Week 11 Story: A Diamond in the Rough

In a little town, there was a family that was known for their wealth. This family accumulated their wealth by the grandfather gambling. He was a "go big or go home" kind of guy. From his first win, he acquired a diamond. He kept the diamond in a glass container in his room. He did nothing with it but simply admire it. After his first win, he was on a winning streak. The grandfather continued on accumulating riches, but one day he lost it all. His family became dirt poor, and tragedy struck his family. His daughter and his son-in-law passed away from a car accident leaving their daughter in his care. Soon after, the grandfather also passed from grief and old age. The grandmother and little girl were left on the streets with only a sack of their belongings. 

There were two merchants who would go into town to sell their items. One of the merchant was a greedy con-man. The other merchant loved trading items of value for he was a collector. The bad merchant was the first to encounter the grandmother and the little girl. The little girl desired some food and beautiful clothes from the merchant. The grandmother was worried because she had nothing to offer, but she did not want to disappoint the little girl. The grandmother opened up her only sack of belongings and pulled out some clothing, matches, beads, and a dirty rock. The dirty rock immediately caught the merchant's eye. You see, he was an expert at conning people. To do that you needed to have a keen eye. The merchant could see the potential. He knew this was a real diamond. However, he could tell the grandmother did not know the value of this diamond because she asked for just for some food and beautiful clothes in return. The bad merchant threw the diamond on the floor to make it seem like the diamond have no value. The bad merchant said it was worthless and left. He did this in hopes of getting the diamond for free. 

The next day the good merchant encountered the grandmother and little girl. The grandmother offered the same things: some clothing, matches, beads, and a dirty rock to the merchant. She apologized that she did not have anything of value and begged for she did not want to disappoint the little girl again. The man told her there was no need to beg for the diamond for what she had in her possession was worth everything he had. The grandmother was in shock when she discovered the dirty rock was not just a dirty rock but a diamond! The grandmother and little girl went away with happy hearts. 

The same day the bad merchant returned trying the get the diamond for free. When he found out that the grandmother had already sold it to another merchant, he was devastated because he knew the diamond was worth a fortune. His greed got the best of him. As for the grandmother and the little girl, they were able to live comfortable for the rest of their lives. They did not gamble, and spent their money wisely. 

(Picture of merchant, grandmother, and little girl Clipart)

Author's Note: This story is my version of  The Merchant of Seri by Ellen C. Babbitt. This story was about a poor family consisting of a little girl and her grandmother. Their family was once rich, but they lost it all. From the past riches, the grandmother still had a golden bowl. However, she did not know the value. There were two merchants who would go into town to sell their goods. One of the merchants was greedy. When the grandmother and the little girl approached the greedy merchant, they offered the golden bowl to him for exchange for anything, the merchant caught on that they did not know the value of the bowl. The merchant threw the bowl to the ground and said it was worthless. He did this because he was planning on getting the golden bowl for dirt cheap. Then, he left. Another merchant came, but this one was kind. When the grandma attempted to trade her golden bowl again, this merchant was more receptive. He told them the value of this bowl and offered everything he had with him. All he asked for in return was eight pennies so he could pay his boat fare. The greedy merchant returned and tried to get the bowl. When he found that the bowl was already sold, he was devastated. He lost a fortune because of his greed. In my version of the story, I changed the golden bowl to a diamond because it makes more sense to me that the diamond would be mistaken for no value because it is technically a rock! I also explained how the grandmother and little girl had money and how they lost their money.