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The Treasure
Here is a variation on an old story
Long ago, but much more recently than you suppose; in a land far away, but much nearer
than you can possibly imagine; a young man, who we will call 'our hero', came to hear of a
great treasure. It was rumoured that there was a man who knew the whereabouts of that
treasure but people were unsure as to how to locate this man. Being poor, but full of the
bravura of youth, our hero determined that he would track down this mysterious man and the
treasure. Locking his humble cottage and entrusting it to a reliable friend, he duly completed
his preparations and set out full of hope and ambition.
At each tavern and guest house he stopped at he made discrete inquiries. There were false
turns of course and delays and many false dawns, but just as he reached the point of despair
and was ready to turn back, things changed.
He found himself in a tavern where he became very drunk. In the course of an intoxicated
conversation with a stranger he was informed of the existence of a clear map where the man
was to be found. Coming out of his drunken stupor the next morning he somehow recalled
that particular part of the conversation. He was struggling to remember exactly what had
been said when his hand lit upon a piece of paper in his pocket. Indeed it proved to be a
map. His astonishment knew no bounds and he read it with great excitement. To his surprise
he discovered that the map indicated one of the towns he had already briefly visited.
Gathering the last of his resources he made his way to the town. The map was quite specific
and this time he found the house he sought. His enthusiastic but somewhat nervous knock
was answered by a man of late middle age. On hearing of his quest the man invited him in.
After the formalities of a drink and a meal and polite conversation concerning where the
young man had come from, incumbent on any host, the two began to get to the matter in
hand. ‘I beg you, sir’, said the young man with great earnestness, ‘tell me, do you really know
the whereabouts of this treasure of which so much has been said?’
‘Indeed I do’ was the astonishingly straightforward reply. Looking straight into the eyes of the
older man, and with a trembling lip and tremor in his voice, our hero asked him if he would
be so gracious and kind as to direct him. Again he received a direct reply, ‘I would be happy
to tell you of the exact location, in very precise detail' the older man said. His eyes held those
of his young inquisitor, who could detect nothing but sincerity in them. ‘However’, he
continued, ‘before I do so there are some tasks that I have to complete and I would ask for
your assistance in these first’. Our young hero paused but a moment and then agreed to this
condition.
The following morning the sun and the young man arose together from their nightly slumber.
His benefactor however was already up having returned from an early morning walk. As the
sun warmed the breaking day and began to melt the frost, our young man received his
instructions. It appeared his host had need of a wagon to transport some unspecified goods.
He was given the materials and tools and though he had little experience of this kind of work
he felt it was a task well within his reach and indeed one about which he felt some
enthusiasm. Of course it took much longer than he anticipated but during all that time he was
comfortably housed and well fed. Eventually to their mutual pleasure the task was completed.
It was an occasion of much feasting and celebration.
The following day over breakfast his genial host revealed that, pleased as he was, he had
discovered that the wagon was not sufficient for the load he had to carry. The young man
eagerly offered to complete another such cart starting that very day. As a matter of fact he
was not entirely satisfied with his workmanship which despite the pleasure it gave the older
man appeared to him to have faults and to be a little wobbly in operation.
By now you will have guessed that this self same process was repeated many times but the
young man – far from objecting took greater and greater delight in the task. Besides he had
been warmly accepted into the family and locality and was by now really at home. There was
however one door though which he was never invited and it was through this door that the
older man would disappear every day till the evening.
Twenty odd years rolled by this way. His host, who was now more like a father to him,
became white haired and noticeably frailer despite his continuing vigour. Our hero had by
now become part of the family having married one of his hosts daughters and having two
healthy children by her. From time to time he would hear from travellers of his own cottage
where all appeared to be well.
One evening, as the sun was setting, the two men sat on the porch. The older man pulling on
a long pipe as was his custom in the evenings. ‘At last it is done’ he muttered almost to
himself. In answer to our hero's questioning glance he said more clearly – ‘I mean our task is
almost complete – tomorrow you will load the wagons and I will depart’. Used by now to not
questioning, but with a heavy heart, the younger man continued to sit there; and they
continued thus in silence till at last, by unspoken mutual agreement, they retired for the night.
The young man hardly slept, his mind in a state of confusion.
