The Farmer's Tools

By Troy Morash

There once was a very generous farmer who worked really hard six days a week. On the seventh day he rested under his palm tree and drank fruit juice. He was a very wealthy person who kept himself clean and didn't spend his money on foolish whims. He wanted only what he needed, he did not need everything he wanted. He didn't really need to work anymore, at least not from the point of view of poor people. But he enjoyed a good day's work. The sweat that trickled down his back tickled him and made him laugh.

One day as he was sitting under his palm tree drinking fruit juice, he saw a group of people walking by on the hottest part of the road. They looked scorched. He called to one of the poor suffering people and asked what they were doing. The dirty person answered, 'We had to leave our village so now we are going to start another village a little further down the road, if you don't mind.'

'Of course not, please be my guest! I look forward to it.'

The farmer was pleased to hear that a village was being started not far from his farm. He would be able to do more trade and as well have a place to spend some time and perhaps make a few friends, since he was getting pretty lonely sitting up on top of his hill under a palm tree sipping fruit juice all the time. It would be splendid to play games and sing too.

Some time later, after the harvest, the farmer took his goods into the new village so he could make some money and perhaps a few new friends. When he arrived in the village he couldn't believe his eyes. Everyone was drunk or sleeping in the streets. The ones that were semi-conscious were mumbling to themselves about themselves and nothing more could be had from them. There were only a couple unfinished buildings standing and very little food to be found. Every time the farmer went back to the village it was the same thing. Everyone was either drunk or sleeping by the river. Soon all the people began to starve to death.

It did not take long for the villagers' suffering to reach the farmer's ears. Their wailing seemed to be all around him and being a kind farmer, he took pity on them and decided to help them. Having them die was of no benefit to him.

He went into town and dragged them into the center and told them about a gold mine not too far away. 'You can dig up all the gold you can carry and afterwards have nothing to worry about even after you all die.' He himself had had no time to dig it up and anyway he was rich enough.

'But we have no tools,' they complained. The farmer thought for sometime and then gave them his tools with a promise that when the villagers finished with them to pass the tools onto others so they too could dig for gold. The tools, he said were a gift but from whom he did not say as he didn't want to frighten the poor villagers. The villagers liked this arrangement and went away, right away to start to mine.

However when they arrived back in the village, they took a liking to the tools. The tools were the nicest, most beautiful, most practical, most logical tools they had ever seen. The tools were soft and light and inspiring. The villagers quickly understood how the farmer had become rich using them. The villagers polished the tools and started to worship them. Soon they decided to collect all the tools together and make a museum so everyone could see all of the magnificent tools together. It was enough for the poor villagers just to have these beautiful tools. Books were written, plays played and so not long after having the tools, they all forgot about the gold mine and what the tools were supposed to be used for. The villagers lived happily for a short time until they starved to death. As for the goldmine, it is still there with plenty of wealth waiting for you, if you want it.

P.S. Just after the last villager died, the farmer visited the village and distraught with what he saw, destroyed all those splendid tools. I wouldn't mind knowing though exactly whom he got the tools from in the first place.

It may sound like silly old gossip but I heard some incredibly deformed fairy sold them to him. The strange thing is though that if anyone looked upon this magical fairy their eyes would turn inside out and they would have to spend the rest of their lives looking at the inside of their brains. Silly I know, but it is what I heard.

Usually bed bugs Toronto are very hard to get rid of.