El caso del olor robado

Hace mucho tiempo, en una ciudad concurrida, vivía un hombre pobre llamado Tom.

Long ago in a busy town, there lived a poor man named Tom.

No tenía dinero para comer, pero pasaba todos los días por un panadero.

He had no money for food, but every day he walked past a baker's shop.

El panadero hizo el pan más maravilloso.

The baker made the most wonderful bread.

El olor era tan bueno que Tom se detenía y lo inhalaba profundamente.

The smell was so good that Tom would stop and breathe it in deeply.

Un día, Tom trajo un pedazo de pan duro y seco de casa.

One day, Tom brought a piece of hard, dry bread from home.

Se paró fuera de la panadería y sostuvo su pan cerca de la ventana.

He stood outside the baker's shop and held his bread near the window.

Mientras olía el pan fresco dentro, comió su propio pedazo seco.

As he smelled the fresh bread inside, he ate his own dry piece.

El buen olor hizo que su pobre comida tuviera mejor sabor.

The good smell made his poor meal taste better.

El panadero vio esto suceder muchas veces.

The baker saw this happen many times.

Se enfadó.

He became angry.

"¡Este hombre me está robando!"

"This man is stealing from me!"

lo dijo.

he said.

¡Se lleva el olor de mi pan sin pagar!

"He takes the smell of my bread without paying!"

El panadero fue al juez.

The baker went to the judge.

"Este pobre hombre roba el olor de mi pan todos los días", le dijo al juez.

"This poor man steals the smell of my bread every day," he told the judge.

"Debe pagarme por lo que ha tomado".

"He must pay me for what he has taken."

El juez pensó que era un caso extraño, pero llamó a Tom a la corte.

The judge thought this was a strange case, but he called Tom to court.

"¿Es verdad que hueles el pan del panadero?"

"Is it true that you smell the baker's bread?"

preguntó el juez.

asked the judge.

"Sí, señor", dijo Tom.

"Yes, sir," said Tom.

"No tengo dinero para buena comida.

"I have no money for good food.

El olor me ayuda a comer mi pan seco".

The smell helps me eat my dry bread."

El juez se volvió hacia el panadero.

The judge turned to the baker.

"¿Cuánto dinero quieres por el olor robado?"

"How much money do you want for the stolen smell?"

"Tres monedas de plata", dijo el panadero con una sonrisa codiciosa.

"Three silver coins," said the baker with a greedy smile.

El juez asintió.

The judge nodded.

Le preguntó a Tom: "¿Tienes tres monedas de plata?"

He asked Tom, "Do you have three silver coins?"

Tom metió la mano en su bolsillo y sacó sus últimas tres monedas.

Tom reached into his pocket and pulled out his last three coins.

Eran todo lo que tenía en el mundo.

They were all he had in the world.

"Date las monedas en la mano", dijo el juez.

"Shake the coins in your hand," said the judge.

Tom sacudió las monedas.

Tom shook the coins.

Hacían un sonido agradable.

They made a pleasant ringing sound.

Baker, ¿oíste ese sonido?

"Baker, did you hear that sound?"

asked the judge.

"Yes, I heard it clearly," said the baker, eager to get his money.

"Good," said the judge.

"The payment is complete.

Tom has paid for the smell of your bread with the sound of his money.

The sound of money for the smell of bread - this is fair.

Tom, you may keep your coins."

The baker's face turned red.

He had been too greedy.

Tom walked away with his coins still in his pocket, and the people in the court smiled at the wise judge's decision.

Moral: If you try to sell what costs you nothing, you may be paid with the same.