The Gold Mine – a fable on recognizing and walking one’s path

By the time Raeko was passing through the village, it was already sunset, and he decided to rest up for the night. He approached the innkeeper and said, “Hello, I am just passing through, I need some food and lodging, but I have no money; I can do work in exchange, though.”

The innkeeper eyed him sympathetically. “Sorry, young man, I don’t need any extra hands right now, but old man Holbart could probably help you out, he’s over there with the baker,” said the innkeeper, pointing to another modest establishment on the other side of the mud lane that was the main thoroughfare of the village.

Raeko stepped into the bakery and noticed that the tight spaces contained only two men, one of whom was relatively younger and covered in flour. Turning to the other one, he said, “Excuse me, sir, would you be Holbart? The innkeeper said you might be able to help me.”

“I am, indeed, young stranger, what can I do for you?”

The old man listened attentively as Raeko recounted his plight. “Oh, that’s not a problem, I have a spare mattress at my place, it’s not much but it’ll see you through the night, if you want?”

“That would be wonderful,” said Raeko, relieved.

As if reading his mind, Holbart held up his hand to prevent another word coming out of the younger man, “And we can sort out your repayment in the morning.”

Raeko smiled and nodded at the understanding. “Thank you for being so kind and helpful!” said Raeko.

“Yup, that’s what old man Holbart does!” said the baker, as he handed over a loaf of freshly baked bread.

“We’re just glad you are back in business!” said Holbart, chuckling as he grabbed the loaf and waved it in front of him.

During the twenty minutes’ walk back to Holbart’s cottage, Raeko felt comfortable enough to be telling his benefactor his own background and stories.

“So, you are a traveler,” said Holbart, summarizing in one word what he’d been listening to, over a bowl of soup and fresh bread.

“Well, basically, yes!” Raeko laughed out loud at how he was talking for so long, only for his piece to be summed up so elegantly.

“So, what is it that you do?” said Raeko.

“Well, you heard what our baker friend said earlier, right?”

“Only that you are kind and helpful,” said Raeko, embarrassed that he might have missed something.

“That’s basically what I do! I’ll tell you more in the morning!”

Raeko noticed how Holbart’s cottage looked even more modest and dilapidated in the daylight, but the mattress did see him through the night just fine and the bread was one of the finest he had ever had.

“He is one special baker, I have to say!” said Raeko, as he readied himself for some work as repayment for his host.

“He is talented indeed, that’s why I wanted to help him.”

“Helped him do what?” said Raeko, not quite making the connection.

“His oven had a broken door and he had no means to fix it, I gave him the money to have the repairs done, and that was the first loaf that came out of the revived bakery!”

“Oh, that’s why you said you are all glad he is back in business!” said Raeko, recalling the conversation from yesterday.

“You pay attention!” said the old man, warmly. “Let’s take a walk.”

Ten minutes later, the old man slowed and turned to his younger companion, “You’ve been quiet, something on your mind?”

Raeko dipped his head sheepishly, “I’m sorry, it’s a little sensitive. I’ve been wondering how you managed to find the money to help him, since it seems you can only just about look after yourself!”

“Oh, when I need money, I’ll just go get some gold from the gold mine, whatever I need, and exchange it for cash! I was just about to show you, we’re nearly there!”

“Okay, I see!” Raeko laughed out heartily, evidently amused by Holbart’s wit. He resumed the forest walk with his new friend, warming himself up for his day’s work.

They stopped again after another few minutes.

“Here we are, it’s just up there,” said Holbart, pointing to a cave opening halfway up the hill in front of them.

“What is just up there?” inquired Raeko, feeling again that he had missed something.

“The cave! With the gold! What I just told you back there!” said Holbart, simply and dispassionately.

“Oh, I see, that’s right!” said Raeko, eyeing Holbart more suspiciously now, but decided to play along, mostly out of respect for his older companion.

Raeko was surprised how well the old man could keep up with him on their hike up the hill, it was as if it was a regular route for him. Holbart took the lead when they reached the cave’s entrance, and no more than twenty steps into the crevice, he stopped, stretched out his arms and grinned, “Here we are, see that?”

The younger man stopped, then his jaw started dropping at the same rate his eyes were adjusting to the dark. He had seen raw, unprocessed gold nuggets once before and it was so striking, he would recognize it again anywhere, and that was what he was looking at right in front of him.

