One night, two angels decided to descend from heaven to bless some families and bestow upon them abundant gifts and wealth after testing them. The two kings disguised themselves as two little girls. Their clothes were tattered, and signs of extreme poverty and need appeared on them.
The two disguised angels chose two houses. The first was located at the town’s entrance, a large house that looked like a luxurious palace with many floors and rooms. The two girls knocked on the door, and its owner opened for them. When they asked him to allow them to spend a night in his home to protect them from the cold and darkness of the night, he refused.
Despite the girls’ insistence, he allowed them to stay in the back part on the ground floor of the house. He was harsh in his treatment with them, so much so that the place he allowed them to stay in was the house’s basement, which was no different from staying outside in that dark, cold weather.
While those angels were waiting in the basement, one of them saw a hollow part of the wall that was about to collapse, so he repaired it and covered it until it became like the rest of the wall. The second angel was surprised by his action, especially since the house’s inhabitants were bad and didn’t welcome them.
In the morning of the next day, the two kings left the place and headed to the second house they had chosen. The house was very small and located near that rich house that had mistreated their hospitality. The angels knocked on the door, and a woman with a bright face opened for them. When the angels disguised as little girls asked to stay in her home for a day, the woman welcomed them greatly.
She vacated her and her husband’s room for them, prepared delicious food for them, and insisted they eat. Afterward, everyone slept in happiness and satisfaction. In the morning of the next day, the man and his wife woke up to unfortunate news: their only cow, which provided them with milk and they lived from its bounty, had died.
The second angel was angry with his companion, the first angel, because he knew he was the one who killed the cow. As they argued, the first angel said: In the first house, I repaired the hollow wall that was in the basement because behind it lay a precious treasure. If the owners of that house had good hearts, I would have left it to collapse until they found the treasure. But because they had bad hearts, I repaired the wall and denied them the treasure.
As for that house, it wasn’t I who killed the cow, but I transferred death to it when I saw it approaching the man and his wife. I wished nothing but good for them, especially after they gave us shelter and food. However, don’t worry! I gave them a full vessel of gold coins, and I give you good tidings that they will find the treasure one day and use it well, for they have hearts of gold. We learn from this story that everything has two sides. What seems bad to us may be good, and vice versa.