There’s an old parable, about a man in need of a cooking pot. He borrowed one from his neighbour. He then returned it in a timely fashion - but had put a smaller cooking pot inside.
‘What’s this?’ exclaimed the neighbour.
the man replied ‘while it was in my care your cooking pot gave birth - it’s only right that you should keep its baby’…
The neighbour didn’t argue. Whatever crazy thoughts this man was having, the neighbour now had a nice little pot, costing nothing.
Sometime later, the man needed to borrow the cooking pot again. The neighbour loaned it readily - maybe there would be another pot in this one again!
The man didn’t return the pot however.
After many days had passed the neighbour asked for it back.
‘My dear friend’, said the man ‘I have bad news - your pot died!’
‘A pot can’t die!’ replied the neighbour. ‘Return the pot to me at once!’