Just outside Fairydwale, nestled among the oldest trees in the forest, lies “The Wanderer’s” Inn. It’s been there for as long as anyone can remember. And appears in the most ancient stories. The Wanderer’s Inn is well-known in Fairydwale, but might be more famous still far beyond the village. People from many different backgrounds have been finding a warm welcome here since the beginning of time. The food is great, and you’ll sleep like a baby. It’s not that big, though. The dining room features only a few tables, and there are just a handful of bedrooms under its thatched roof. But… it’s always busy. Especially during Fairydwale’s Village Fair in late autumn. In that period, the Inn is heaving with traveling salesmen, entertainers, and fortune seekers who meet over a hearty meal and a scrumptious jug of ale. This fairy tale is about one of those special encounters…
Long ago, a market trader arrived at the Inn in the early evening. He had put the goods he was going to sell at the Fairydwale fair the next morning in the stable, together with his horse. Tired from his journey, he collapsed at a table by the window. First, a good meal and a warm bed, he thought. The meal that the innkeeper served him shortly afterwards made his mouth water. A huge leg of pork and a large jug of ale. He grabbed his knife and was about to take the first bite when someone pulled up to the table.
Perturbed, the market trader looked up from his plate. A man was sitting in front of him. He was small in stature and wore dusty clothes. The lines on his face betrayed his advanced age. He took off his hat and placed it on the table. “Bon appétit” the man announced amiably. The merchant nodded and was about to begin his meal when the old man suddenly moved closer. “Forgive me, stranger, but may I ask you a question?” The merchant looked up again. “Eh, rather not… as you can see I’m eating.” The old man nodded. “I understand. I understand. But… if you’ll allow me to ask just one question, then I’ll be on my way.” The market trader sighed and leaned back. “One question?”
“One question.” The old man assured him.
“Well, go on then,” the merchant said.
The old man smiled and drew uncomfortably close. With his head above the steaming leg of pork on the plate, he spoke softly: “Tell me, do you believe in coincidence or do you believe in fate?”
The merchant looked at the man in surprise. Coincidence or fate? What kind of question was that? He noticed how the old man reacted to his surprise with pleasure. Coincidence or fate? He had no idea. And he really didn’t feel like playing this game at all. He was hungry and wanted to eat. Immediately! “I’m sorry,” he stated firmly, “I can’t answer that. Now if you’ll excuse me… I’d like to enjoy my meal.” The old man smiled. “I completely understand. Please excuse me. Enjoy your meal and have a pleasant evening.” He donned his hat and walked out of the Inn.
The next evening, the merchant returned from the Fairydwale Village Fair. He sat down contentedly at the same table by the window. The day had been good to him. He’d already sold many of his goods and decided to celebrate again tonight with a hearty meal. The innkeeper brought him a jug of ale, which he immediately put to his lips. With his eyes closed, he took a big gulp. Delicious! But when he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see that the same man from yesterday was standing in front of him. With a flourish, he removed his hat and sat down at the table. “Stranger, please forgive me,” he said, “but may I ask you a question?” The merchant put down his ale and laughed loudly: “Ha, whether I believe in coincidence or fate, right?” At this, the old man’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, indeed!” he spoke excitedly. “And?”
The merchant shrugged his shoulders. “My good sir, I have no idea. Coincidence or fate? What does it matter? I’ve never really thought about it before. But… why do YOU want to know that?” The old man smiled mysteriously. “Well, I can only answer that question once you’ve answered mine. So… think about it. I’d love to hear what you think.” The old man stood up, greeted the merchant politely, and walked outside. The merchant stared despairingly into his ale. Coincidence or fate? He still had no idea. But that old man really was making him curious.
The next evening, the merchant was sitting at the table by the window again. He regularly glanced at the door, as if he were waiting for the old man. And perhaps he really was. But he didn’t see the old man come in. Would he have just left it at that? He was a strange man, with a strange question. But suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder. The merchant turned around. Next to him stood… the old man! Where did HE suddenly come from? “Stranger, may I ask you a question?” The merchant pulled up a chair for the old man and motioned for him to sit down. “I’ve been thinking about it,” he said, “and if I have to choose, I choose to believe in fate.” The old man smiled. “Ah, indeed… fate,” he nodded, and began to smile broadly. “Well, then I have a proposal for you.” His eyes began to sparkle. “If you truly believe in fate, as you claim, then you believe that some things happen for a reason, don’t you?” The merchant nodded, but didn’t really understand what the old man meant. “Do you see?” the old man said, “If you truly dare to trust in fate, beautiful things can happen. I can even make you a rich man. But how deep does your belief in fate go?”
