There was once a shepherd boy whose fame spread far and wide because of the wise answers he gave to every question. The King of the country heard of this but did not believe it, and sent for the boy.
The King said to him, "If you can answer three questions for me, I will look upon you as my own child, and you shall live with me in my royal palace." The boy asked, "What are the three questions?"
The King said, "First, how many drops of water are in the ocean?" The shepherd boy answered, "Lord King, if you will dam up all the rivers on earth so that not a single drop runs into the sea until I have counted them, then I will tell you how many drops are in the sea."
The King continued, "The next question is, how many stars are in the sky?" The shepherd boy said, "Give me a great sheet of white paper." He then made so many fine points on it with a pen that they could scarcely be seen and were impossible to count. He said, "There are as many stars in the sky as there are points on this paper. Just count them." But no one was able to do it.
The King said, "The third question is, how many seconds are there in eternity?" The shepherd boy replied, "In Lower Pomerania stands the Diamond Mountain. It is two and a half miles high, two and a half miles wide, and two and a half miles deep. Every hundred years, a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on the mountain. When the entire mountain is worn away by this, the first second of eternity will be over."
The King declared, "You have answered the three questions wisely. Henceforth, you shall dwell with me in my royal palace, and I will regard you as my own child."