mayamaia | Story time (Written for the Greeneling)

Once there was a man with three coins: one copper, one silver and one gold. He kept the coins in his pocket where none could see them.

He was walking when he came upon a wealthy baker, selling his loaves at exorbitant prices to the locals. The loaves looked tasty, so he asked the baker if he could buy one for a gold piece. The baker tried to disguise his delight, since he normally only got away with selling his loaves for a silver piece at best, and pretended reluctance in accepting the offer. The man took his loaf, dropped the coin on the counter and left. But the gold piece was so small that the baker had truly only been given a fair price for his bread.

The man next met a musician, playing for passersby. The musician tried to disguise her eagerness for donations as she put all her effort and all her thoughts and heart into the music. The silver piece, of generous weight, was tossed to land at her feet, and the musician could not resist giving a brilliant smile of gratitude.

Finally, the man met an old woman without family, begging in the street. He walked up to her and said, "I am sorry, all I have left to give you is a single copper piece, but what I have is yours." The old woman tried to disguise her disappointment, thanked him politely and wished him a good journey. But when she looked at the metal disc he had pressed into her hand, she saw that it was inscribed with words that granted the bearer the right to a small property that would provide enough to support her in her remaining years.

And from there, who knows where the man went?