Fallen Riches
A Short Story
Once upon a time there was a little girl whose mother and father had died. They had left her no money and so she had no place to live. Not even a bed to rest in. All she owned were the clothes on her back, a handful of seeds and a chain on which hung a compass. She walked far in search of fertile soil to plant her seeds in so that they might sprout in abundance and grow food to fill her empty stomach. In the country she met a poor man who said, “My feet are cracked and bleeding, give me something to cover them so that I might return to my wife and child.” She reached down and peeled the worn shoes from her tired feet, which the man placed upon his own, blessing her as he went on his way.
Soon after she came across a woman returning to her home with a bucket of water. Her dress was stretched tight over her swollen belly.
“Please miss, the journey to the Well was long and I am cold. Give me your shawl in exchange for this bucket of clean water and my baby will sleep soundly.” The girl placed her shawl around the pregnant woman’s shoulders and took from her the bucket of water, from which she drank deeply and washed her dusty feet. After a little time had passed she spotted a young boy staring desperately at a signpost. As she passed him he ran to catch her attention. “Miss, do you know which way it is to the village? Father always told me to go North if I got lost, but none of these signs say North.” Putting her bucket down for a moment, the girl took the compass from around her neck and placed it over the boy's head. Giving her a swift embrace in thanks, the boy scurried off down the path, holding the compass ahead of him as if it were dragging him home.
Before long, the sun began to set and the girl had no choice but to leave the trail for the woods, and rest by a large tree. Her stomach growled as she tipped her chin towards the stars. Her hunger was swiftly replaced with wonder. Nearby, there was a rustling, and out of the brush came a sparrow. It bounced on legs as thin as twigs. The girl unfurled her hand like a flower and offered the seeds to the hungry bird, who nervously hopped close before pecking the feast in her palm until there was nothing left. Something fell into her lap, cold like ice. She wondered if it was beginning to snow. Squinting in the dark, she made out a solid gold coin. Money that had fallen from the heavens. Was she dreaming? Then fell another and another! One by one they bounced off the forest floor and she scrambled to collect them in her empty bucket.
Once it was filled, the golden rain stopped and she fell asleep with her arms around a small fortune. She woke to the sunlight on her face and smiled as she breathed in the pine scent of the forest. She’d had a lovely dream that coins had fallen like raindrops all around her. She sighed and turned to her wooden bucket, wondering if she could find some berries in the nearby bushes. She gasped. Her bucket was full of shining golden coins that winked at her in the sun. Though her legs were weak and her stomach groaned, the girl was overwhelmed with joy. With her remaining strength, she carried her weight in gold to the nearby village. There she brought it to the inn, where those she had helped greeted her warmly for thanks to her they were able to return home. She exchanged the gold for food and clothes and a house alongside her new friends. The rest she invested in the village. All who lived there, including the girl, lived happily to the end of their days.
