151. The Couple who Cooperated

Laura Gibbs · 151. The Couple who Cooperated

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In a village there lived a woman who could not walk because she had lost the use of her legs. In that same village, there lived a man who could not see because he had lost the use of his eyes.
Floodwaters came, and all the villagers ran, abandoning these two to their fate in the rushing waters.
"Help me!" shouted the lame woman, and the blind man lifted her up on his shoulders.
"Help me!" shouted the blind man, and the lame woman told him which way to go.
Thus they escaped the floodwaters, working for each other's safety.

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Inspired by: Heeramma and Venkataswami, or Folktales From India by M. N. Venkataswami
Notes: The original story is about two men, but I changed it to be about a man and a woman. Later on, this story is assimilated into the Aesopic tradition: The Blind Man and the Lame.