THE WINTER GARDEN
Long ago there lived an old man and an
old woman in a small cottage beside a lonely forest road. During the summer, travelers
would often stop by for directions or a drink of cool water from their well. The old woman
liked to bake pies for the travelers and the old man sometimes did a little cobbler work
if a traveler need his shoes repaired. And so they were able to earn a few gold coins from
their trade. They certainly didn't have much but they got by as best they could.
But in the winter, the old man and the old woman spent their time
quietly looking forward to the warmer days. And during this particular winter, the
vegetables from their small summer garden were feeble and few and not nearly enough to
sustain them till spring. It was a good thing no one traveled the forest road for the old
man and the old woman wouldn't have enough food to share with a visitor.
And then one cold evening they heard a knock on the door. When the old
man opened the door, he saw before him a very wealthy gentleman decked out in a warm
beautiful coat, fine boots and a cap of thick rabbit fur.
"You are welcomed to our humble home," the old man said,
bowing deeply.
"Do come in, do come in," the old woman said. "Stand
next to the fireplace and warm yourself, sir."
And so the man did.
He was rather odd in a way the old woman and the old man couldn't quite
place. His beard was frosted with snow and his face was pale white against the dark fur of
his coat and cap.
"Won't you dine with us?" the old woman asked. "We don't
have much but you are welcomed to share in our meal."
As the strange man dipped a crust of bread in the thin soup prepared by
the old woman, it was the old man who started thinking of a plan. He couldn't help but
notice the bags of gold coins tied securely about the man's waist. And he couldn't help
but notice that the man was getting sleepy.
It wasn't long before they all retired to bed. The old man and the old
woman gave up their bed for the guest and still the strange man said nothing. Sleeping on
a bench next to the fire, the old man waited until he was sure his guest was fast asleep.
Then he spoke softly to the old woman.
"Did you see those bags of gold coins?" he asked.
"Are you thinking of taking them?"
"Don't be silly. He would miss an entire bag. But several coins?
From each bag? He would never miss those."
"Well," the old woman said, "he is rather strange but we
have no right to those coins. That would be stealing."
"Leave it me," the old man said. "We need the money and
he has plenty."
As quiet as a stone in the path, the old man opened each bag and took
out several coins. He closed the bags exactly as he had found them and left no trace of
this thievery.
Now, the old woman was troubled. She lay in the dark thinking about
what had happened. She knew it wasn't right but there were so many coins, yet, it wasn't
their money. It was stealing. She was very troubled.
In the morning, everyone in the house awoke at the same time. The old
woman prepared a simple breakfast for the stranger and when all the food had been
consumed, the odd man buttoned up his warm, beautiful coat and opened the door. Outside,
the wind was blowing the snow in a thousand different directions and the weather seemed as
fierce as any the old man or the old woman had ever seen. They couldn't turn him out into
that storm. But if he stayed longer, the man might realize that he was missing some coins.
Finally the old man could take no more.
"See here," he said, "the weather is deadly out there.
You mustn't leave. It could certainly be your death if you went into that storm."
The traveler closed the door and sat at the table, placing his bags of
gold coins before him. Slowly he opened each bag and dumped out the money. He counted the
coins, one by one, while the old man trembled before him, afraid of what the stranger
would do when he realized some were missing.
After the last bag of coins was counted, the traveler looked up at the
old man. At long last he spoke.
"All the coins are here," he said slowly. "I was sure
you had taken some."
"Oh, no," the old man said. "I would never do
that."
"You are not telling me the truth," the stranger said.
"You are lying to me."
By now the old man was very scared. The storm outside the cottage was
roaring with new fury and it felt as if the entire house would be blown to pieces.
"But . . . but . . . but . . . all your coins are there,
sir," the old man said. "Did you not say so yourself?"
"I do not understand," the stranger said. He was coming even
stranger and even more mysterious himself with each passing moment. "But I have been
sent here to test you. Some of the travelers who stopped by your cottage have come away
with less than that they started with."
"Is that right?" the old woman asked the old man.
He looked at her with guilt in his eyes; guilt the stranger did not
notice.
"If I may," the old woman said. "We are just poor people
living the best we can in a small cottage at the edge of lonely forest road. We mean no
harm. As I'm sure you know, it has been a hard winter and we have very little to share.
But we did share with you."
"That you did," the stranger said. "That you did. And
because of that, I have been instructed to give you this."
The stranger pulled out a small pouch and dropped it on the table.
"Seeds," he said. "Magic seeds for planting a winter
garden. You had every chance to steal from me but yet all my coins are here. This is your
reward for being honest."
By now, the old man was beside himself with fear. The magic seeds for a
winter garden was exactly what they needed but what about the coins he took? What about
the gold coins that he had slipped from the bags as the stranger slept.
Just that quickly, the storm stopped and the sun came out. The snow was
still deep and cold, but it was passable now and the traveler was immediately up and out
the door.
As soon as he was out of sight, the old woman picked up the magic seeds
and dashed outside. She planted them in the frozen snow and moments later, stalks began
appearing in the winter garden.
By now, the old man was just catching up to her.
"I don't understand," he said. "I took the gold coins
but yet they were there in the morning."
His wife smiled at him as she stood in front of their winter garden.
"After you were asleep," she said, "I returned the coins
to the bags. I knew it was wrong and this amazing garden proves it. We shall set aside
some of the harvest for seeds and never again want for food during the winter."
And there was plenty of food at the small cottage, even during the
coldest months of the year. And the old man never again took anything that wasn't his.
The End |
