The Dragon and the Slave
Long ago, on a tall mountain, lived one of the last of the wise dragons. Every day, this wise dragon would leave its cave and head down the mountain to a particular clearing about halfway down the mountain. There, people from around the land could come and ask the dragon questions, and she would give them her wisdom. From time-to-time people would even stay on the mountain and train as an apprentice of the wise dragon.
Near the tall mountain that the wise dragon lived on was a large city, in this city was a good and noble king, who often came to the dragon for counsel. He had asked many questions about slavery, as it was a common practice of the time.
Yet the king questioned the ethics of allowing it within his kingdom. After many long sessions with the wise dragon, the king decreed that no man shall be a slave because of race, gender, or religious beliefs.
Slaves were only to be made of those men and women who found themselves in debt to another, with no way of paying that debt. He also decided that a court of people, wise in the wisdom of numbers would hear each case and decide the length of time a person would have to be a slave to pay off their debts.
On this day, it was one of these slaves of the nearby city, that came with the crowds of inquisitors to ask the dragon a question. He approached the dragon slowly, with his head down, and spoke with a quiet voice, saying,
“Long I have been a slave, for I was foolish as a youth, and in a state of depression after my father’s death. I did gamble my inheritance at the dice tables, and when my purse was empty, I did go to the money lenders and raise a debt that could not be paid within my lifetime.”
Hearing no question, the dragon sat patiently for a moment, then asked,
“What advice do you seek, young man?”
The slave continued, “You see, I have met a young woman who I do wish to make my wife, but being a slave, her father will not have it.”
The wise dragon knew what the slave was asking, but also knew from her experience that it was important to have her guest clearly state their question so that they could be awakened by the answer she gave them. So, she asked again,
“I see, it is good to find love. But what is your question?”
The young slave continued, “I wish to know, with so much debt, how I can become a free man so that I may marry and then still provide for her.”
The wise dragon thought for a few moments while the slave stood quietly, waiting for a response. Then she spoke.
“I have a few questions before I advise you. First, how is it that you are here asking
me this question and not working for your master?”
The slave explained, “My master is not unfair and does let me go my way after I have done my daily tasks for him. As long as I return in the morning on time.”
The old wise dragon nodded at this and then asked another question. “What profession does your master, and you work at?
“My master owns the bakery, he has me work hard in the morning stoking the fires
and mixing the ingredients, that he uses to make the cakes and bread that he sells once the sun comes up and his shop opens.”
The dragon thought about this for a few moments, then finally spoke to the young
slave these words, “Your master does seem wise and does seem fair indeed. He too must know that he will not receive all the money that you owe him within your lifetime, right?”
The slave answered, “You are right, my master knows this fact. He does not hound me with it like other masters would.”
The dragon went on, saying, “Therefore, go to him and ask him, may you
take the cakes and breads that are not sold during the day on a tray and walk the streets as the sun sets. Tell your master you will try and sell them to the traders on the street.”
The dragon paused and then added. “Explain and ask him also, as you will be
working during your free time, could you keep one copper out of every silver you earn him in this way so that you may invest it in hopes of one day paying off your debt. Do you think your master would consider this idea?”
Now the young slave stood silent for a moment, contemplating what he thought his
master would say to this idea. Finally, after a moment he spoke. “My master is kind and does not beat me as other masters do to their slaves. He cares much about the coins he earns, so I do believe he would agree to this idea.”
The dragon smiled at this and added, “That is good then. Go to your master this
day and ask him, so, that you may start on your path to freedom right away, and in one cycle of the moon, return here and tell me of your success.”
The slave, now inspired with new hope, bowed to the dragon, and went hastily to the home of his master to enact the dragon’s plan.
One full moon later, the slave did return as asked to tell the dragon how things had progressed. He began by telling the dragon first about what his master had said about the idea. “My master was happy to see the want of freedom in my eyes again, and thought the idea was so sound that he agreed to give me two coppers for each silver I earned him after the shop had closed for the day. Saying that all he makes in a day that does not sell, he takes the next day to the slave trader. Selling it at one copper per pound, so any sales after the shop closes, but before the next dawn is a great profit to him.”
The dragon responded to this, saying, “This is great news, and in the last twenty-eight days how much have you made for yourself, by selling after the shop is closed?”
To this, the slave responded, “I had saved nine silvers and eight coppers, but as the money was mine and not my master’s. I did spend eight silvers to the jeweler for a bracelet with two small stones set in it, that I gave to the women I plan to marry when I am free.”
The dragon looked saddened at this and spoke softly to the slave. “If you spend your earnings instead of investing them, how will you ever become free?” She did not let him respond, instead told him to go and continue to earn for one moon, but
this time save or invest all his earnings and return to tell her where he was on the path to freedom the next time the moon was full.
Another moon came and went, and the slave returned as asked by the dragon and
spoke this, “Great dragon, I did as you have taught last when I was here, I did have one silver and eight copper coins, and within this moon, I have added to it ten silver and four copper. I have found that I can sell all my master’s baked goods in a day if I spend my night outside of the house of the ladies of the night. As their clients leave the establishment, they are truly hungry, and in a state of happiness.
