Storytelling for Week 5: The Foolish Beneficiary

Shortly after my parents passing, I was told that I would be the sole beneficiary to a large inheritance. I was shocked when I was told this bitter-sweet news for, while I had never wanted for much of anything, I had never thought my parents to be of wealthy means. Our home was not extravagant, we did not own much land, and we walked to places we need to go. Our lives were no different than those of our peers. What was the purpose of amassing such a large sum of currency if we never spent more than what we needed?

Immediately, I began to dream of all that I would buy with my inheritance! I would live in a home so large that I would be able to sleep in a new room every day of the week! I would buy acres and acres of land with a pond to fish in and horses to ride on. I would never walk when I went into town; instead, I would buy a carriage and have a drive take me wherever I needed to go. I would live above all others, for that was my heritage.

On the day I officially received my inheritance, I went to the bank to collect a portion to purchase my carriage. When I collected the money, I witnessed the most peculiar thing. When I grabbed the first bill in the pouch I received from the banker, it flew away. Thinking that the wind had simply carried off the weightless paper money, I decided to spend my silver and gold coins instead. However, when I touched the first gold coin, it jumped away from me. I was astonished as I watched the coin jump several times on the ground until it finally sprouted two wings and flew away! Surely, I thought, I must be dreaming! I reached in the pouch for a second coin, and again I watched as it grew wings and flew away.

I quickly closed the pouch in fear that this cursed money would all fly away before I could return to the bank. When I went inside the bank, I told the banker of the bizarre circumstances that led to my return. When he heard my story, he did not look the least bit surprised. He told me that this is not a rare experience among young beneficiaries to large inheritances. The money easily flies from their hands because they do not understand the importance of holding on to it. They did not earn the money, so they intend to quickly spend it on that which they do not need. Before they know it, the money has all flown away and they are left with nothing in their old age.

After hearing the banker share his wisdom, I decided to place the money back into the bank. There it would remain until I could find a way to properly invest it. I did not want to end up penniless in my old age.

(14th-century sequins)

Author’s Note: This story is very loosely based on the First Voyage of Sindbad. In the beginning of the story, young Sindbad inherits a large sum from his parents. He spends it recklessly and finds that, if he manages it poorly, it is as if the money grows wings and flies away. He then decides to put it to good use and becomes a merchant and goes on crazy voyages. I really just expanded one sentence of the story.

Bibliography: 

"First Voyage", from The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).