Once upon a time, a king fell seriously ill. When he realized there was no hope of recovery, he made an announcement to his kingdom. He declared that whoever agreed to spend one night in his grave after his death would inherit his throne.
The people were terrified, and no one was willing to take on this task. Among them was a poor potter who had lived his life with nothing to his name except a donkey. Thinking he had little to lose and everything to gain, he volunteered. He reasoned that if he became king, it would be worth it. Besides, what did he have to account for? Just one donkey!
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After the king passed away, his grave was prepared, and true to his word, the potter lay in it willingly. The grave was sealed, and everyone left.
Some time later, the angels arrived and told the potter to rise and give an account of his deeds. The potter replied, “Account for what? I had nothing my whole life except a donkey!”
The angels began to leave, but one stopped and said, “Wait, let’s check his record of deeds.”
As soon as they opened it, they asked, “On such and such a day, you left your donkey hungry for an entire day. Why?” The potter admitted it, and immediately the order was given: “Whip him 100 lashes!”
The potter was beaten severely. Then the angels asked again, “On another day, you overloaded your donkey and struck him. Why?” He admitted to that as well. This time, the punishment was 200 lashes.
And so it continued throughout the night. The potter was whipped repeatedly for every instance of negligence or cruelty towards his donkey.
The next morning, the people of the kingdom gathered to open the grave and welcome their new king. As soon as they unsealed the grave, the potter shot out and ran away as fast as he could.
The people shouted, “Your Majesty, where are you going?”
The potter replied, “Oh, brothers, I couldn’t account for one donkey all night. How could I possibly account for an entire kingdom?”
Although the story is fictional, it serves as a stark reminder that we, too, will have to give an account for our deeds, even for things we may not remember.