Good Man and Bad Man
Long, long ago, in faraway South America, there lived a Good Man and a Bad Man who were neighbors. They were very rich and owned large flocks of sheep and had many slaves to work in their fields and orchards.
The Bad Man treated his slaves cruelly, often having them whipped. In contrast, the Good Man looked after his slaves, always making sure they were well-fed and clothed.
The Bad Man was annoyed to find his neighbor treating his slaves so well, and he asked the Good Man why he did not whip and starve them.
“Why should they be whipped and starved?” was the Good Man’s reply.
The Bad Man could not think of a suitable reason, and this made him very angry, so he shouted, “I will bet everything I own that I am right, and you are wrong in the way we treat our slaves.”
“Very well,” said the Good Man, “how shall we decide the bet?”
“We will ride out early tomorrow morning and ask the first three men we meet on the road which one of us is right,” replied the Bad Man.
Next morning, the two men rode away, and soon they met a young man. The Bad Man asked, “Which of us is right in how we treat our slaves?”
“You are, of course,” said the young man, pointing to the Bad Man.
The next person they met was middle-aged, riding a donkey. Again, the Bad Man asked the same question and received the same reply.
Finally, they met an old man hobbling along with a stick. The Bad Man smirked when he again received the same reply, “You are, of course.”
“You see,” said the Bad Man, “I have won the bet.”
The Good Man sadly gave the Bad Man everything he owned, saying, “I shall return when I have earned twice as much as I lost.”
The Good Man walked until night fell and came to a tumbledown shack. As he slept, a thunderous roar woke him, and he climbed into the chimney to hide as devils entered the shack.
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The chief devil demanded reports from his followers. One confessed to tricking the Good Man by disguising himself as the three men who sided with the Bad Man. Another devil spoke of blocking a town’s water supply, and a third described causing a mayor’s daughter to fall ill.
When the devils left, the Good Man set off to fix these problems. He restored the town’s water supply using a wooden sword to strike a boulder in four directions, and he cured the girl by letting the first rays of the sun touch her forehead.
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The mayor and townsfolk gave the Good Man half of all they owned. When he returned home with riches, the Bad Man, consumed with envy, went to the shack and hid in the chimney.
The devils returned, furious at being discovered. They dragged the Bad Man from the chimney, and their hot breath shrank him to the size of a flea until nothing remained of him.
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Image Details
Image 1
Alt Text: “Two men stand in a scenic countryside. The Good Man tends his sheep, while the Bad Man points angrily toward them.”
Caption: “The Good Man and Bad Man argue about their ways of life.”
Image 2
Alt Text: “The Good Man and Bad Man ride on horseback, planning to ask strangers to settle their argument.”
Caption: “The neighbors set out to decide their bet.”
Image 3
Alt Text: “The Bad Man smugly takes everything from the Good Man after winning the bet.”
Caption: “The Bad Man claims victory and takes all.”
Image 4
Alt Text: “The Good Man hides in a chimney while devils gather in the tumbledown shack.”
Caption: “The Good Man overhears the devils’ secrets.”
Image 5
Alt Text: “The Good Man uses a wooden sword to strike a boulder, restoring water to the town.”
Caption: “The Good Man solves the town’s water crisis.”
Image 6
Alt Text: “The devils shrink the Bad Man until he vanishes entirely in a cloud of soot.”
Caption: “The Bad Man faces the devils’ wrath.”
Let me know if you’d like me to generate the remaining images!