The Man Who Gave Everything

The Man Who Gave Everything is a story about a man who was rich but not happy and gave everything away.

[Published by IPCS on the 12th of Fellnight on the year 631]

## The Man Who Gave Everything

There was once a man who was rich in everything. Anything you could think of, he had it. Though he lacked one thing- he was rarely happy.

So the man went into town, thinking he would do the opposite of what he had done in the past, and give all of his things away, because, surely, this would make him happy.

The first man he came upon he asked, "What do you want?"

The poor man did not take long to think. "Food, for I am tired of being hungry."

So the rich man give this poor man all of his food, so he would never be hungry again.

The rich man, now a bit poorer, and a lot hungrier, had begun to feel his mouth lifting at the corners, and he had thought himself happy. So the rich man went on, looking for another person to help.

He came upon another man and asked, "What do you want?"

The man did not take long to think. "Money, for I am tired of being poor."

So the rich man gave the poor man all the money he had so the man would never be poor again, and, feeling his smile widen, thought himself happy.

So the rich man, now the poor man, went on and asked another man the same. "What do you want?"

The man, sitting on a street corner, living in a crate, did not take long to think. "A house, for I am tired of being without one."

So the poor man gave the homeless man his house, and all furniture included. Now the poor man had only the clothes on his back. Finding himself giving the world a toothy grin, he thought himself happy.

The poor man went on and asked another man the same. "What do you want?"

The man looked down at his dirty rags and did not take long to think of an answer. "New clothes, for I am tired of mine."

Without hesitating, the poor man take off his clothes and handed them off to the man in rags. He had nothing but his name now and thought himself happy.

Still, he thought he had things to give. So he continued through the town and asked the first man he saw "The first man, having no arms, did not take long to think. "New arms, for I am tired of living without them."

So the poor man and the armless man went to the doctor, and the poor man gave away his arms. The poor man smiled at the other man, and, seeing how happy the other man was with his arms, and, despite the pain, the poor man thought himself happy.

So the poor man continued on like this, asking everyone he could find what they wanted from him. He gave away his legs, then his hips, then his torso, until he was nothing but a head sitting at the edge of town.

Two men approached him one day, one without eyes. The eyeless one asked, "Are you the one giving away things?"

"Yes, I am." The smiling head replied from the ground. "What do you want?"

"New eyes, for I am tired of living without them."

So the head let the blind man's friend take out his eyes and give them away. Not being able to see did not bother him so much, for he knew the other man was happy, and so, he too was happy.

One day a crow hopped up to him. The head being ever generous to man and asked the beast alike, asked the bird what he wanted.

The bird cawed. "Your tongue, for I am hungry and that is all that's left of you."

So, the man thinking he was doing another bit that would make him happy, opened his mouth so the crow may take his tongue.

He sat at the edge of town, still smiling, for he thought he was happy. He had given everything but his name and no one even knew it in the first place.

Soon, it began to rain. The rain lasted for days. As the days passed, the man found that his smile was fading. So he thought to himself, for he could no longer speak,

"Perhaps I should not have given everything."

"I find myself missing my tongue and my eyes and my body and my hands and my legs and my house and my clothes..."

A faerie happened to be flitting by and heard his thoughts. The faerie spoke to him. "So you regret giving everything?"

The man thought as loud as he could, "I do. I want to be me again... this... did not make me happy."

"I will give you another chance then, but, you have to live your life in a way you hadn't lived before. That's the catch."

The man, knowing that the key to happiness lay in not taking long to think, agreed.

Soon, he was whole again, to no expense of those that had taken from him, and he made his way back home. He thought and thought on how he could live differently, and decided, that instead of taking everything and then giving everything, he would hold onto some, and give a little.

He found that living this way, he was truly happy.