The Little Coin's Big Journey

Synopsis

In the bustling ancient city of Oakhaven, where cobblestone streets echoed with the sounds of merchants and the scent of baking bread, lived a young boy named Elara. Elara was known for his sharp mind and even sharper scissors, which he used to trim the edges of coins that came his way. He believed that by making each coin a little bit lighter, he was helping everyone in the city. He'd often trade these slightly lighter coins for more goods, convinced he was a clever businessman. His grandmother, a wise woman who remembered tales from faraway lands, would often watch him, a gentle smile on her face, as she told stories of how wealth and prosperity grew when fairness and honesty guided every transaction. One day, a peculiar situation arose. A group of travelers from a distant land arrived, eager to trade their rare spices and shimmering silks. They were willing to pay a fair price, but Elara, seeing an opportunity, decided to offer them a loan using his carefully 'trimmed' coins. He charged them a hefty interest, far more than the coins were truly worth, and in return, he took a piece of their valuable land as collateral. The travelers, unfamiliar with Oakhaven's ways and desperate to return home, agreed. As the days turned into weeks, Elara's wealth grew, but so did a strange emptiness in his heart. The children of the travelers, who once played joyfully in the Oakhaven square, now looked with sad eyes, missing their homeland. Elara began to wonder if the true value of a coin, or of anything, wasn't just in its weight, but in the happiness and fairness it brought to everyone.