Little Elias lives in a very beautiful house near the sea. Every morning he bikes to school and when he comes back, he spends his entire evening playing with his toys. He is the only kid in school who has two entire rooms full of toys.
However, they are not enough for him. He constantly asks his parents anything new he sees at the malls or on TV.
A Sunday evening, after finishing his homework, he started calling his mother: -Muuuuuuuuuuuuum, I saw an amazing game on TV and I want you and dad to buy it for me! I will dig and discover dinosaur skeletons! I will be a paleontologist! When are we going to get it?
Little Elias’ mother hesitated and said: -We will see, darling, when we find the time with dad, we will go and see it.
-But I want it now. I was a very conscientious student and my grades were excellent. Why don’t you buy it for me?
Don’t I deserve it?
-You deserve it, my love, but you already have so many toys left in your room that other kids would be jealous of.
-Yeah, yeah… right… you and dad don’t love me. You prefer to keep money for
Yourselves.
-My dear Elias, money doesn’t grow on the trees to find them continuously and to be able to buy anything you want.
The little boy imagined a tree full of paper money and it really seemed odd. So his mother tried to explain to him that people earn their money with their work. This is how it is: he goes to school, they go to work. But unfortunately, at this time, their family faces some financial difficulties and they can’t fulfill all his desires anymore. Elias was sad; he laid in bed and tried to sleep. He quickly fell into a deep dream that was about to change the behavior he had so far.
-Meow… meow…
Little Elias was in a green field. He looked around but there was nobody.
-Meow… meow… sounded again.
An orange cat was hiding in a paper box under a tree.
-I am trapped in this box. Help me… I am hungry… purr. . I need some fish.
-But where can I find fish in this field? asked Elias.
-All the fish are hidden in the box but in order for them to come to my little mouth you have to put some coins into this little hole.
-But I don’t have any money with me, said Elias disappointed.
-Do not worry… there are so many ways to find money. But are you ready to get tired in order to help me full my grumbling little belly?
-What do you mean by getting tired?
-If you want to make money, you and all people, have to struggle…
to work, to get tired and then you will get rewarded with the coins or paper money of euro as you know them.
-Really? asked Little Elias puzzled.
-Well … let’s think… do you know how to take care of trees or flowers?
-Yeeeees! said Elias enthusiastically. My grandpa takes me with him at his garden in the summer and shows me how to take care of vegetables, trees and some flowers that may have decayed.
-Well… The head of this field is uncle €uro.
We call him like that because he is old and he is the only one who has euros in his house. If you take care of these tired plants by cutting off the dry leaves and if you water the flowers, he will definitely reward you with coins. This way I will fill my little belly for today.
-It sounds easy!
Little Elias happily, started taking care of the field as well as possible.
A lot of hours of work and fatigue later, he found the house of uncle €uro. He explained to him what he had done and he got his first euros. He ran and put the coins into the little box and the little cat finally smiled!
-Thank you so much… Finally my little stomach is full. But I worry about tomorrow. How am I going to eat fish again?
-Mmmm… let me think, said Elias, who - for the first time in his life - was acting in a mature and rational way. You know little cat, there is something else my mum taught me and I can do very well…
-Tell me, tell me, said the little orange cat in anticipation.
-In the past, close to our house, there was a small grocery store. You could find the sweetest blackberries there. So, mum showed me how to make the most delicious tart with those. Unfortunately the little store has closed and we haven’t made that desert for years. But while I was taking care of the field I think I saw some blackberries. What if I pick them and make a giant tart and share it?
-Great idea Elias! I am curious to see how you are going to make it.
Elias, for the first time in his life, was feeling capable and that, no matter his tiredness, was worth it as long as he was taking care of someone in need. In two hours the tart had disappeared and Elias had collected enough euros to feed the cat for a long time.
-My dear little cat I can’t help you anymore… I am very tired… I will lay down under that tree, said the exhausted kid.
-As you wish Elias… take a rest and when you wake up we will see what else you can do to help me have my fish.
The dream of little Elias suddenly stopped. The sun was already up.
He put on his school uniform and he got down to the kitchen to have breakfast.
-Good morning mommy! I have to tell you something that I have been thinking.
-What is it honey?
-Do you remember that game with the dinosaurs that I was telling you about?
-Elias we have talked about this… When we have the time we will go with your dad to see it.
-This is what I wanted to tell you. You and dad don’t need to buy it for me. What I
want is that we go together and buy a money box.
-A money box? How did you come up with this idea darling?
-Well… Last night I had a dream and I realized something very important; money doesn’t come easy and in order to get what you need, you have to give effort and time. So, I want a money box to put my pocket money there. When it is full I will buy the game that I want so much and with the rest of the money I will either keep it for the future or I will offer it to a fund that needs it. I will stop asking you for things that do not make me truly happy but they fill up my room.
-My dear Elias… You make us proud. First thing tomorrow we will go to get you the money box you want. In fact I have seen one that you would like because it is divided into three parts;