared  to be the man’s God, while the second resembled the Devil. Both figures offered to lighten  the man’s burden, and act as Godfather  to his most recent child. But the man refused their offer— he wouldn’t entrust his son to those  who passed judgment on human life. He ventured deeper  into the tangled thicket. Here in the darkest part of the woods,  the father made out a third figure. Sunken eyes stared out of its gaunt face,  which broke into a crooked smile. This was Death himself,  come to offer his services as Godfather. He promised to return  when the child came of age, to bring him happiness and prosperity. The father— knowing that all people  are equal in the eyes of Death— accepted his offer. Years later, when the child had grown  into an ambitious young man, his skeletal Godfather  came for his promised visit. In his gnarled hand  he held a flask containing the cure for all human ailments. Death had brought this flask  for his Godson, promising to make him a successful doctor. But the powerful potion  came with very strict rules. If his Godson encountered a sick person and Death was hovering  at the top of their bed, the doctor could heal them with  just a waft of the antidote’s fumes. But if Death lingered  at the foot of the bed, he’d already claimed the patient  as his own— and the doctor could do nothing for them. In time, the doctor’s potent potion  and uncanny instincts became known throughout the land. He grew rich and famous, casting off  the hardships of his early life. When the king fell ill, he summoned  the famous physician to treat him. The doctor swept into the palace,  ready to show off his skills. But when he entered the king’s chamber, he was dismayed to see Death  settled at the foot of the bed. The doctor desperately wanted the glory  of saving the king— even if it meant deceiving his Godfather. And so, he swiftly spun the bed around  and reversed Death’s position, leaving the doctor free  to administer the antidote. Death was livid. He warned his arrogant Godson  that if he ever cheated Death again, he would pay for it with his life. Death and the doctor  continued their travels. After some time, the king’s messengers  came to collect the doctor yet again. The princess was gravely ill, and the king had promised incredible  riches to anyone who could cure her. The doctor approached the princesses’  chamber with gold in his eyes. But upon seeing the sleeping princess,  his greed fell away. He was so struck by her grace, that he failed to notice  Death lurking by her feet. He swiftly healed the princess, but before she could even utter  her thanks, Death had dragged  his lovesick Godson away. In an instant,  the palace dissolved around them. The doctor found himself  in an immense cave lined with countless quivering candles, each representing the duration of a life. As punishment for his Godson’s  foolish attempt to master mortality, Death whittled his candle  down to its wick. Seeing his own dwindling light, the doctor felt the fear  he’d often glimpsed in his patients’ eyes. Desperately, he begged Death to transfer  his dying light onto a new candle. His Godfather considered the request—  but the doctor’s betrayal was too great. He loosened his bony grip,  and his Godson’s candle fell to the floor. Death stood motionless, his inscrutable face  fixed on the sputtering flame— until all that was left of the doctor  was a wisp of smoke.