Which is Better?

There once was a man who had 3 sons, all of whom loved the same girl. Each of them asked the girl the same question, "Will you marry me?"

All of the men were clever, handsome, and strong. The girl liked each of the 3 young men very much and could not decide which of them was the best.

One day the father of the 3 brothers said, "Here is some money for you. You will go on a long travel. While you are travelling, you must look for a very, very useful thing. When you find it, you must buy it and bring it home."

The 3 brothers travelled for a long time, and they bought 3 very useful things.

The first young man bought a magic carpet. On it he could fly to any place in no time.

The second brother bought a magic looking-glass. When he looked into it, he could see anyone and everything that he wanted to see.

The third bought a magic lemon. The juice of that lemon could make a dying man or woman well again.

The 3 brothers came together and showed their things to one another. Then one of them said, "We are far from our home and from our dear girl. Let us look into the looking-glass and see her."

The second brother took out his looking-glass, and they all looked into it. The saw that the girl was very ill. Then the first brother asked the other brothers to sit down on his carpet, and all of them were at the girl's house in no time. The third brother cut his lemon and gave the juice to the girl. The girl drank it and she was well again.

The young men were very happy.

"Now which of us will you marry?" they asked the girl.

"I thank you all, my dear friends," answered the girl. "One of the brothers saw me in his looking-glass, and that helped to save my life. His looking-glass is a very useful thing, and he will have it forever.

"Another brother brought all 3 of you here on his carpet, and that helped to save me, too. It is also a very useful thing, and he will have it forever.

"And one of you gave me the lemon juice, and now I am well again. But he has no lemon now. He gave all he had to save me. I will be his wife."

What difference does it make how much you have? 
What you do not have amounts to much more...
~Seneca, Roman philosopher

From the little book of Love stories of a different kind