Week 9 Story: Golden Flames

(Wikimedia)

Steve and Jack had grown up together. They’d been next-door neighbors for their entire lives. Neither boy had any other siblings, so they banded together and treated each other like brothers. They played, they bickered, and occasionally their fights would become physical.

Steve was a very sweet-natured boy. He was naturally kind, compassionate, and generous. It was not an uncommon to see Steve helping Old Lady Burke carrying in her groceries, or comforting little Sally when she fell and skinned her knee. He cared about people and it showed.

Jack was not so sweet. Everyone knew that he’d been the one to hide Old Lady Burke’s cane, the fancy one that was a gift from her late husband. Everyone also knew that the reason Sally fell and skinned her knee was due to a well-timed trip from Jack.

Everyone knew, except for Steve. No one wanted to upset him, so no one told him the truth about Jack. Maybe they all believed that, with time, Jack would grow up and Steve’s goodness would rub off on him. Unfortunately, that was not how things worked out.

When the boys were sixteen, Steve became a hero. He had been walking home from a study session in the library. It was quite late, so the streets were quiet. He was passing the house at the end of the block, the one that had recently sold to that mysterious family, when he smelled smoke. Seeing flames licking up the side of the house, Steve rushed in to help. He ended up saving the entire family: dad, mom, and two kids.

Steve’s picture was in the paper, and everyone made much of his heroics. Jack was jealous, but pretended that it wasn’t a big deal. He was almost able to convince himself, but then the reward came. As it turned out, that mysterious family was mysterious for a reason.

The mom and dad came from families that were insanely wealthy, but who had wanted their kids to experience a normal life for a time. They believed it would give them perspective and teach them responsibility. So, the young family had moved into a middle class house on a non-descript street and tried to fit in. They had been getting better at it, until the night of the fateful fire.

As a reward for his bravery, and for the priceless gift of saving their loved ones, the wealthy families gave Steve a ridiculous amount of money. At first, Steve didn’t want to accept such an extravagant gift, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer. So, he decided to use his new fortune for good. He donated money to charities, created scholarships to help other kids go to college, and gave freely to anyone in need.

Jack was no longer able to pretend that his jealousy did not exist. He wanted the same kind of admiration, and believed that he deserved to be wealthy. Jack asked himself why Steve should be the one with all the money when all he did was give it away. So, he plotted and planned, determined to get his own reward.

Late one night, Jack started a fire. He thought that he’d leap in and save the day, but rarely do sinister plots go strictly to plan. Somehow, the only thing that burned was Jack. Perhaps he shouldn’t have worn so much polyester. Everyone said that Jack’s funeral was lovely, which was natural, since Steve spared no expense.  No one told Steve that he was the only one who grieved.

Author's Note: In the story, The Golden Squash, there are two old men. The first old man is very kind and hard working by nature. He saves a bird who thanks him with a seed that grows into a giant squash made out of gold. The second old man is somewhat greedy and desperately wants to be rich. Seeing the wealth that the first old man acquired, he purposely injures a bird so that he can heal it. He too is given a seed and another giant squash grows from it. However, it is a trap and he is killed. I chose to do a more modern story of two boys who grow up as friends, but are very different. Steve is kind and does things simply because they are right. Jack is greedy and selfish, and is willing to hurt others if it gets him what he wants. 

Bibliography: Tibetan Folk Tales by A.L. Shelton. Web source.