To celebrate the launch of Three Purses of Gold, the 5th book in the Financial Fairy Tales series, we are delighted to share a preview of chapter one.
Once upon a time in the Land of Argent, there lived a merchant called Reuben and his three daughters.
Reuben made his living by sailing to far off lands and bringing back exotic things to sell. His cargos included strange fruits that no-one had ever tasted, fragrant spices and exotic coloured gems.
He typically made two or three such trips a year and was busily preparing for his latest voyage. His daughters always begged to go along and this time was no exception.
The youngest, Poppy, was particularly persuasive, pleading with her father and offering lots of reasons why she should go with him.
Despite providing many examples of how useful she could be, this time, like always, her father held firm.
“No, my loves”, he explained, “it will be a long and hazardous journey. We may be at sea for weeks. It’s much safer for you to stay at home with your Grandmother”.
“But Grandma makes us do housework every day”, protested Rose the middle daughter.
“And she makes us go to bed before dark”, moaned Lily the eldest.
“Now, now girls, don’t complain. You will stay with Grandma and be good. She loves taking care of you”. Then, after a pause, he added,
“I’ll make you a deal. While I am away, whichever one of you wins my
challenge can come on the next trip”.
“Great!” Shouted all three girls together, “What’s the challenge? How do we win?”
As much as they loved each other, the sisters never missed an opportunity to be competitive.
“I will tell you all about it in the morning” said their father, “but now it’s time for bed.”
Reluctantly, and with a grumble and a groan, they each gave their father a kiss before going upstairs.
Reuben smiled proudly as he watched them go whilst thinking
what a lucky man he was.
The next morning over breakfast, the girls chatted excitedly about what the challenge might be and who was going to win.
Reuben began to explain the rules.
“I am going to give each of you a purse with twelve gold coins”, he
began.
The girls gasped; that was quite a lot of money.
“But”, their father said, raising his hand for quiet, “I will expect you to give it back upon I return. What you decide to do with it, is up to you. Any profit you make will be yours to keep. The winner will be the one who makes the most, and she will come on my next trip”.
With that, he produced three red velvet purses, each tied with a gold thread.
Reuben playfully weighed them in his hand before passing one to each of his daughters.
Later that day, they all embraced at the dockside before Reuben boarded his ship. The girls ran along the harbour wall to wave for as long as they could, before the wind caught the sales and the ship headed out to sea. Gradually getting smaller and smaller in the distance, until it became just a tiny speck on the horizon.
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