0:00:10.605,0:00:13.315
In their ramshackle hut [br]on the edge of the woods,

0:00:13.315,0:00:15.980
a husband and wife were in despair.

0:00:15.980,0:00:19.660
The woman had just given birth [br]to their thirteenth child,

0:00:19.660,0:00:25.940
and the growing family was quickly [br]running out of food and money.

0:00:25.940,0:00:30.090
The father walked into the woods [br]to ponder their problem.

0:00:30.090,0:00:32.842
After hours spent wandering [br]through the trees,

0:00:32.842,0:00:37.482
he encountered two shadowy silhouettes.

0:00:37.482,0:00:39.840
The first figure appeared [br]to be the man’s God,

0:00:42.206,0:00:44.586
while the second resembled the Devil.

0:00:47.136,0:00:49.896
Both figures offered to lighten [br]the man’s burden,

0:00:49.896,0:00:54.190
and act as Godfather [br]to his most recent child.

0:00:54.190,0:00:56.886
But the man refused their offer—

0:00:56.886,0:01:02.405
he wouldn’t entrust his son to those [br]who passed judgment on human life.

0:01:02.405,0:01:05.625
He ventured deeper [br]into the tangled thicket.

0:01:05.625,0:01:10.606
Here in the darkest part of the woods, [br]the father made out a third figure.

0:01:10.606,0:01:16.129
Sunken eyes stared out of its gaunt face, [br]which broke into a crooked smile.

0:01:16.129,0:01:21.471
This was Death himself, [br]come to offer his services as Godfather.

0:01:21.471,0:01:24.531
He promised to return [br]when the child came of age,

0:01:24.531,0:01:27.791
to bring him happiness and prosperity.

0:01:27.791,0:01:31.721
The father— knowing that all people [br]are equal in the eyes of Death—

0:01:31.721,0:01:33.431
accepted his offer.

0:01:36.792,0:01:41.232
Years later, when the child had grown [br]into an ambitious young man,

0:01:41.232,0:01:45.740
his skeletal Godfather [br]came for his promised visit.

0:01:45.740,0:01:49.971
In his gnarled hand [br]he held a flask containing the cure

0:01:49.971,0:01:52.469
for all human ailments.

0:01:52.469,0:01:55.421
Death had brought this flask [br]for his Godson,

0:01:55.421,0:01:58.291
promising to make him a successful doctor.

0:01:58.291,0:02:02.491
But the powerful potion [br]came with very strict rules.

0:02:02.491,0:02:05.231
If his Godson encountered a sick person

0:02:05.231,0:02:08.301
and Death was hovering [br]at the top of their bed,

0:02:08.301,0:02:13.517
the doctor could heal them with [br]just a waft of the antidote’s fumes.

0:02:13.517,0:02:16.497
But if Death lingered [br]at the foot of the bed,

0:02:16.497,0:02:19.742
he’d already claimed the patient [br]as his own—

0:02:19.742,0:02:22.384
and the doctor could do nothing for them.

0:02:25.038,0:02:28.588
In time, the doctor’s potent potion [br]and uncanny instincts

0:02:28.588,0:02:31.612
became known throughout the land.

0:02:31.612,0:02:36.477
He grew rich and famous, casting off [br]the hardships of his early life.

0:02:36.477,0:02:40.857
When the king fell ill, he summoned [br]the famous physician to treat him.

0:02:40.857,0:02:45.115
The doctor swept into the palace, [br]ready to show off his skills.

0:02:45.115,0:02:47.316
But when he entered the king’s chamber,

0:02:47.316,0:02:51.492
he was dismayed to see Death [br]settled at the foot of the bed.

0:02:51.492,0:02:55.044
The doctor desperately wanted the glory [br]of saving the king—

0:02:55.044,0:02:57.961
even if it meant deceiving his Godfather.

0:02:57.961,0:03:03.035
And so, he swiftly spun the bed around [br]and reversed Death’s position,

0:03:03.035,0:03:07.155
leaving the doctor free [br]to administer the antidote.

0:03:07.155,0:03:08.920
Death was livid.

0:03:08.920,0:03:13.305
He warned his arrogant Godson [br]that if he ever cheated Death again,

0:03:13.305,0:03:17.107
he would pay for it with his life.

0:03:17.107,0:03:20.005
Death and the doctor [br]continued their travels.

0:03:20.005,0:03:26.033
After some time, the king’s messengers [br]came to collect the doctor yet again.

0:03:26.033,0:03:28.243
The princess was gravely ill,

0:03:28.243,0:03:33.246
and the king had promised incredible [br]riches to anyone who could cure her.

0:03:33.246,0:03:37.596
The doctor approached the princesses’ [br]chamber with gold in his eyes.

0:03:37.596,0:03:41.415
But upon seeing the sleeping princess, [br]his greed fell away.

0:03:43.367,0:03:45.827
He was so struck by her grace,

0:03:45.827,0:03:50.396
that he failed to notice [br]Death lurking by her feet.

0:03:50.396,0:03:52.744
He swiftly healed the princess,

0:03:55.374,0:03:59.264
but before she could even utter [br]her thanks,

0:03:59.264,0:04:03.433
Death had dragged [br]his lovesick Godson away.

0:04:03.433,0:04:07.032
In an instant, [br]the palace dissolved around them.

0:04:07.032,0:04:10.198
The doctor found himself [br]in an immense cave

0:04:10.198,0:04:16.711
lined with countless quivering candles,[br]each representing the duration of a life.

0:04:16.711,0:04:21.742
As punishment for his Godson’s [br]foolish attempt to master mortality,

0:04:21.742,0:04:26.032
Death whittled his candle [br]down to its wick.

0:04:26.032,0:04:28.599
Seeing his own dwindling light,

0:04:28.599,0:04:33.291
the doctor felt the fear [br]he’d often glimpsed in his patients’ eyes.

0:04:33.291,0:04:39.050
Desperately, he begged Death to transfer [br]his dying light onto a new candle.

0:04:39.050,0:04:44.643
His Godfather considered the request— [br]but the doctor’s betrayal was too great.

0:04:44.643,0:04:49.742
He loosened his bony grip, [br]and his Godson’s candle fell to the floor.

0:04:49.742,0:04:51.852
Death stood motionless,

0:04:51.852,0:04:55.315
his inscrutable face [br]fixed on the sputtering flame—

0:04:55.315,0:04:59.205
until all that was left of the doctor [br]was a wisp of smoke.