Storytelling Week 13: Marko the Miser

Author's Note: The Miser is about a man, Marko the Rich, who will go to great lengths to not pay back his copek. This story is about why he is so cheap, and how that made him rich. 

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There was once a very poor man named Marko. Marko had never had much. He was born into to a poor family which had perpetuated itself due to the lack of social mobility, support programs and wealth inequality. However, Marko was a very hard worker and one day desired to be at the top of the social ladder. Marko saved everything he had, and did not spend any money unnecessarily in case one day an opportunity for investment presented itself. 

One day, an opportunity did present itself, and Marko jumped at it. A man came up to him, offering him incredible wealth if he could complete this one task for him. The man wanted Marko to safely deliver a package in a town nearby. The road to that town was a favorite place for bandits, and the strange man and Marko both knew this. However, the potential wealth was enough to motivate Marko to attempt to deliver the package. 

So the next day, Marko awoke after a long nights rest, eager to make the journey. He got the package, it was small and very heavy, and set out down the road on foot. Time passed rather uneventfully, as Marko did not run into anyone. About halfway through his journey his luck ran out. A man in all black jumped out from behind a rock with a sword in hand. The man demanded that Marko drop the package and all other of his belongings. Marko had worked too hard to lose like this. In one swift move, Marko threw the package at the man, hitting him in the head and knocking him unconscious. Marko grabbed the sword and package, and began to run to the next town. He made it safely there since he was armed, and delivered the package. 

On the way back he took a different road to make sue that he did not run into the same bandit. Since he was now carrying a sword, bandits did not attempt to rob him as there would be easier prey coming along the road later. Marko made it home with no problems, and delivered the news to the strange man. The man seemed surprised that he had made it, however did give him the large reward he had promised. Marko then used his economic and financial intuition to invest the money and move his way up the social ladder to become Marko the Rich. 

What I imagine Marko to look like

Source: Wikimedia

Bibliography: This story is based off of The Miser from Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).