The Real Treasure
by Oksana Vasilenko
Copyright Oksana Vasilenko 2012
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Once upon a time in a far away land the king called his three sons and said to them:
‘I am growing old and it’s getting hard for me to rule this kingdom. I want to make one of you my successor. Each one of you will get equal share of money. You are to go and search the world and bring back what you think is the real treasure. Come back in five years and show me what you’ve got.’
Each prince got a bag of money, a strong horse and a sharp sword and off they went in search of the real treasure.
In five years the princes came back.
‘All right, son, show me what you’ve brought,’ the king said to the eldest prince.
The prince called for his servants and they brought in a huge chest. It was so heavy that ten people could hardly carry it. The prince opened the chest up—and shining gold coins spilled out of it.
‘The real treasure in this world is gold,’ the prince said. ‘Anything else—diamonds, castles and even kingdoms—can be bought with gold. That’s why I spent my share on sending a caravan to the South where I bought the finest spices, silks and gems. I brought the goods back and sold them—and now I have a hundred times more gold that you had given me.’
‘It’s good that you have not wasted the money on stupid things like gambling or drinking,’ the king said. ‘But let’s see what your brothers have.’
The second brother stepped forward, took out his shining sword and, at his bidding, lots of soldiers marched in and stood to attention.
‘It is true that gold can buy all the treasures in the world,’ the prince said. ‘But a sharp sword can take it all away. I’ve hired an army and conquered a kingdom. So, now I have all the riches of that kingdom. My army is strong, I can take on other kingdoms and conquer them, one by one, until I rule the whole world. And then all the riches of the world will be mine!’
‘You are right,’ the king said. ‘All the gold in the world is helpless against a sharp sword. But let’s see what your youngest brother has.’
The third prince knelt down and said:
‘Forgive me, father, for I did not bring anything to you. I have spent the money on travelling East and West, South and North. I have learnt ten languages and talked to people in other countries in their own language. I have seen oceans and deserts, mountains and woods. I have no money left, but I know how to build a house, how to sail a ship, how to grow wheat and I can make a living by using any of those skills.’
‘Rise, my son,’ the king said. ‘The kingdom is yours. It is true that gold can buy all the treasures and a strong army can take all the riches, but all the gold in the world can not buy a grain of wisdom and no sword can take it away.
‘That, which can neither be bought nor taken away from you, is the real treasure.’
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