The men spend their coin freely to fill their stomachs with the honey cakes and sweet treats my master makes.”
The dragon smiled and said, “You are wise to find a place where you may sell your product throughout the night. Tell me what you have done with your earnings?”
To this the slave smiled and said, “I listened, wise dragon, this time, and have
divided what I have earned in two piles five silver and two copper, which I have loaned to the shield maker. He is, as we speak, on a boat to the land of the east.
He plans to buy the fine rugs that they make there. When he returns, he will sell these rugs to the rug maker, and he plans to pay me three gold for my loan.
The dragon shook her head sadly and spoke. “You are young, I know, but why would you trust a shield maker to know how to buy rugs? What knowledge does he have of cloth and dyes? Your hard-earned money that you entrusted with the blacksmith is most likely now gone. Do not seek quick wealth, no matter how much you desire freedom faster. Money runs from those who chase it unwisely.”
The wise dragon then looked the slave in the eyes and said, “It is wiser to walk after wealth at a steady pace, so that it does not hear your footsteps approaching and run farther away.”
The dragon then went on to say, “Perhaps you will be lucky with this deal
with the shield maker, but it is not likely. Come back in next full moon, so I may hear more of your journey to freedom. Remember as you go, trust your money
with only people who are wise in the field, they are doing business in.”
The slave left the mountain hoping that the wise dragon was wrong. Again, one month passed, and the slave returned to tell of the last month’s progress. “Great dragon, your wisdom was true. The shield maker did return with rugs, but when he went to the rug makers to sell them, he found that the expensive rugs he bought
were made of common thread.”
The slave paused and the wise dragon could tell he was upset by what he had to say next. “Even worse, the dyes used were not the rare ones of the east, but common sugar beet juice that will run and fade after just a few washings. Thus, the rug maker would not buy them. And me being a slave, the shield maker has no intent to pay me back my loan. As he made no profit.”
The slave continued, “As a slave, I may not take him to the courts to demand my payment. Thus, my money was halved, as you said it would, but I did not let this stop me! I have continued to work long nights and take only one day off each week to fully rest. I have taken my five silver and two copper and added to it eight silver and six more copper. Bringing me to one gold, three silver, and eight copper coins. I plan to hold onto my money longer this time as I search for a safe way
to invest it.”
To this, the dragon smiled. “You are not only gaining coins each time I see you, but wisdom as well. You have learned to earn as well as save. You have learned not to give your money away on chances of quick wealth. Come to me not next moon, but instead wait for twelve moons.”
The elder took a step forward while saying this last part, to emphasize its importance. “As you now know, wealth takes time. Over this year, do not dismay.
If a man plans to walk a great distance, he will always make it as long as he does not stop walking.”
With that, the slave went back to town and labored hard for twelve moons. When he returned to the dragon, he was proud to say, “I am now a free man! When I left here last, I was a slave who sold my master’s works at night to those who would not dare come into his shop during the day. Men and women whose lives were spent awake during the night. When good folk sleep. I soon learned that the same way I gained my great debt could be my way out of debt.”
The once slave went on to say, “Each day, I took all that I earned and gave it to the money lender as a loan to him with the agreement that for every silver o mine he holds and lends to others will make me one copper each full moon, and every gold earns me one silver a moon. All I earned from my labor, I gave to him, and all he paid me, I too gave back to him to earn me more.”
After that, the now free man went on to say, “After eight moons of this, the money lender came to me and said that he could see I was a good earner and wise with money, thus, he offered to give me a loan equaling my debt as a slave
to pay my master for my freedom. Now I work for the baker instead of being
his slave, and he does pay me one silver a week, of which I must pay nine coppers to my loan to the money lender, but I am free.”
The man continued, “The best news is last month I did ask my love’s father again if I could have his daughter’s hand, and he did not say a slave will not marry my daughter. Instead, he told me to find myself a good home in which his daughter may raise children and be happy. Then he would consider my proposal.”
To this, the wise dragon did smile and said, “Much have you accomplished these
last twelve moons, more than I expected. But I am sorry to tell you, you are not free. You may no longer have the title of a slave, and you may no longer have the iron upon your limbs, but that is because it has moved to your purse. Let me ask you this, do you work any less than you did before as a slave?”
To this, the man answered, “No, if anything, I work harder now for the
baker than I did when he was my master, as the success or failure of his shop is now my success or failure as well.”
“That is true, you have learned much, and today I will teach you the last lesson I can about freedom. You were once a slave to the baker, then you became a slave to your debt. I trust that with the wisdom you have gained you will soon be free of that as well.”
The dragon paused for a moment, thinking of how best to word her final point to this once slave. “You were once physical slave now a financial slave but soon you will be a truly a free man. Remember as you go, you will only be truly free when your time is yours to do with what you want. Without fear. As your money is
doing the work needed to meet your needs and wants. In other words, we are all slaves to money until we become its master.”
THE END
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