The following morning the old man led him through what our hero had come to think of as 'the
forbidden door'. To his amazement he saw, shining brightly in the light of the lamp the old
man held up, hordes upon hordes of gold and jewels beyond imagination. He diligently
began the task of loading the treasure on the many waiting wagons, barely completing the
task before the sun itself had begun turning a to a beautiful gold the whole scene.
With attendants and guards on each of the wagons the old man himself climbed aboard the
lead wagon. Our hero approached him at his beckoning. Manly as he was, our hero eyes
streamed tears and his heart seemed ready to burst.
‘You have fulfilled your part of the bargain,’ the old man said, ‘and now here are the
directions to the treasure you sought. He took out the map the younger man had brought to
him all those years ago and he wrote on it.
Our hero read it with astonishment for what was written on it – as you will no doubt have
guessed - was the address of the cottage that the young man had started out from on his
quest for treasure. His own home!
'Pull up the floorboards and you will find what you set out to find all those years ago.' The old
man spoke in muted tones for he was not unaffected by the moment.
‘Sir, I have found such a great treasure in your company already,’ sobbed our hero, ‘that my
gratitude makes my heart burst and I know not whether I am laughing or crying. Pray sir,
please indulge me by answering one question.' ‘You want to know why I did not tell you this
long ago’, interjected the old man in sonorous tones – ‘I will tell you. If I had told you when you
had first came you would have said you believed me, but you would not have really believed
me and you would have gone off continuing your search fruitlessly. If I had told you later on
you would have only partly believed me and been in danger of going home by a circuitous
route or being delayed by so many distractions. In the latter years you had become such a
part of me here that it would have been hard for you to have departed. Now not only have you
seen my treasure and me departing but you have committed yourself so whole-heartedly that
you will not hesitate to go directly home and find the treasure buried beneath your own
house. Now I am going to another country where my treasure will used to build a great
palace. One day I expect to see you there, with your own cartloads of treasure I will reserve a
plot for you near me.'
He took out a manuscript from one of his deep pockets. 'Here is how you will find me again.'
For a moment, through his tears, the scroll appeared to our hero as a great marble slab
engraved with burning gold. He blinked and it appeared again as a piece of paper.
As the wagons began to move off the old man paused, turned, and added, with a twinkle in
his eyes, ‘Besides, how would I have ever got all these wagons made without you?’
Here is a variation on an old story
Long ago, but much more recently than you suppose; in a land far away, but much nearer
than you can possibly imagine; a young man, who we will call 'our hero', came to hear of a
great treasure. It was rumoured that there was a man who knew the whereabouts of that
treasure but people were unsure as to how to locate this man. Being poor, but full of the
bravura of youth, our hero determined that he would track down this mysterious man and the
treasure. Locking his humble cottage and entrusting it to a reliable friend, he duly completed
his preparations and set out full of hope and ambition.
At each tavern and guest house he stopped at he made discrete inquiries. There were false
turns of course and delays and many false dawns, but just as he reached the point of despair
and was ready to turn back, things changed.
He found himself in a tavern where he became very drunk. In the course of an intoxicated
conversation with a stranger he was informed of the existence of a clear map where the man
was to be found. Coming out of his drunken stupor the next morning he somehow recalled
that particular part of the conversation. He was struggling to remember exactly what had
been said when his hand lit upon a piece of paper in his pocket. Indeed it proved to be a
map. His astonishment knew no bounds and he read it with great excitement. To his surprise
he discovered that the map indicated one of the towns he had already briefly visited.
Gathering the last of his resources he made his way to the town. The map was quite specific
and this time he found the house he sought. His enthusiastic but somewhat nervous knock
was answered by a man of late middle age. On hearing of his quest the man invited him in.
After the formalities of a drink and a meal and polite conversation concerning where the
young man had come from, incumbent on any host, the two began to get to the matter in
hand. ‘I beg you, sir’, said the young man with great earnestness, ‘tell me, do you really know
the whereabouts of this treasure of which so much has been said?’
‘Indeed I do’ was the astonishingly straightforward reply. Looking straight into the eyes of the
older man, and with a trembling lip and tremor in his voice, our hero asked him if he would
be so gracious and kind as to direct him. Again he received a direct reply, ‘I would be happy
to tell you of the exact location, in very precise detail' the older man said. His eyes held those
of his young inquisitor, who could detect nothing but sincerity in them. ‘However’, he
continued, ‘before I do so there are some tasks that I have to complete and I would ask for
your assistance in these first’. Our young hero paused but a moment and then agreed to this
condition.