“What… What is this place?” Raeko stuttered.

“It’s a gold mine, what I said earlier!” said Holbart, incredulous at the young man’s question.

“You were not joking,” said Raeko, shakily, “when you said you just go pick gold and turn it into the cash you need.”

“No! Why would I joke about something like that?” said the old man, as he bent down and picked up a small piece, about the size of half his palm. He threw it up playfully and let it land in his hand again and said, “Dinner, for two!”

Seeing that the young traveler was still stunned by the experience, Holbart broke the silence while they were having dinner that night, “What’s on your mind, young friend?”

“Does everybody go there?” Raeko blurted out, his mind so full of questions and wonder.

“Nope.”

“Why tell me if no one else knows about it?”

“Oh! No!”

This time, it was Holbart who laughed heartily. “I’ve told everybody about it, they just don’t believe me, that’s all. It’s their choice.”

“Don’t you feel bad about that? Shouldn’t you be shouting about it harder?”

“Not really,” said Holbart, looking more earnest now and readjusting his posture to fit more snugly into the chair. “You can only present choices and opportunities to people, ultimately, they have to find and honour their own paths. I realized that mine is to help others discover theirs, and enable them with the resources necessary to fulfill their potential.”

“Why don’t you just give everybody loads of money then? That solves all their problems, right?”

“Young man, that is not quite how paths work,” Holbart said, while searching for a more helpful response.

“See our friend, Zack,” Holbart began, “I could have given him ten times what I gave and he would have been tempted to build himself a brand-new oven, but then, this would never have come out, not like this,” he continued, while holding up the other half of the loaf from the day before. “This has come from the oven he has been pouring his heart and soul into for the last two decades. Zack’s gift is not baking, it is bringing people and families together, and he does that by creating incredible pastries and bread. My gift is not about doling out money, it is understanding deeply what people really need, and giving them the right amount to enable it.”

“Why live so humbly? You could be in a castle!” said Raeko, throwing his hands up while rolling his head scanning the scantily decorated hut.

“Because this is all I really need, and I put in just the right amount to enable it. If I had more, then I’ll have more to think and worry about! Why would I want that?” Holbart shrugged, once again looking incredulous.

“Okay! I can do that, too! Why don’t I help myself to a sack of gold, then I can go help people!”

Holbart eyed his young friend forlornly, as if pining for a lost sheep. “My friend, you are a traveler, that is your path. Sense of freedom and ease of movement define you like this bread defines Zack. A sack of gold, whilst tempting, will simply weigh you down. With you, showing you the cave is how I’ve used my gift on you.”

“Fine, I understand now. Thank you, Holbart,” said Raeko, before retreating to his straw mattress for one more night, except he was anything but fine, or understanding.

There were two things missing from Holbart’s cottage by the following dawn, one empty wheat sack and one young man.

Raeko was on his way again. Passing through the village, he had gained over a hundred pounds in weight, mostly in the form of gold ore in a large wheat sack.

“What luck! I can have whatever I want from now on!” he mumbled to himself as he heaved the large bag over his shoulder.

Before the day was out, he started noticing several unfamiliar sensations; his calves were sore, his lower back felt tight and his arms were similarly aching.

It was another week before he reached the next locale for supplies and respite, on reflection, he calculated that the same journey would have taken him only three days, if not for the hefty sack.

This time, the only person he spoke with was the local physician. He dined alone in his private room in an inn which he could now afford, reminiscing on how he used to spar with and learn from the different people he met along the way.

Lying on his bed that night, he stared at the sack in the cupboard, startled by every little sound he heard, fearful that someone may be coming to steal it from him. At the same time, he found himself haunted by Holbart’s words: My friend, you are a traveler, that is your path. Sense of freedom and ease of movement define you… A sack of gold… will simply weigh you down.

The next morning, bleary-eyed from the turbulent night, he reached into the sack, pulled out just enough for a new pair of sandals and supplies until the next stop, placed them into his trusted little knapsack along with the physician’s ointment, and went on his way.

When the village fully awoke, they would find a weighty wheat sack abandoned outside the local orphanage.

Other Recent Fables

The Village Elder – a fable on "Facilitating Wisdom": 21 April HERE

The Acorn and the Baby - a fable on "Living an Authentic Life": 14 April HERE

The Unbearable Heaviness of Being – a fable on "Doing vs Being": 7 April HERE