Fate

"Consider the story of the soldier who meets Death at a crossing of the
marketplace, and he believes he saw him make a menacing gesture in his
direction. He rushes to the king’s palace and asks the king for his best
horse in order that he might flee during the night far from Death, as far as
Samarkand. Upon which the king summons Death to the palace and
reproaches him for having frightened one of his best servants. ‘I didn’t
mean to frighten him. It was just that I was surprised to see this soldier
here, when we had a rendez-vous tomorrow in Samarkand’"
“Death in Samarkand”