A very poor old man, footsore and bent with years, threw down the heavy bundle of firewood under which he had been groaning, and with tears in his eyes exclaimed: "Oh, hard luck! What pleasure have I ever known? Nothing but work all day- no money- no one to care for me. Alas! I’d sooner Death would take me away." Behold, the grim King of Kings stood before him, dreadful and awe-inspiring, as he rested on his scythe. "Beg pardon, but did I receive a hurry call?" The old man turned all colors and trembling like a leaf, replied, "Please, sir, would you kindly help me to lift this bundle of sticks on to my shoulder?"
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Chicago: Aesop, Aesop’s Fables: The Old Man and Death Original Sources, accessed July 1, 2025, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=KUBRQKXSA5L679A.
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Harvard: Aesop, Aesop’s Fables: The Old Man and Death. Original Sources, retrieved 1 July 2025, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=KUBRQKXSA5L679A.