Story #1, Nasrettin

Nasrettin Hoca goes to his neighbor’s house and asks him to borrow his big cauldron for a few days. His neighbor gives him the cauldron. After a week, Nasrettin Hoca gives the cauldron back to his neighbor. While his neighbor is checking the cauldron, he sees a little pot inside of the cauldron and asks what it is. Nasrettin Hoca says:

-Congratulations! Your cauldron gave birth!

The neighbor thinks that this is a good profit and takes them. After a while, Nasrettin Hoca goes to his neighbor’s house again and asks to borrow his cauldron again. His neighbor borrows the cauldron enthusiastically. Two months pass by and Nasrettin Hoca doesn’t bring his cauldron back. The neighbor decides to go and take his cauldron back. When he goes to Nasrettin Hoca’s house and asks for his cauldron, Nasrettin Hoca gets very sad, shakes his neighbor’s hand and says:

-"Please accept my condolences, your cauldron passed away last month."

The neighbor gets mad and yells at him,

-"Dear Hoca what are you saying? How can a cauldron die? A cauldron is not an alive thing.

Then Nasrettin Hoca says:

-You were so happy and believed me when it gave birth. Why don’t you believe it is dead now?

(SK, Turkey)