Now, through the doors of the throne-room, burst the Fool. He tumbled and saw the three dolls, picked them up and began to juggle with them... “ha ha!” And then became bored, put them down and left.

Well the Scholar could find no difference, neither could the Fool. But now stepped forward the Storyteller.

“Can you tell these three dolls apart?”

The Storyteller picked up the first doll and examined it carefully, and then suddenly reached forward and 5)plucked a straight hair from the King’s beard. He inserted the end of the hair into the ear of the first doll. It went further and further into the head of the doll, until it disappeared completely.“Huh,” said the storyteller.“This doll is like the Scholar: everything he hears goes in and is retained inside.”

Now, the Storyteller reached forward and plucked a second hair from the King’s beard before he could be stopped. He put that hair into the ear of the second doll. The hair disappeared slowly inside as the Sultan watched, and then appeared on the other side of the head, emerging out of the other ear. It came right through.

“Why,” said the Storyteller, “this doll is like the Fool. Everything he hears goes in one ear and out the other.”

Before the Sultan could stop him, a third hair had been plucked from his chin... “Ow!”

The Storyteller inserted the third straight hair from the King’s beard into the ear of the third doll. It went further and further in. The Sultan watched to see where it would come out. Did it come out?