The gold coin

 

1.

Once there was a very sweet girl by the name of Anneliese. Anneliese had a radiant smile, and she was liked by everyone. She was also grandma Agnes' favorite grandchild.

 

One Saturday, grandma Agnes invited Annaliese for a visit.

 

Annaliese was excited. She was often given presents by grandma, or at least treated to sweets or other delicious fare. This time, grandma Agnes had something very special in store for her.

 

«I have a very valuable present for you Anneliese; it's a gold coin. You are now eleven years old. At that age, I was given one such coin by my grandma; and she received a coin from her grandma. It is a tradition in our family to pass on a treasure at such an important juncture. Now, it is important that you take great care of it.»

 

«I understand grandma. I will keep it safe.»

 

And so, Anneliese took off with the gold coin in her pocket, whistling happily as she went.

 

On her way home, Anneliese passed a smith's workshop. He was just putting some horse shoes on a beautiful white mare.

 

It was the most beautiful horse that Anneliese had ever seen, and she felt compelled to ask whom it belonged to.

 

«Who is the owner of such a magnifient animal, master smith?» she asked.

 

«You have a keen eye mistress. The horse is the property of Lady Clarabelle, the niece of the count.» the smith said.

 

Anneliese gave the horse an admiring look. She would have liked to look at it all day, but she knew that she would have to get home before nightfall. So, she reluctantly started to get going again.

 

«Would you perhaps like to stroke it a little?» the smith asked.

 

«Yes, very much. But, would Lady Clarabelle not mind?» Anneliese asked.

 

«Well, she is not here now; and I will definitely not tell her.» the smith replied.

 

Anneliese was encouraged by the friendly words. She approached the animal and stroked it gently. The horse showed its appreciation.

 

«It looks like you are a real natural. I have a brush here if you would like to help a little.» the smith said.

 

«Thank you, I would like to do that.» Anneliese replied.

 

«It calms the horse, so it helps me with my work. I should thank you.» the smith said.

 

The smith proceeded to put on another horse shoe. Anneliese was proud that she could be that useful. She loved animals, and wished she could have horses herself one day. Of course, she also knew that it was hard work, and that one had to be knowledgeable about these animals.

 

«Could you hold onto the reins for a minute? I need to go to the furnace to repair this horse shoe.» the smith asked.

 

«Of course, I would be happy to do that.» Anneliese said.

 

Anneliese held onto the reins. It seemed like the animal completely trusted her. It was amazing that she as a tiny person could control such an imposing animal.

 

Suddenly, she heard some disturbing sounds come from the street. It sounded like dogs that were having a fight. The sounds were coming closer; and the horse was starting to become restless.

 

«There is nothing to worry about.» Anneliese said soothingly to the horse «I will protect you.»

 

However, Anneliese could already see the fighting dogs on the street. The spectacle of their fight scared her.

 

«Master smith» she called.

 

Alas, the smith did not respond.

 

«I suppose, the noise of the furnace is too great, and he can't hear me.» she thought.

 

It looked like one of the dogs was getting the upper hand. It bit the other dog's ear, and blood was gushing out. The injured dog pushed out a scream and quickly took flight.

 

«I am glad this vicious fight is coming to an end, it is very disturbing.» Anneliese thought.

 

Much to Anneliese's relief, the dog ran away in a different direction. The victor was ravishing some smaller creature. With the feathers, Anneliese made it out to be a chicken.

 

«What a cruel world it is.» Anneliese thought «The spoils go to the winner, I suppose.»

 

She stroked the mare, which had meanwhile calmed down again.

 

«See, it was not so bad.» Anneliese said.

 

2.

From the corner of her eye, she could see that some creature was approaching the dog at great speed. There was a loud scream, and suddenly the victor ran away. To make matters worse, the dog ran in Anneliese's direction. It all happened so fast.

 

«No, not this away.» she shouted.

 

But it was too late. The mare pranced, knocking Anneliese over. The horse then got away, and ran in the direction of the workshop. There, the smith was just about to finish his work on the horse shoe. Very unluckily, the horse ran into him, and Anneliese could hear that he groaned on impact.

 

«Oh no.» Anneliese thought «What happened?»

 

There was a lot of commotion. The smith's wife came out of the house. She grabbed the horse by the reins, and she pulled it out of the workshop.

 

Anneliese ran in to help the smith get back up. He had knocked his head on the floor, and felt a little dazed. Anneliese was glad to see that he had not broken a limb, or got injured seriously.

 

«I am sorry, I could not hold onto the horse.» Anneliese said tearfully.

 

«It's not your fault child.» the smith said «I should not have left you alone with the horse.»

 

The smith's wife looked sternly and reproachfully at her husband «This is no place for a child. How could you?» Then she turned to Anneliese «You should go home now.»

 

Anneliese felt ashamed. She had only wanted to help. Then again, it was true that she was much too little to look after a full-grown horse. She bid her farewell to the friendly smith, but avoided the stare of his wife.

