Life is a long tale of joys and sorrows and mine has been particularly so. I have travelled widely. I have been in the custody of people of all types. Some were miserly and wanted to keep me imprisoned. Others were extravagant and did not attach any importance to me. Sometimes, I was lost through carelessness and I lay on the ground covered with dust and my bright face devoid of any charm. Now that I am an old coin lying in the chest on an antiquarian. I can recollect some of the most exciting adventures of my life. Here are a few of them.
It was a bright summer day when I was handed over to a young gentleman across the counter of a bank. The gentleman took me. He seemed to like me. Therefore he put me in his pocket and took me home. Everyone who saw me praised me for my bright looks. I was soon placed in the cash-box. It was a pleasure to be in the company of so many coins, some of them as bright and beautiful as I was. I had some very happy moments of my life here. We talked, laughed and jingled if anyone touched us. It was really a very happy company.
I hoped to end my life here but it was not to be. One dark night some thieves broke into the house. They broke open the cash-box, and kidnapped me. The thieves saw me. They were attracted by my bright looks. The leader of the gang took me and handed me over to his wife as a token of his love for her. The wife was delighted to see me but she was an extravagant lady. She took me to the market and gave me to a shopkeeper for a piece of fine cloth.
The Essay on One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
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Now I was in the strong box of the shopkeeper. The fellow seemed to be very rich. He had hundreds of coins in his box. So he did not care a fig for me. I felt very disconsolate here. I prayed to the Almighty to free me from this prison. What a drab company it was! My prayers were heard. The shopkeeper had to give me away for a bale of cloth.
Here, too, I did not stay long. I was now fond of adventures. One day I quietly slipped out of the pocket of the merchant and found myself rolling in the dust. I lay there for some days. One day it so happened that some boys came that way. One of the boys saw me. He picked me up. He cleaned my face. Once again I began to shine. The poor boy was very happy. He treated me kindly. He took me home. He showed me to his mother. The mother, too, was delighted. She was very poor. The next day, she took me out. She went to the market and exchanged me for the goods she bought.
My new master did not keep me long. I passed from one hand to the other. My old lustre vanished. Signs of old age appeared. The words inscribed on my body grew dim. No one liked to possess me. All this pained me. My heart ached. Life became a burden.
At last I found my way in the house of a rich businessman. He knew what I was worth. He kept me safely in his cash box. He knew that I was made of pure silver whereas my brothers of the younger generation were all made of a base metal. It seemed I was destined to pass the rest of my days with him.
Then something strange happened. I ceased to be a legal tender. My master also took me out. He sold me to coin collector. It was here with him that it seemed I would pass the rest of my life. I am now leading a quiet and contented life.