The merchant frowned. “Make me rich? And how are you going to do that?”
“By rewarding you for that belief, of course. After all, you show that you sincerely believe in fate.” The old man opened his hand and placed it on the table. “Let me put it this way. Is your faith worth 10 gold coins?”
The merchant looked at the open hand. Ten gold coins? That was pretty much all he had earned at the village fair so far. He looked at the old man inquiringly. “What’s in it for me?”
“These 10 gold coins,” the old man said softly, “will earn you 101 gold coins tomorrow.”
The merchant laughed heartily, but saw how the old man continued to look at him very seriously. It made him doubt himself. Ten gold coins that would yield 101 gold coins tomorrow? How was that even possible? And why would he give his money to this old man in the first place? Who knows, maybe he was a con artist who had done this before? He would probably never see him again, would he? And yet… He really was getting curious.
“Okay,” he said eventually, “you’ve convinced me.” He placed 10 shiny gold coins on the table. “But don’t deceive me, because I’m putting my trust in you.” The old man shook his head. “No. You don’t need to trust ME. You have to trust fate! Are you doing that?” The merchant looked at his ten gold coins and then back at the man. The old man seemed to mean it. The merchant nodded, whereupon the old man swept the gold coins off the table with one hand and stood up. “Good. See you tomorrow.” He said goodbye and walked out of the Inn. The merchant remained behind, feeling desperate. Wait a minute. Did he really do this? Ten gold coins! For what? Would he ever see the man again? And his money as well, of course? He thought about the old man’s words: “Believe in fate. Some things don’t just happen without a reason.”
But did anyone actually know what fate had in store? The merchant pondered. Perhaps it was his fate that he had just been terribly deceived!
With that thought in mind, he sat at the window again the following evening. The Dwaele Village Fair had ended, and he would continue his journey tomorrow. The merchant searched the dining room, but the old man was nowhere to be found. Exactly what he thought. He looked outside. But the old man wasn’t there either. It was getting later and later. The merchant sighed. How could he be so stupid? That old geezer just took me for a ride. And I can kiss that money goodbye. Ten gold coins! He laid his head in his hands and closed his eyes.
“Excuse me, may I bother you?” A voice spoke as if from nowhere. “I believe I’m looking for you.”
The merchant was startled. A young lady was standing in front of him. She looked at him inquiringly.
“I’m here to give you this.” She spoke somewhat nervously. “She rummaged in her bag and placed something on the table.
The merchant looked surprised at what was on the table in front of him. It was a coin pouch. He carefully opened it and examined its contents. His mouth fell open. There was a huge pile of gleaming gold coins. Maybe a hundred! The merchant breathed a sigh of relief. “Ha, he kept his word,” he exclaimed enthusiastically. “The old man kept his word!”
Opposite him, the young woman looked at him questioningly. “The old man?”
“Yes, the old man. The man who has been asking me for three days whether I believe in fate and to whom I entrusted 10 gold coins yesterday. If I believed in fate, I would get a hundred back today. And just look! I was so afraid that he had tricked me yesterday.”
The young lady looked questioningly at the merchant. “Excuse me. I’m not sure what you mean, but I’m here to give you this pouch on behalf of my grandfather.”
Upon this, the merchant took her hand. “Young lady, would you kindly thank him on my behalf?”
The look in the girl’s eyes changed. “Well… that’s not possible. My grandfather’s been dead for 20 years… As a little girl, I had to promise him on his deathbed that I would hand this pouch to the person sitting at this table, in this Inn, at this time tonight.”
She greeted him briefly, wrapped her cloak around herself, and walked away.
The merchant looked towards her hesitantly. What on earth had happened here? The coin pouch lay in front of him. He opened it and examined its precious contents. There lay 101 gold coins glistening in the candlelight. While he was trying to make sense of what had happened to him, he was fumbling with his fingers in the coin pouch. There, among the gold coins, he felt something. It looked like paper. He rummaged around in the pouch and took it out. It was a short note. He unfolded it and read the text.
Dear stranger,
Uncertainty and doubts
As mankind too are old
But he who upon fate shouts
Gains peace of mind and gold
And gold you may accrue
A hundred and one pieces
Since trusting fate choose you
Not chance and luck caprice
Wherever your feet may fall
In cities far and out of season
Believe and trust that above it all
Nothing ever happens… without reason
