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Prosperity

Passing on the Kindness

By Alice FarmerPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
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Prosperity
Photo by Joanna Stołowicz on Unsplash

As the morning light of dawn blessed the horizon, the call of distant crows awakened the young girl. Just as every day, she and her family awoke as the first lights crested the hills which surrounded their humble cottage. Just like always, they got to their feet and prepared for the day of hard work which lay ahead. Used to the same trodden routine, the young girl dresses and meets her parents within the shared living space, being given her chores for the day upon arriving. What was to be asked of her today was quite simple : Go into the market place and buy some pears. Happy to be of help, and with a skip in her step, the young girl left the household.

As she bounced carefree down the worn stone path which led to her home, the young girl noticed a group of stone faced workers, clad in filthy garments heading to the fields for yet another harsh day. Her father would be joining them as always, toiling in the dirt and praying for a good harvest which could feed them well, though rarely being so lucky. Not wanting to dwell too much on the relentlessness of the reality they faced, the young girl turned her gaze forward and continued on her way to the village square where all the residents began to awaken.

Passing through the cobblestone streets the voices of the denizens were stirring to life and before she knew it, the young girl had reached the heart of the place she called ‘home’. The Village Square had become lively, the stall proprietors fully set up to begin business for the day. Exotic fruits such as pears would be a bit harder to get as the day went on due to their foreign nature, so the only chance the girl had to get them was right at the start of the day. Maneuvering around citizens and stalls alike, the young girl eventually found her destination. The owner of the stall beckoned her forth and inquired as to what she was looking for, the young girl gesturing to the pears which were gently placed behind the tender. Before leaving the cottage this morning, her mother asked that she buy as many pears as possible with the money that she was given, and inquired to the owner about how many the bundle of coins in her hands would fetch. His reply was more than satisfactory, a total of four. The young girl was taken back by the amount, thankful at the tender's obvious kindness.

Once again pivoting between the mass of people all wanting their share of groceries for the day, the girl clutched on tightly to the bag containing her purchase and set off back home. Once or twice she stopped and got distracted by the fanciful wares of travelling salesmen, but she would never stay too long, knowing she had to get back to her mother soon. Crossing into the lesser quad of the marketplace, the girl sat to enjoy a few more moments of the sun as it sat high in the sky above. She prepared to leave and set off home, but a certain individual caught her eye. Sat off to the young girl’s left was an oldish man dressed in brown cloth whom she had never seen before. ‘A beggar’ as her mother would say. She stopped in her tracks and watched the man for who knows how long. As people walked by him they would pay little mind to his attempts to start a conversation, and it happened several times. Too many times. The young girl made her way over to the man, pulled at the strings of her bag, and offered him two pears. His eyes widened before slowly tearing up. He took them in his hands gently before looking to the young girl. “Bless you,child,” He croaked, and after a small pause added “What is it that I owe you for these?”

“Nothing,” She says, taken aback. “I’m happy to help in any way I can, so please take them” The old man smiled knowingly and reached into his pocket, and after a few seconds of rummaging around he pulled out a rusted coin and placed it into the young girl’s small hands.

“Please, take this” He enclosed her fingers around it as a gesture to keep it protected. “In my youth it bought me much luck and prosperity, and I pray it now does the same for you.” The girl looked at the coin that rested in her palm. It didn't look like any type of currency used around here and determined it to be of another origin. With a smile, the girl replied :

“Then I’ll cherish it forever”

After bidding the man a farewell and a prayer of safety for this coming night, the young girl set off back home. The sun was past its peak, she had been gone far longer than intended, but the smile of the man was somehow all the justification that she needed to convince herself that it was all worth it. For the last few moments of the journey the girl ran home, being met at the door by her mother who was inquiring as to her late arrival home. The girl explained all that happened while out, and as her face brightened when mentioning all that happened with the man, and the coin, her mothers face could only darken in comparison. Breathless from all the talking, she was met with a hurtful silence, then broken by the stern words of her mother. She was chastised and scolded for her actions. She berated her for believing ever so slightly in the apparent “luck” of the tarnished coin, and stated that whilst her kindness was admirable, there will be people much like the man who will seek to exploit it.

Her feet began moving before she realised what was happening. Overwhelmed, the young girl ran off to the hills which surrounded the cottage, the calls by her mother growing ever fainter the further she ran. Out of breath, she collapsed in exhaustion. She peered over her shoulder and saw that her home was still within eyesight, thankful that at least she could easily find her way back. The young girl lay on her back and watched the sky grow colourful with warm oranges and pinks, before finally fading into black. As she lay watching the stars emerge, she felt something poke her side, and after a few moments realised it was the coin. She pulled it out and looked at its rough surface, tears welling in her eyes. She rolled onto her side, clasping the coin in her hand, whispering “I believe… You are lucky, I can feel it” Her soft weeps filled the silence of the night which had now fully fallen. Tired from the exhaustion that today brought, the young girl felt herself drifting off to sleep, the cool air blowing against her reddened cheeks and warm tears.

As the morning light of dawn blessed the horizon to signal the new day's arrival, the young girl found herself not being woken by the call of birds as usual, but by a tickling at her nose. Confused, she drearily opened her eyes to be met with a most amazing, albeit curious, site. What was tickling her nose was in fact a leaf which itself was attached to a branch that stemmed from a fully grown and fruiting pear tree. The young girl took a moment to take the tree in its full beauty. Was she dreaming? Was this reality? She felt more awake than ever, it had to all be real. The young girl picked off a large pear and took a bite. Her eyes widened. The softness of the flesh, the sweetness of the juices. The pears at the market couldn’t even compare to what the young girl had just tasted.

Without a second thought, pear in hand, she sprinted back home, almost crashing through the door as she did so. The girl was met with sighs of relief and worry from her parents. As calmly as she could she explained the situation, their worry now changed into disbelief. The young girl motioned at them to follow her. In a rush the trio had returned to the tree, and they too now saw it in its full glory. A fully grown pear tree where there certainly wasn't one before. After tasting the fruit for themselves, they knew that they had been given a blessing. During the cries of disbelief and wonder the young girl suddenly remembered about the coin. She felt inside her pockets but found no trace of it, and attempted to recall the last moments of the night prior. She had it in her hands… in the exact place where the tree now stood. Thoughtfully, the girl gazed at the tree and smiled, thanking the man for the favour which he had bestowed to them, vowing to pay his great act of kindness forward.

Fantasy
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About the Creator

Alice Farmer

Hi!

After years of no writing I've decided to give it a go again and see what path it takes me down. I've always had a love for literature, and I'm looking forward to learning all sorts of new things along the way~

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