avarice
[av-er-is]
1.
insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.
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“Now, which will you choose?” The hag said.
Her
withered hand passed over the three balls.
Her wrinkled face curled into a smile filled with yellow teeth.
Bruce
looked at the offered treasures. Each
offered a world of possibilities. Each
could change his life in an instant. One
offered fame, another wealth, and the third would bring power. How could he choose just one of them? He wanted all three. There had to be a way to get all of
them. There just had to be. But how?
An idea
struck him. Could it be so simple? Could the old Aesop’s Fable apply here?
“I
choose none of them.” He answered. “For
none of them are rightfully mine, and so I am underserving of their gifts.”
He
forced himself to keep a straight face.
A look as hard and unyielding as a wall.
Yet his mind was praising his brilliance. With that answer, he was sure to be rewarded
for his humility.
“Oh?”
The hag said. “Are you sure? Do you not covet the powers of these
treasures?”
So, she
would not yield immediately, would she?
He could keep the game going for as long as he needed to in order to get
his treasures.
“No,
Great Elder, I do not, for with each comes far too much difficulty. With fame comes a lack of privacy, as those
who are famous are always seen, even when they don’t want to be. With wealth comes isolation. Those who are wealthy can buy many things,
but not companions or friends. People
might cling to them with the hopes of feeding off the scraps of the rich, but
that is not true friendship. And with
power comes responsibility. One must use
his power for others, or else be called an evil, selfish man, and so become
shunned by others. I do not want any of
that.”
That
answer was sure to win over the hag.
Although, in hindsight, his plan could end up backfiring. Maybe she would take him literally and
deprive him of his prize. No. No she would not do that. This was a test. If he took just one so easily, he would be
punished. If he denied all three, he
would be rewarded with all of them. That
was how these things worked in all the stories.
He was sure of it.
“Ah, I
see you are wise.” The hag said with a cackle.
“But I wonder if you truly mean that.”
“Of
course I do.”
The hag’s
sallow eyes looked at him. Bruce was
sinking. He was falling and
sinking. He turned inside out and upside
down and every other way he could be turned.
And then all was normal.
“I see.”
The hag said. Her smile grew even
wider. “In that case, you are quite
worthy of these gifts.”
Jackpot. He had them.
He resisted the urge to grab the balls right away. He had to play it cool. If he grabbed them too quickly, she might
change her mind and take them. He needed
to refuse them.
“As flattered
as I am, I must still—“
“Oh,
but I insist. For it is the one who
knows not to use the gifts that is the best one to use them.”
Bruce
paused. He acted like he was considering
her words. He needed to think. Or at least pretend to.
“I…understand.”
He said quietly. “In that case, I will
humbly accept these items.”
He
slowly took the three balls and pocketed them carefully, slowly. He wanted this show to last as long as he
could.
“I hope
you enjoy yourself.” The hag said as he left the old woman’s shack.
The
last thing he heard of her was the hag’s cackling laughter.
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Not sure whether I would take the balls or not. Would anyone else I wonder? Or would you be able to resist the tempation?
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