A Widow's Coin

A Widow’s Coin

By Heather Ann Martinez

Deep in the shrouds of evergreens and endless butterflies lay the castle of the kingdom of Care-A-Soul. The king had recently passed away leaving his son Edward the throne. Edward was not like his father. The king, Liam, had been a very humble man. King Liam valued the contributions of everyone in his kingdom. He knew his people did not have a lot of money or great wealth to spare. They were always generous with their earnings as was the king. He tried to instill in Prince Edward the value of everyone’s contribution to the kingdom, but Prince Edward wasn’t as humble or gentle as his father was. When Prince Edward was left the throne, a neighboring kingdom took over. King Josiah, King Liam’s older brother, decided he would be the better ruler of Care-A-Soul. Prince Edward liked his uncle and was the first to accept King Josiah as ruler of the land. Prince Edward didn’t feel he was ready to rule the kingdom. What he did not realize was that King Josiah was not a fair, humble king like his father. In fact, King Josiah was the opposite. He was greedy and he wanted everything.

Instead of allowing the people of Care-A-Soul to give a generous portion of their earning and their harvest to the king, King Josiah demanded more. He, in many ways, bled them dry. The people became oppressed by the new laws King Josiah set for them. Their crops began to wither and the people became hungry. King Josiah was not merciless if any one of his subjects was caught stealing grain or took an extra portion. The people that defied him disappeared in the night. No one ever heard from them again. Mothers feared for their children. Fathers guarded their families, but they were not strong enough to stand up to King Josiah. Prince Edward was aware that his people were suffering but felt helpless to do anything about it. His father’s former advisors would visit with him in secret and try to help him see reason. The prince was in denial that his uncle would demand so much of his people. He defended his uncle and reminded the former advisors that they were talking about the ruling king.

As time went on, the fertile land became more like a desert. The river beds began to dry up. The earth that had fed them was turning into a dust bowl. King Josiah’s soldiers had destroyed many of the homes and businesses of the people. The scent of ash and dust could be smelled for miles. Yet, King Josiah demanded more. He sent out his armies to conquer more kingdoms. As he absorbed more land, he took the majority of the wealth of that land for himself.

One day, a woman went to see the prince. She told Prince Edward about her mother.

“My mother went to see your father, King Liam, many years ago. There was a shortage of food at that time. She told your father she wanted to help, but she had lost her husband and all of her world possessions with the exception of one small coin. She sacrificed what she had left. Your father, tears in his eyes, took the coin. He told my mother he would only use it in the event of an emergency. He told her that coin became more valuable to him than all of the jewels and gold he had. My mother said your father saved the coin in a box so that it might be offered to anyone who oppresses the kingdom.”

The prince was stunned. He never heard about this widow or her coin. He looked at this woman who was kneeling before him. Tears were streaming down her face. He had not realized what his uncle had done to the people. He personally was not affected by the king’s laws. He did not believe the people when they told him what the king forced them to do. He didn’t know that people were disappearing in the middle of the night. The prince listened to the woman. He asked her to tell him everything about her mother that she could remember. Her mother passed away shortly after giving the king her coin. Prince Edward was so humbled by the woman’s words. He never expected anyone to tell him about his father’s conversation with a woman who gave him what she valued to help save the kingdom. Prince Edward had the box the coin had been kept in. His father warned him to keep a watchful eye over it. His father told him it was worth more to him than any other gold or silver piece in the kingdom.

Later that day, Prince Edward went to see King Josiah. King Josiah met him with open arms. The king was very happy to see the prince until the prince started talking about the problems the peasants were facing. The prince told him that it wasn’t just the peasants that were being oppressed but all of the people were facing unnecessary hardships. Hardships his father never would have allowed to happen. The king became enraged. He told the prince that the people were telling him lies because they didn’t like him. Prince Edward knew it was more than that. The prince stood up and went to the window. He told the king their kingdom was known for lush evergreens and butterflies. The evergreens were cut down to make more room for crops. The land was never allowed to settle and the next season the crops failed and more trees were removed and scarce crops were harvested and so on. The prince pointed to the barren land and said this was not what his father wanted for all of them. The prince asked the king where the missing people were. The king denied that anyone was missing. He told the prince that several people were relocated for their own protection.

King Josiah smiled. He asked the prince what he intended to do. The prince asked the king what it was that he most wanted in the world. The king said that what he most wanted and couldn’t find was what his brother King Liam had. King Liam told him there was a coin among his possessions that was more rare and valuable than any other coin he owned. The prince told the king he knew exactly what he was talking about, and he offered it to the king.

“If I give this coin to you Uncle, will you let my kingdom go. I will assume the throne and you and your armies can go home.”

“This coin that your father owned. Do you believe that it can really turn fortunes around? Are you so willing to give it up?”

“Like my father before me, I would do anything for my people. I would give up something so precious for them.”

The prince opened the box and gave the king the widow’s coin. The king marveled at it. He thought it was made out of a rare metal or mineral. He took the coin and left Prince Edward the kingdom. The prince grew in stature as a humble and wise king. He learned from the widow’s daughter that there are people willing to sacrifice of them selves for their neighbor. King Josiah never returned to Care-A-Soul. He feared his ignorance regarding the coin. He never found anyone in his kingdom who could tell him the coin was valuable. He never saw the beauty in what was in front of him.