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Once upon a time there was an old couple who lived in a 

small, half-ruined house. Winter was getting close so 

the woman told her husband:

•     We have to repair our house or else the rains 

and the cold will enter...

The old man who was playing with his ‘komboloi’* 

unwillingly replied:

•     Leave me alone…I am not in mood for working…

*’komboloi’: may be one of the most typical symbols of the Greek 

easy-going mentality. Actually they are worry beads. 

•     Haven’t you got tired just sitting and doing 

nothing? I am pretty sick your laziness!! 

I will make my own house and you take care for 

yourself alone!!

The old woman made her words true and she 

constructed a lovely house of wax. Despite her wife’s 

warnings the old man constructed a house just of salt. 

The ‘salty’ house of course melted with the first winter 

rainfalls. 

So the old man left homeless but his wife took pity of 

him and invited him in her house. 

She was made to take control of every household while at the same 

time the man was sitting at a corner playing his favorite ‘komboloi’. 

The woman kept complaining but nothing changed… 

So, one day that the donkey needed food and the old man denied 

taking care of, she decided to do exactly the same, in other words 

to stay passive too. 

In fact she told her lazy husband:

•     The one, who talks first, will go out and feed the donkey!

After a very long hour, somebody knocked on the door 

but no one replied… 

The knockings went on but nothing except for silent 

could be heard from the house. Then, a burglar with no 

fear entered the house holding a big bag. 

When the burglar saw the couple he stood for a minute, 

but as soon he realized that they were neither moving 

nor talking, he took them everything! Before the 

burglar left, he grabbed the man’s ‘komboloi’ and 

spelled full of pleasure:

•     You are not only deaf, but blind too…

Then the old man, pretty sad for losing his ‘komboloi’ 

said: 

•     Oh God...This man stole everything we had…

•     My husband, you lost your ‘komboloi’ and broke 

your silence too. So go now and feed the donkey!!