June 18, 2024

🐺 Word's Worth

Dear friends, some exciting news: My book of fables, Wandering Spirits, was selected as a National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist! I’m honored and delighted that my hard work has been recognized in this way.

And now onto today’s fresh fable…

Word’s Worth

A merchant sat inside his shop, waiting for visitors. Most days, no one came. Sales were slow.

He grew impatient, and wondered if there was a better way.

“If the people won’t come to me, then I must go to them,” he thought. “I will simply ask them what they want to buy, and then build it. I’ll be sure to sell that way!”

The merchant laughed with excitement. “I can’t believe I never thought of this before!”

He scoured the village asking people what they wanted.

A mother told him she could use a new pot.
A farmer told him he could use a new plow.
A student told him she could use a new pen.

To each of them, he asked, “If I built it for you, would you buy it?”

One after the other, they would nod, smile, and give him their word. “Certainly!”

By the time he finished his rounds of research, the merchant was filled with confidence. He leapt into action, hiring craftsmen throughout the lands to build pots, plows and pens.

He returned to the village with a wheelbarrow full of inventory and a spring in his step. He looked at the villagers with eager eyes, salivating like a wolf ready to feed on its prey.

On the road, he ran into the student. When he offered her a pen to buy, she shook her head. “I can’t afford that! I’m just a poor student.” The merchant raised a finger to protest, hoping to offer a discounted price. But the student took off and yelled, “Late for class!”

Next, the merchant visited the farmer. When he showed him the plows, the farmer looked out at his crops and said, “Maybe next year, when the yield is stronger.”

Finally, he visited the mother. She was sweeping the floors of her deck. When he greeted her, she did not even look up at him, keeping her eyes on the ground. “No, thank you!”

The merchant was furious. “I had this pot made just for you! You told me you needed it.”

“I never said I needed it,” replied the mother. “I said I wanted it. Now if you don’t mind, I’m quite busy,” She shooed the merchant away and resumed sweeping with a half-broken broom.

The merchant returned to his shop, having learned the most expensive lesson of his life:

Trust the money, not the mouth.

If you liked this fable, you might also enjoy these:

And if you’re looking to dive deeper into longer, richer tales, then be sure to check out my new book of fables, Wandering Spirits: