The Puppeteer and His Daughter
A Life of Lies
A long, long time ago, in a small town, there lived a puppeteer named Caleb with his daughter. Berta, Caleb's daughter, was born blind, and her father swore to turn her lack of sight into a blessing.
— My daughter is troubled enough. I won't trouble her more, and I'll make her believe she lives a very beautiful life.
— Daddy, what's this? — Here, this is a beautiful princess doll for my little princess. — Is she prettier than me? Is her dress more beautiful? — No, no! Not nearly as beautiful as you, and her dress doesn't even compare to yours. — Thank you, Daddy! Tell me, what's our house like? What does it look like? How big is it? — Well, our house isn't very big, because it would have been hard for me to leave you at home and go to the workshop. So I turned half of our house into a magnificent toy workshop. You should know that our toy workshop is the biggest in the kingdom.
The Hidden Truth
— Our good master keeps begging me to move into a bigger house. But with such a grand workshop, our house is enough, isn't it? — Oh, yes, Daddy! I love it!
— Ha! You're lying to your daughter again, Caleb! — Oh, what did I say, our master's son is very amusing. You should see how he winks at me and smiles cheekily.
— Yes, master. — Here! Your father sent the payment. But it's only... he cut your salary for the two days you didn't work. — But I made up for it by working on other days. — Eh, it's my father's fault you're so slow.
Years Pass, Lies Accumulate
Thus, years passed, and Berta grew up listening to stories about how her father was a brave and healthy man, how he received a large salary from his good master, about how splendid their house looked, and about how she wore the most beautiful dresses in town.
— Here's your salary. — I need an advance. It's Berta's birthday in a few weeks. — Give her some trash and convince her it's gold. She believes anything you tell her. — Give me an advance, and for the next six months, I'll work three times as hard. — No, you start the work, and then we'll see.
And so it was. Caleb worked hard for months and finally managed to buy his daughter a beautiful necklace. But to make Berta feel even more loved, he lied to her.
— Happy birthday, dear! Here! — What is it, Father? — It's a necklace. Master Tacketon brought it especially for you. He's very sad he couldn't be here to congratulate you. If his father was kind, young Tacketon is even kinder. He likes you very, very much. — He's a very good man.
The Truth Comes Out
Hearing of the master's son's kindness, Berta secretly began to like him. She believed that the master's son truly cared for her. Then, one day,
— Hey, Berta! I heard some friends are coming to see you today. — Yes. Why? — I want to come too. — Sure. I'd love that. — Yes, I want Mae Fielding to be in the company of women. After I marry her, she'll like having friends around here. — What? — Exactly, you can't even hear now. I'm getting married. — It seems it's time to tell her the truth. Oh, she'll hate you for this.
— Father! Have you seen Mae Fielding? — Yes. — Does she have nice manners and behavior? Is she kind? — Very. — Kinder than me? — Berta!
Confession and Forgiveness
— I thought young Tacketon liked me. Why else would he send me a birthday gift and always be kind to me? — Oh, God, you've hurt yourself! My angels, don't do this to me! Don't make me hurt my girl even more. She'll hate me if she hears I've lied to her all this time.
— Father! Maybe I don't deserve to be loved, because I'm blind. I deserve only pity. — No, not at all, Berta! I've lied to you your whole life. Can you forgive me? — You lied to me? About what?
And Caleb told her the whole truth. How he had lied to her all her life about their life, their home, and their master.
— You're troubled over a man who doesn't care about your love. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me? I was only trying to make you happy. But now I realize I've hurt you even more. Will you ever forgive me, my dear?
— Father, I thought you were my eyes, but you made me even blinder than I was. Didn't you think I was strong enough? I could have helped you, and we could have lived better. — I'm sorry. I should have trusted you. But I couldn't hurt you and tell you what a miserable life we were leading.
A New Life Together
— I know you only wanted to make me happy. You suffered a lot alone, just to see me smile. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, but promise me that now you will let me take care of you, help you, and that you will no longer treat me as a helpless blind girl, but as your strong and wise princess. — I promise.
And so it was. The puppeteer let Berta help him make toys, and soon they made enough money and bought their own house.
Congratulations to Berta, don't you think? She could have complained and been miserable her whole life, but she chose to forgive her father and get her life in order with him. That represents true courage and strength, doesn't it?