The following morning the sun and the young man arose together from their nightly slumber.
His benefactor however was already up having returned from an early morning walk. As the
sun warmed the breaking day and began to melt the frost, our young man received his
instructions. It appeared his host had need of a wagon to transport some unspecified goods.
He was given the materials and tools and though he had little experience of this kind of work
he felt it was a task well within his reach and indeed one about which he felt some
enthusiasm. Of course it took much longer than he anticipated but during all that time he was
comfortably housed and well fed. Eventually to their mutual pleasure the task was completed.
It was an occasion of much feasting and celebration.
The following day over breakfast his genial host revealed that, pleased as he was, he had
discovered that the wagon was not sufficient for the load he had to carry. The young man
eagerly offered to complete another such cart starting that very day. As a matter of fact he
was not entirely satisfied with his workmanship which despite the pleasure it gave the older
man appeared to him to have faults and to be a little wobbly in operation.
By now you will have guessed that this self same process was repeated many times but the
young man – far from objecting took greater and greater delight in the task. Besides he had
been warmly accepted into the family and locality and was by now really at home. There was
however one door though which he was never invited and it was through this door that the
older man would disappear every day till the evening.
Twenty odd years rolled by this way. His host, who was now more like a father to him,
became white haired and noticeably frailer despite his continuing vigour. Our hero had by
now become part of the family having married one of his hosts daughters and having two
healthy children by her. From time to time he would hear from travellers of his own cottage
where all appeared to be well.
One evening, as the sun was setting, the two men sat on the porch. The older man pulling on
a long pipe as was his custom in the evenings. ‘At last it is done’ he muttered almost to
himself. In answer to our hero's questioning glance he said more clearly – ‘I mean our task is
almost complete – tomorrow you will load the wagons and I will depart’. Used by now to not
questioning, but with a heavy heart, the younger man continued to sit there; and they
continued thus in silence till at last, by unspoken mutual agreement, they retired for the night.
The young man hardly slept, his mind in a state of confusion.
The following morning the old man led him through what our hero had come to think of as 'the
forbidden door'. To his amazement he saw, shining brightly in the light of the lamp the old
man held up, hordes upon hordes of gold and jewels beyond imagination. He diligently
began the task of loading the treasure on the many waiting wagons, barely completing the
task before the sun itself had begun turning a to a beautiful gold the whole scene.
With attendants and guards on each of the wagons the old man himself climbed aboard the
lead wagon. Our hero approached him at his beckoning. Manly as he was, our hero eyes
streamed tears and his heart seemed ready to burst.
‘You have fulfilled your part of the bargain,’ the old man said, ‘and now here are the
directions to the treasure you sought. He took out the map the younger man had brought to
him all those years ago and he wrote on it.
Our hero read it with astonishment for what was written on it – as you will no doubt have
guessed - was the address of the cottage that the young man had started out from on his
quest for treasure. His own home!
'Pull up the floorboards and you will find what you set out to find all those years ago.' The old
man spoke in muted tones for he was not unaffected by the moment.
‘Sir, I have found such a great treasure in your company already,’ sobbed our hero, ‘that my
gratitude makes my heart burst and I know not whether I am laughing or crying. Pray sir,
please indulge me by answering one question.' ‘You want to know why I did not tell you this
long ago’, interjected the old man in sonorous tones – ‘I will tell you. If I had told you when you
had first came you would have said you believed me, but you would not have really believed
me and you would have gone off continuing your search fruitlessly. If I had told you later on
you would have only partly believed me and been in danger of going home by a circuitous
route or being delayed by so many distractions. In the latter years you had become such a
part of me here that it would have been hard for you to have departed. Now not only have you
seen my treasure and me departing but you have committed yourself so whole-heartedly that
you will not hesitate to go directly home and find the treasure buried beneath your own
house. Now I am going to another country where my treasure will used to build a great
palace. One day I expect to see you there, with your own cartloads of treasure I will reserve a
plot for you near me.'
He took out a manuscript from one of his deep pockets. 'Here is how you will find me again.'
For a moment, through his tears, the scroll appeared to our hero as a great marble slab
engraved with burning gold. He blinked and it appeared again as a piece of paper.
As the wagons began to move off the old man paused, turned, and added, with a twinkle in
his eyes, ‘Besides, how would I have ever got all these wagons made without you?’
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