Painting

There was once a rich man who loved to collect rare and expensive paintings. His son whom he dearly loved played an important role in his life. Hoping to teach his son the art of buying and selling works of art, he quickly discovered that his son could even surpass the bargaining skills of the father. Father and son. Son and father. They were a team.
   One day, his son had to leave him to fight a war. "I'll be back when the war's over!" promised his son.
   The father continued to buy paintings, hoping to surprise his son when he'd return. But, something was missing. His son. It just wasn't the same without him. The war raged on for months, and the father counted each day, waiting and waiting for the arrival of his one and only son.
   Then one day, the war ended. The victorious soldiers were sent home. Coincidentally on Christmas Eve. Upon hearing the news, the father prepared a glorious banquet fit for a king and waited and waited and waited. The hours ticked by... Out of the darkness, a knock on the door stirred the father. Springing out of his chair and running toward the door, he opened it... only to find the face of an unfamiliar low-class soldier.
   "Sir, I was a good friend of your son... He... lost his life in the battlefield... I know this may not seem much... but I drew a painting of your son. I drew it as a thanks when he spared my life... Please, take it."
   The old man received the caricature with tears and took it to the fireplace. Above the fireplace hung the most beautiful and expensive paintings in the world worth millions and millions. He pushed them aside and in its place, hung the plain, crude caricature of his only son. He stared at it for hours on end. Soon, the old man would hear stories, stories about the noble deeds of his son, about the war...
   Several weeks later, he passed away. Since the old man had no heirs to receive his enormous art collection, an auction would be held to sell the paintings. People of the highest class came to buy the paintings of Leonardo, Picasso and other world-class artists. The first painting on auction was the caricature of his only son. No one wanted it. Time passed slowly, no one budged, everyone felt uncomfortable.

"Someone buy the painting!"
   "Let's move on!"
   "No," the auctioneer replied,"In his will it states, that this painting must be the first to be sold."
   Finally, a man stood up. He was an old servant, and a good friend of the son.
   " All I have are a few pounds, will that do?"
   Counting to three, the crude painting was then given to the old servant. But wait, what's this?
   "The auction is over!" announced the auctioneer, "For in the will, it states that whoever takes the painting of his son, takes his entire collection as well."