The Amulet of Infectious Desire

Quite some time ago there was a city, and in this city there lived a certain man. Now when I say certain I do not mean to imply he was any man in particular or some man of rare importance. Rather, he was a certain man made certainly important through certain events.1

He was a farmer; Though he was quite skilled, he never made more than enough and was quite content thereby. During those years of a particularly good yield of crops, the man would spend his leisure time wandering the trails of the nearby mountains. There were rumors of ancient treasures long since forgotten, buried by warrior kings of old. He never expected to find any such thing, but the idea always fancied him.2

It just so happened that one day he decided to challenge himself with a new path. He found this way to be far more difficult to traverse. The road wound to the left and to the right. Rocks jutted out, often times precariously. If one were not careful, he would surely slip and fall.3

The farmer was careful however, yet fall he did. He had made his way very high up when the ground beneath him gave way and soon he landed himself in a small cavern that shimmered and shone in certain light as if made of gold.4

There were chests bursting open with coins and jewels and other fair trinkets, enough weath to be the envy of kings.5

From behind him the farmer was sure he heard a voice. 6

Turning about he saw a figure wearing ornate clothing sitting in the dark corner of the earthen room. He approached the man, imploring him of his discovery.7

After recieving no answers he finally bent down to stare the man in the eyes. This proved to startle him altogether, for he had not been taking to a man at all, but a skeleton. The voice had been but a trick of his mind. 8

Pacing about the room, he disred to take a trinket back with him to have prove of his find, but knew not what to take. He bore no pockets and his sack was filled with food for the journey down. Perhaps a few coins could squeeze into it. It was then that an amulet, of no great size or shape, caught his attention. There around the man's neck sat the piece. This would be easy enough to carry for he would simply wear it as he made his way down the mountain. Then all the people would believe him and he would be rich. 9

As he relieved the skeleton of that fabulous object, he felt quite proud of himself and his discovery. 10

In time the man returned to the city and had convinced enough sturdy men to return with him to the spot to have the treasures borne away from their prison. 11

The man soon became the talk of the town for quite some time. For a time all things went well. He hired man to tend to his fields as he had once done, and finally, was able to enjoy life in a different way than ever before. 12

As he was polishing his amulet, for he had grown very fod of it, he noticed some markings on the back. They read as follows: " I shall grant your heart's desires."13

A silly notion, that a hunk of metal-no matter how beautifully designed- could ever grant a man his heart's desires.14

The man took to wandering the market places, often times buying small toys and trinkets for various friends he knew and distributing his wealth in a kindly fashion. One day he came across a peddler he had not seen before. The man was a seller of various kinds of birds. There, perched on the desk, was the most splendid bird the farmer had ever known. The feathers seemed to shimmer and shine and change colors with every passing breeze. 15

"Sir," spoke the farmer," this is truly a magnificent creature. i must have it."16

The bird seller shook his head and explained that this bird was rare indeed. It was the last of its kind and the man could not part with it, for he loved it deeply.17

Again the farmer pleaded, offering a rather large sum of money for it.18

And again the peddler refused, kindly.19

Desire gripped the farmer's heart, and he sought for a way to keep the bird for himself. 20

At long last he discovered that the man had been a thief many years ago and had since reformed his life. His reformation mattered little to the farmer. A thief was a thief and could not be trusted. No doubt he must have stolen the bird too! And so, the farmer convinced the local officials, not without some extra coin, to take the man into custody until the charges could be clear. In this way the farmer was able to purchase the bird from the peddler's brother, who was desperate for the money to free his brother.21

For some time the farmer loved the bird and he sang to it and took care of it morning, evening, and at night. 22

At long last, the bird, however, grew old and its feather turned grey and it no longer brought the man joy. 23

The bird passed on and the farmer became deeply saddened. To assuage his grief the farmer once more took to wandering the market place. One day the farmer came across a peddler he had never seen before, accustomed as he was to the market.24

This man sold various household objects and decorations, but there on the desk sat a most beautifully carved jade statue of an elephant.25

The farmer had never seen such craftsmanship. 26

He rubbed his amulet, thanking his good luck to have found such a piece as this. 27

"Sir, he spoke," never before have I seen such craftsmanship. I simply must have this statue."28

The man kindly refused, explaining that the statue was a family heirloom, passed on from generation to generation. He kept it wherever he went for good luck on his sales.29

The farmer went home sadder than ever, for the image was burned into his mind. He imagined its smooth touch, its gentle polish, it's wonderful design. In time the farmer discovered that the man was not married and could not pass the statue on to anyone, but he did have a sister, unmarried.30

Through various legal interactions the farmer eventually found himself married to the man's sister. He treated his wife fair enough and in time the man died and the statue became the farmer's.31

Once he had the statue however, he soon neglected all else, turning his every thoughts only to the beauty of the statue.32

After several years of disquieted marriage the wife grew angry and smashed the statue to the floor. 33

In rage and anger, the man divorced his wife and collected the pieces of the statue. Never again would such craftsmanship be found on earth. Thus the man lamented at his loss.34

His heart gew more troubled than ever. The amulet did not seem to be working quite right and this puzzled him greatly. He had obtained the desires of his heart but in time each were taken away. He began to have nightmares. The amulet seemed to goad him, that in time he would kill his first man. Nothing gave him pleasure anymore and the farmer feared the amulet, but wouldn't dare take it off. 35

Perhaps the market place would hold something that would surely relieve his troubled mind. And so the man took to wandering the market.36

Soon enough, he discovered a peddler he had not seen before. 37

There, tied to a leather cord, was a tiger cub. But this tiger was special, for its fur was of pure gold and its claws of silver. Such a thing can not be found alive anymore. 38

The instant he saw this glorious beast, desire gripped the man's heart. He pleaded and implored the seller for the tiger, and yet, despite the offers of large amounts of money, the man would not part with the tiger. He explained that he had found it locked away in a temple and had raised the creature as his own. He loved the tiger greatly, not for its fur or claws, but because it was his own. 39

At this the farmer became to threaten the man, offering all of his wealth for the tiger to no avail. The farmer was set away, angry and broken hearted.40

In grief he sat in his house and plotted to obtain the tiger. 41

That very night he snuck about to the peddler's home and found him sleeping.42

He felt his hands move up to enlocse around the man's throat. 43

As the farmer choked the man, his pleas reached the farmer's ears.44

"Don't kill me."45

The amulet's words nearly came true that night. In terror the man fled from the house. 46

The moment he arrived at his own home, he realized that his wealth had destroyed him. He was not the same man he once was. He had become a cruel miser. All of it, everything he owned, needed to return to its forsaken cavern. In haste the man roused all his servants and with great pains they took all his wealth back to the cavern to seal it away forever.47

He himself entered the cavern to place the amulet back on the skeleton's neck, but found the skeleton was gone. 48

He puzzled at this for some time. But the time was enough for his servants to begin fillig in the hole he came in from. They had grown angry with their master for his malicious greed and decided that he should be buried with his wealth to, for he was part of the curse.49

The farmer cried to his servants to free him, but his cries only buried him faster.50

Soon the last rays of light disappeared and the farmer found himself in utter darkness.51

And there he sat crying softly, realizing that indeed the words of the amulet had come true.