Reaping Gold
RAMU, the simpleton, whistled as he walked along. He was very happy. He had just sold all his earthen pots and had earned two gold coins!
He sat down under a tree to look at his coins once again. The gold glinted in the sun as he twirled the coins this way and that. The glitter caught the eye of Shambhu, the notorious cheat.
"Ah! A victim!" he thought as he sauntered up to Ramu.
Aloud he said, "Well, it looks like you're a rich man today!"
Ramu glanced up and smiled. "Yes, aren't these coins beautiful?"
Shambu nodded. "They are nice and shiny." Then he sidled up conspiratorially to Ramu. "Have you heard about the Field of Miracles?" he whispered.
Ramu shook his head.
"I can show it to you. If you sow your coins there, you'll find a tree bearing gold coins come up within no time!"
So Shambhu took Ramu along with his coins to the "Field of Mi r a c l e s ". The poor potter buried his coins and watered the spot on Shambhu's instructions.
"Now, you have to turn your back, go some distance and wait for 15 minutes. If you look over your shoulder, the tree won't grow," said the cheat.
So Ramu waited. After 15 minutes, he went to the spot. No tree. He poured more water on the soil. And waited. Still no money-bearing tree.
Finally, he scrabbled at the earth frantically as an awful thought crept into his simple mind. No sign of his two gold coins.
"Alas!" wept poor Ramu. "I should have known that honest money can only be earned by hard work. I was stupid to think it grows on trees!"
And still weeping, Ramu wended his way home, maybe just a little wiser.