The Tree of Money

Part 1 – The Seed

Long before skyscrapers scraped the clouds and money moved faster than thought, there was a quiet village named Kalden Hollow, nestled between emerald hills. The villagers lived simple lives — fishing in the silver-threaded river, farming the golden wheat, and trading goods in a dusty market square.

But one day, a wandering merchant arrived with a strange gift for an old farmer named Elias. It was a single seed, smooth as polished jade, heavy for its size.

“This seed,” the merchant whispered, “will grow into a tree whose leaves are coins and whose fruit is treasure. But beware — it will give you only what you ask for… and take something in return.”

Elias, poor and weathered by years of drought, planted the seed in his orchard. He thought nothing would happen. Yet by dawn, a slender green shoot had risen. By the third day, it stood taller than a man. By the seventh, its branches were heavy with shimmering golden leaves that clinked in the breeze like wind chimes made of fortune.

Part 2 – The First Harvest

At first, Elias treated the tree with reverence. He plucked a single golden leaf and traded it for enough food to last a month. The tree seemed pleased, its leaves glistening brighter in the sun.

Word spread quickly. Soon, neighbors came with empty baskets, offering to buy leaves or share in the miracle. Elias was generous. He gave coins to mend the school roof, to buy medicine for the sick, to feed the hungry.

The village blossomed. Streets were paved, wells were dug, and children laughed in new clothes. Elias thought the tree was a blessing beyond measure.

But then came the first sign of change. A leaf he plucked one morning was strangely dull, its gold pale and lifeless. That night, Elias dreamed of the merchant’s voice:

“It will give you what you ask for… and take something in return.”

Part 3 – The Price

Elias began to notice the cost. The more leaves he took, the more his orchard withered. His wheat fields grew patchy, the river fish scarce. It was as if the land itself was paying for the tree’s bounty.

But the villagers had grown dependent. They came daily, asking for more coins to fund new projects, buy luxuries, and settle debts. A blacksmith wanted gold to expand his shop. A clothmaker wanted enough to import silks from distant lands.

When Elias tried to refuse, they accused him of greed. “You have more than you need,” they cried. “Why keep it for yourself?”

Elias relented. The leaves fell faster. The roots spread deeper. And each time he plucked gold, the air grew a little colder, the soil a little poorer.

Part 4 – The Stranger’s Return

One autumn evening, the wandering merchant returned, older but no less mysterious.

“You’ve been busy,” he said, eyeing the golden branches.

Elias confronted him. “You never told me it would drain the land!”

The merchant’s gaze was steady. “I told you it would take something in return. Every coin pulled from the tree must come from somewhere. Wealth is never created… only moved.”

“Then tell me how to stop it,” Elias pleaded.

The merchant shrugged. “You can stop taking. But will your village let you?”

Part 5 – The Turning

By winter, the land around Kalden Hollow was dying. The golden tree still shone brilliantly, but the hills were bare, the river a trickle, and the wheat fields dust. Yet the villagers insisted on more.

One night, desperate, Elias refused them all. He locked his orchard gates.

That same night, someone broke in. By dawn, dozens of branches had been stripped bare. The coins were gone, the ground around the roots trampled. Elias fell to his knees and pressed his ear to the soil. Beneath, he swore he could hear the tree drinking, not water, but something colder — the lifeblood of the land itself.

Part 6 – The Final Bargain

Elias decided the only way to save Kalden Hollow was to remove the tree entirely. But when he tried to cut it down, his axe shattered against its trunk.

The merchant’s words echoed in his mind: It will give you only what you ask for…

Elias stood before the tree, wind cold against his face, and whispered, “I ask for you to die.”

The golden leaves trembled. One by one, they fell, ringing as they hit the frozen earth. The roots writhed beneath the soil. A final gust of wind tore through the orchard — and the tree collapsed into ash, scattering into the sky.

Part 7 – Aftermath

Spring came slowly. The land recovered in patches, the river swelling with snowmelt, green shoots pushing through the thaw. The villagers, without the tree’s endless gold, learned again to till the soil, mend their tools, and trade their work.

Elias rebuilt his farm the old way — with patience, sweat, and hope. He kept one single golden leaf in a wooden box, not as wealth, but as a reminder:

Some riches are too heavy to carry.