Coins

The story of a coin

It was a summer night. I was in bed. It was so hot that I could not sleep. The moon was shining in the sky and it was not dark in my room.
On the table near my bed I could see a coin. I looked at the coin and began to think: 'Who had this coin before me? What life did it have?'
Suddenly the coin said: 'You want to know about my life? I can tell you about it.
I began my life in Africa. I was a piece of gold then. An African king gave me as a present to his prince.
One day many English soldiers came to Africa. They killed many people and my prince too, and took me away. They took me to England. In England I put on a new dress. It was a very pretty dress, with the face of the king of England on one side. In my beautiful new dress I began my new life. I saw many people, many towns and countries. I liked my life because I do not like to stay in one place for a long time.
One day a poor woman gave me to an old man. When she was giving me away, she was crying because her little boy was ill and I was the last coin which she had.
The old man took me to his house and put me into a box. In this box there were very many other coins. They were glad to see me because they wanted to hear about life in England and in other countries.
They said: 'For many years we have not gone out of the box and did not see anybody but the old man.'
Every night the old man took us out of the box and counted us. When he was counting us, he laughed and cried and sometimes kissed us.
One evening the old man did not come to count us. He did not come the next evening or the evening after next.
A week passed. Somebody came into the room and opened our box. It was a man. He was not old. The man looked at us and began to laught.
'Oh', said he, 'how much gold is here! Now, when my father is dead, I can do anything I want with it. I shall buy many beautiful clothes, good horses and many other things.'
He took some coins, closed the box and went away. The next day he came again and took some more coins. For a few months he was coming every day, and took more and more coins. I was the last coin which he took. He gave me to a man for a beautiful picture.
The man gave me to a worker. The worker gave me to his brother.
I went from one town to another, from one country to another country.
Once a woman gave me to her boy and ask him to buy some fruit.
In the street the boy put me into his pocket. There was a hole in his pocket and I fell out. I fell on the ground and got into a small hole, there I stayed in this hole for many months. Nobody saw me. At was you sir, found me and brought me to your house,' said the coin.
This is a story which the coin told me that hot summer night.

Joseph Addison