EARLIER this week, I met two lovely people in my local Scotmid as I was buying lunch for my teenage daughter. They are called Barbara and Jane (I hope I remember their names correctly) and were visiting the Pans.

It was one of those wonderful moments when you encounter people you don’t know, but you feel so privileged to meet. We spoke of common values and experiences, and I left the shop feeling rich as rich can be thanks to them.

So, this tale was inspired by meeting Barbara and Jane. . .

Once, there was a man called John who was desperately trying to find a job. His family were struggling to make ends meet and he was willing to do almost anything to make enough money.

And so one day he set off for the city to look for a job. He was walking, of course, for he had no money for bus fares. It was a cold early winter’s day and he came across a man sitting by a campfire.

“May I sit with you a while and warm my hands?” asked John.

“Of course,” said the man.

This other man wore very expensive clothes and had very nice-looking shoes. In contrast, John wore raggedy clothes, and his shoes leaked. The other man was obviously rich and John wondered why he was sitting by a campfire when it seemed he could afford a luxury hotel.

Then John noticed a clinking sound coming from a bag hanging from the rich man’s belt.

“What’s in your bag?” asked John.

The other man smiled and took the bag into his hands and opened it.

“Gold coins,” said the rich man, “lots of them. I’m rich beyond my wildest dreams. This bag fills up whenever I’ve spent the money. It never runs out of gold coins.”

“How did you find such a bag?” asked John, excitedly.

The rich man seemed reluctant to answer. But eventually he did.

“It was given to me and I can keep it until I don’t want it anymore and then can give it to someone else. So, looking at your poor clothes, I thought you might like to have it.”

John was taken aback. He thought this must be some kind of trick. Maybe the rich man would say he’d stolen it, or perhaps the bag of coins was stolen from someone else.

“Here, please take it,” pleaded the rich man, holding out the bag, “it’s yours if you want it, you will want for nothing, everything will be possible because it will never run out of gold coins. You will be rich beyond your wildest dreams; please take it, I don’t want it anymore.”

But John was suspicious. Why would this man want to give away such a treasure?

Then John had an idea.

“I will take the coins that are in there now, they will make such a difference to our lives. We will have everything we need then, it will be enough and we will be so thankful. But you can keep the bag, which will fill up again.”

But the rich man shook his head.

“No, it doesn’t work that way. I can’t give you the money. I didn’t tell you, but once you have possession of the bag, you can spend the money only on yourself. You can buy anything you want, anything, but only for yourself. So I can’t give you any money and, once I’ve handed the bag to someone else, I cannot have it back. But I don’t want it anymore. So please take it.”

“But… what’s the point if I can spend it only on myself?” asked John.

“What’s the point? You’ll be rich, you can have the best food and clothes, travel anywhere. You’ll have every possession you’ve ever wanted, you’ll want for nothing.”

John was tempted. He was really fed up not having much money. Life was so unfair and this bag would make it fair for him; more than fair.

He was just about to take the bag when a mother and daughter who were passing by heard the conversation. They suggested to John he ask the rich man if the bag had made him happy. And so he did.

The rich man didn’t answer with words but his face told the story. The truth was he may be rich beyond his wildest dreams, but he was miserable. Nothing in life had any value anymore, he couldn’t appreciate anything. He kept buying things for himself but they soon lost all value for him. The bag had made him so selfish and uncaring; he thought only about himself and his riches and power. He’d lost all the love in his life. He was rich but so poor at the same time.

“I’m sorry,” said John. “I don’t want it. I’m already as rich as rich can be.”

The rich man looked at John’s poor clothes and gave him an understanding nod.

“You are wiser than I was when I took this bag,” he said. Then he stood up and went his way, looking for someone else to give it to.

John thanked the mother and daughter and decided to go home. He was met with joyous hugs from his wife and children.

“Have you found your fortune?” asked his youngest.

“Aye, I have,” he said, “it was here all the time.”

“Are we rich now then?”

“Aye, we are,” said John, “but we still don’t have much money.”

His children weren’t sure what he meant, so he told them the story of what had happened.

“I’m glad those two people were passing and you didn’t take the bag, dad,” said his daughter, who gave him a big smile.

“Me too,” he said.

He still had to find a job. He still worried about money. The family still couldn’t afford things others could. Life still seemed unfair. They were still poor. Camping was all they could ever afford when on holiday.

But they were richer than the man with the bag of gold coins.