Treasure In My Hand

• Mohsin Fouladi, Grade 2, Bellfield College -
• Short Story
• 2018

Finalist in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition

Once there was a farmer who was very poor. He would grow wheat and sell them to shops. He would not earn more than 400 dollars every time. He was not happy and always wished to find treasure in his fields so that he could become rich instantly. He searched and searched and finally gave up and stopped growing any wheat thinking he can never become rich.
One day, on the way home, he met an old man who asked him why he looked so upset. His reply was that he wished he could find treasure in his field so that he could become rich. The old man said, "This time when you grow wheat, treat them like treasure. It will not be golden treasure but it will be green treasure. It will not be shinning but it will be fresh. It will not be in a box but it will be in safe pack." The farmer said, "I don’t understand what you mean, but I will do whatever you advise me." The old man said, "Simply go and sow the seeds once again, give them water on time and make sure no bugs or insects eat them. When they get ripe, place them in a safe pack and take them to the shop and tell them you have watered your wheat well and have saved them from all kind of bugs. I am sure you will find treasure then."
The farmer followed the instructions and after lots of care, he took the ripened wheat to shop. The shopkeeper looked at the wheat pack and said, "If you were wrong and any one of the wheat pack would be rotten, I would not buy, but if they are good quality, I would buy each pack for 100 dollars." The farmer waited for a while impatiently.
After a while, the shopkeeper looked amazed and said, "I have never seen such good quality wheat ever in my life. You took care of all of them so well."
The farmer was over joyed when he sold all his wheat packs. He earned a lot of money all at once. He told the good news to old man and said, "Your advice helped me become a rich man."
The old man said, "You can find treasure everywhere if you be patient and observe everything carefully."