Cash Flow

A wealthy merchant spent most of his life amassing great estates and property. He worked hard and wisely, gradually increasing his holdings, until he earned a reputation as the most successful man in his country. One day, he looked at all his hard-won assets and decided it was time to see the rest of the world. And so, off he went on a journey to distant lands. Everywhere he traveled, his fame seemed to precede him and he was treated like royalty. Until one day, he was caught in a vicious storm, thousands of miles from home. His carriage threw a wheel and cascaded off the road into an adjacent river. His fine luggage and everything but the coat on his back was washed away. Soaked and tattered, he pulled himself to the banks of the river and began a cold, miserable trudge to the nearest farmhouse.

As luck would have it, a meager stone inn beckoned cheerfully in the night. It was a small structure in the poorest part of the country, but the merchant needed warmth more than elegance, so he stumbled inside. Even as he shivered, he tried to avoid the eyes of the common laborers gossiping by the fire. He found it hard to look at their thin, frail forms, and the hunger hollowing their cheeks. Quickly he sought out the innkeeper and explained his misfortune. The storm, the carriage, the loss of his luggage and traveling possessions. All he needed was a good thick steak and a roaring fire to warm his bones.

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