 

 

She had not yet walked fifty steps, when there was much shouting and crying. Without a doubt, it came from the smith's house. Anneliese rushed back to see what had happend.

 

She saw the smith looking extremely pale, almost frightened. Meanwhile, his wife was crying inconsolably, saying over and over «We are ruined. We are ruined.»

 

Anneliese did not understand. What could have happened in just a few instants after she left? She knew that the smith's wife had been very angry, but why was she suddenly so distraught?

 

She tried to get the smith's attention. «What is it? What has happened?» she asked him.

 

The smith was not able to speak. He put his hands on his face, and started weeping also.

 

Anneliese was getting anxious herself. She had never seen a grown man weep. She was also very confused. «What is happening?» she wondered.

 

The smith was visibly distressed. In a broken voice, he stammered «The horse...»

 

Anneliese looked over at the horse. It was standing outside tied to a mast. She could not see that it was limping, or that it was in pain. Yet, the horse was somehow agitated. She approached the horse to calm it. As Anneliese was about to stroke the horse, she noticed a black patch on its neck. The patch stood out from the mare's otherwise white fur.

 

Anneliese wondered if that was the reason for the smith's disquiet. «What happened to the horse?» she asked the smith.

 

«I must have scalded the horse with the hot iron. I did not mean to do it. It was an accident...» he began.

 

The smith's wife cried out accusingly «Why did you not take the horse to the market yesterday? And why did you let a child hold onto the reins? This would never have happened.» before repeating again «We are ruined.»

 

Anneliese began to understand. The horse was Lady Clarabelle's property; and now the smith had damaged the goods. How would they be able to pay for this? She felt compassion for them.

 

«Is there something I can do?» Anneliese asked.

 

But the smith replied «I am afraid you cannot help us.» before adding «Unless you can put in a good word for us with Lady Clarabelle.»

 

«You know full well that it is not Lady Clarabelle that we have to worry about; it is count Hugo. He is a very greedy man, and he will not rest before we pay our debts.» the smith's wife said harshly.

 

«What will happen now to our children, when we have to go to debt prison?» she said, crying bitterly.

 

Anneliese could see again how cruel the world could be. This world was almost as barbaric as beasts fighting each other to the death, as Anneliese had in fact witnessed earlier. It would be a terrible injustice if people were left destitute, due a tragedy that was not of their own making.

 

She reflected on how she had always been lucky. She had never known any hardships. Everyone loved her, and she loved everyone back. Life for her was truly blessed.

 

Yet others were not so lucky. Perhaps, she had to share some of her good fortune sometimes? A thought crept up in her mind how she could solve the smith's problems. The gold coin was sure to be worth a lot of money, and maybe it could pay for the horse? She felt bad to give away the gold coin, as it had only been entrusted to her by her grandma. Then again, it would a long time before she would have to give a gold coin to her grandchild. It was only money after all, and matters of life and death trumped that. Moreover, she felt that she also bore some responsibility for what happened.

 

«I think I could help you.» Anneliese began.

 

The smith and his wife looked at her expectantly.

 

«My grandma gave me some money today.» Anneliese said «Perhaps it could pay for the horse; that way, count Hugo would not put you into prison.»

 

«We could not accept such a gift. What would your grandma think if you just gave it away to strangers?» the smith said.

 

«But it is mine to give.» Anneliese insisted.

 

«No.» the smith's wife also said «Even if we gave you something in exchange, we would always be in your debt.».

 

«Well, perhaps you could sell me the horse?» Anneliese proposed.

 

«The mare is very valuable. I'm not sure you could conceivably pay for it.» the smith said.

 

«Would this do?» Anneliese said, pulling out the gold coin from her pocket.

 

The smith and his wife's eyes sparkled at the sight of such a treasure. The smith said «It would more than pay for the horse. We don't have much money, I don't know what else we could give you.»

 

The wife suggested «We could give you some fodder to feed it. We also have spare reins, saddles, and of course horse shoes.»

 

In fact, they put the horse before a carriage, so that Anneliese could take all those things with her. She felt wealthy. She was now the proud owner of a beautiful mare. She did not mind that the horse bore a scar. To her, it was the most beautiful horse.

 

What's more, she had helped the smith's family. It seemed like everyone was happy now. The crying was a distant memory. The smith's wife, who had initially been cold and distant, hugged Anneliese to show her affection.

 

When Anneliese handed over the gold coin, the smith first bit on it. Anneliese was surprised that he did so. «It's the first time I have had a gold coin. I heard that the metal is quite soft, and that you can recognize it by biting on it.» he laughed «I can confirm it's true, though I would not recommend biting too hard.»

 

They all had a good laugh. It was now high time that Anneliese went home. She wondered what her parents would think when she arrived with the horse. In spite of her age, she already felt like an adult.

 

Go to

Resolution of the story

 

 

 

 

© Credit for the art work goes to my children Emile and Winnie. All rights of this work are protected.