I do not know how many of you have read the Canterbury Tales, but I based this story off of a combination of a few of them. I kept the language easier to understand though. I threw some irony in here as well because if you had read my Prologue (which I may post depending on the response I get for this) then you would know that my character, Cain the Cardinal, is supposed to be all about God and church but is rather about money and material things. He tells this story saying that church is more important than money and material things. The big moral here is that money can't buy you happiness.
THE CARDINAL’S STORY
There once was a man who lived in a grandiose house and had a very refined lifestyle with his yacht and many fancy sports cars. But it didn’t end there. His model of a wife is the epitome of a trophy wife and she spent his money with ease. He was blinded by her looks and charm, so blinded in fact that he didn’t even realize how much she played him. It was obvious to everyone in the town what her game was, but this man simply didn’t get the memo. He may not have figured it out because he lived in an exclusive machine far away from everyone that knew the secret. He had no real friends and his family had given up on him. He was alone, living in isolation from the rest of humanity on a level no one could reach. That doesn’t mean that anyone wanted to reach it. maybe a better way of getting to his level would be to stoop to it.
Down off of the prestigious hill that the rich man lives on, there is a whole impoverished town that lived in what appeared to be a cloud of misery. It seemed as though everyone was gray and ghoulish. Although, if one was to inspect them closer, they would find out that they lived simple, harmonious lives in their joyous community. The everyday expenses were the least of their concern, for they had a strong faith in the Lord. They have figured out that God can get them through anything. He is with them through the ups, and He supports them through the downs. In the center of this seemingly despaired town, there is a stately, picturesque church. This church lights up the town, not only on Sunday, but everyday of the week. All the people in this town get incredibly excited for church. It’s like Christmas every Sunday. Who would have thought that these two completely opposite classes would clash one day? Well, that’s just what happened.
One day the rich man’s special water imports from Spain were back-ordered, so he then had to make his way into the gloomy town to buy some low class water. The rich man reached a old, wooden shack that was seen by the rest of the town as their general store. When he entered he saw a raggedy, old man working as the clerk. The clerk couldn’t have had a more honest smile on his face, and he couldn’t have had more than a penny in his pocket. The rich man looked at him with curiosity, for it had been so long since he saw someone who wasn’t wealthy. The clerk immediately recognized this man and stated greetings of pity towards the rich man. The man bought his water, payed with a large bill and told the clerk to keep the change to put towards renovations for his shack. The clerk said, “I seek not you money, but your time. If you chat with me, the water will be free. I know that money is no object for you nor is it for me. You have too much and still are not satisfied, and I have so little and can’t remember the last time I frowned. I believe the difference in our lives is faith.” The rich man looked at his with confusion and asked, “What makes you think I am sorrowful?” The clerk then proceeds to tell the man that his wife is unfaithful and is using him, that all the town believes him to be a heartless worm, and that he has never truly been happy no matter how successful he got. The rich man couldn’t respond to this. He couldn’t do anything other than face the truth and agree. He then questioned the clerk. He was unsure as to what could make him truly happy. The clerk answered saying that he needed to find his faith. The man obviously didn’t know how to do this, so he asked how. The clerk paused for a moment. He proceeded to invite him to worship on Sunday afternoon. The rich man accepted this simple offer and went home to his wife with the water.
When the rich man returned to his mansion, he told his wife about the clerk and his other experiences in town. Immediately his wife broke out in a panic. She realized that he had found out her secret. She, being afraid to be on the other end, divorced him before he could finish telling her his whole story. He wasn’t terribly upset because he was thinking the same.
On Sunday morning he put on his nicest suit and walked down to the church. When he arrived inside he saw the clerk and his family, and they invited him to sit with them. In the beginning of the service the preacher asked for any announcements or concerns. To the clerk’s surprise the rich man stood up. He then started speaking, “I have an announcement or perhaps more of a request.”
The preacher responded, “Go on, we’re all friends here.”
The man continued, “It has come to my attention that I am not a jolly soul, so here is my attempt to fix that. I realized just how cramped this church is. You fit your whole town into this little, musty room. I would like to donate my estate, my fortune, and my time to building you a bigger more appropriately sized church for all of you. I plan to transform my house into special place of worship and solitude. I will live in your charming town if you all will let me.” All at once the people in the church jumped with joy.
By @KylennR
