The Blind Man’s Money
A Weaver’s Journey
Long ago, there lived a weaver in a village. He crafted beautiful cloths and sold them for a profit. One day, he wove a lovely bedspread and set out to sell it, unaware of the adventure that awaited him.
The River Cry
His path led him alongside a swiftly flowing river. As he walked along the bank, he suddenly heard a shrill cry: “Help! The blind man’s money is being carried away by the flood.”
The weaver looked around but could’t see anyone in distress. Then he noticed a jar bobbing up and down in the waters. Without hesitation, he jumped into the river and retrieved the jar from the currents. Upon opening it, he discovered it was filled with gold and silver coins. Quickly, he sealed it again and prepared to continue on his way.
A Night’s Rest
As night descended, the weaver approached a lonely cottage and knocked on the door. An old woman answered and inquired what he wanted.
The weaver replied, “Mother, please let me stay for the night. If you have food, I would be grateful. I’ll pay you well.”
The old woman agreed, and the weaver rested there for the night. He showed her the jar and said, “Mother, keep this for me. It’s full of castor oil. I’ll take it when I leave in the morning.” With that, he settled down to sleep in the portico of the house.
An Unexpected Turn
However, the old woman had a daughter who had just returned home to give birth. That night, the daughter tossed and turned in pain, prompting the old woman to search for castor oil. Remembering her guest’s jar, she quickly opened it. Finding it filled with coins instead of oil, she removed all the coins, borrowed some castor oil from a neighbor, and filled the jar again.
The Shocking Discovery
In the morning, the weaver continued his journey. But rather than selling his cloth, he hurried home with the jar. After securely locking all the doors, he and his wife opened the jar, only to find it filled with castor oil instead of coins. The weaver shrieked in alarm and rushed to the old woman’s house to accuse her of theft.
The old woman, however, replied innocently that she knew nothing about it. “How could there be coins if there was castor oil in the jar?” she argued.
Facing the Magistrate
Frustrated, the weaver approached the magistrate, who observed the situation keenly. “Oh! Weaver, you claim the jar was full of gold coins. Where did these coins come from?” the magistrate inquired.
The weaver was at a loss for words, realizing the money never belonged to him in the first place.
A Lesson Learned
Noting the weaver’s hesitation, the magistrate declared, “It is clear that you are lying. This poor woman is half-crazy with grief because her newborn grandson is blind. Now, go away before I have you thrown in jail.”
Sorrowfully, the weaver returned home, pondering the fate of a blind man who had drowned in the river, leaving behind his money. Little did he know, the blind man had found new life in the old woman’s household, reclaiming his lost fortune in an unexpected twist of fate.