Once upon a time there was a foolish young man. The man had always been very foolish, but he was a very happy person. He had very few friends, but the friends that he did have were very nice to him and never took advantage of him and made sure no one would either. One day he decided to go on a long journey. On the first day he started walking he met a young hiker. The hiker saw the man was very foolish. He was also very hungry.
"Hello," Said the young man.
"Oh kind sir, could you please help me," said the hiker. "I am on my way home and I was supposed to get some food, but you see sir my family has no money. My poor kids haven't eaten anything for days and they won't be able to eat again tonight. Could you please spare me some food?" The hiker lied.
"Oh of course!" said the young man and he gave the man his food. "I hope better fortune comes to you and your family."
As the young man walked off the hiker snickered, "What a very foolish man!" and eat his food as he walked along.
The young man prayed for the hiker and his family asking God if he would give them better fortune.
The next day the man ran into a young lady and her daughter. They saw that the young man was very foolish.
The lady whispered to her daughter, "Surely this man is very foolish. Act like you are sick so we can bring some good money home tonight."
The daughter immediately acted sick, so when the man came to them he thought she was very sick.
"Oh kind sir, my daughter is very sick, but I have no money to buy medicine for her. Could you please spare us some money?" the young lady lied.
The young man saw the girl and gave the mother his money saying, "Of course you can. I am terribly sorry about your daughter. I hope she gets well soon."
When the young man had left the girl said to her mother, "Mother the man was indeed very foolish."
"He was indeed very foolish daughter. We can now get some of those things we have been wanting." Said the lady and they laughed together at the young man.
The young man was very worried about the girl, so he prayed to God that she would get better. He was getting very hungry and tired but he did not have any money to buy food or a place to spend the night. He was happy that he had given them away to those who had needed it.
The third day of his trip he came across an old lady. It was a cold day and he had a fairly new, but very nice jacket. The old lady saw that the man was very foolish.
When the man came close enough for him to hear the old lady asked him, "Oh kind sir, it is a very cold day and I have no jacket. Could you possibly spare an old lady like me your jacket?"
"Oh of course," said the young man and he gave the old lady his jacket. "I hope my jacket keeps you warm."
When the young man had left the old lady got off the stump she had been sitting on and went a little ways away to a warm little cottage. When she was inside she went and told her husband about the foolish young man and gave him the new jacket. They both laughed at the young man.
The young man was worrying about the old lady and Prayed to God for her safe keeping. He was also really starting to get cold. He was glad that he had given to her though.
The next day was not as cold as the other. This day he came across a town. He also came across a small child. The child, as young as he was, saw the young man was very foolish.
When the man came up to him he lied, "Oh kind sir could please spare me your pack and shirt. My mother doesn't come around much so I have to take care of my little sister. I really need something to carry her in and rap her in." The little boy pointed to his little sister, who was very tiny, asleep by him.
The young man was very moved by the little boy and his even smaller sister.
"Of course young one, you are very strong and kind to take care of your little sister like that," said the young man giving the little boy his pack and shirt.
When the young man had left the little boy woke up his sister and showed her what he had gotten. His mother walked up not long after. The little boy told his mother about the foolish man and what he had done. He showed his mother what he had gotten.
The mother said to her children, "This is a very nice shirt and pack. You have done very well. The man must have been very foolish."
"He was indeed mother!" said the little boy gleefully.
The young man felt very bad for the two little ones. He prayed to God that they would be safe and have better fortune. He now was very cold, hungry, and tired. He was glad of what he had done though. He had helped the people who needed it.
He passed through the town and back into the woods. He walked for many more months. He was so tired now that he did not know if he could go much farther. He was glad though that he had nothing left to carry for he had given all his possessions away.
He found a tree and sat down leaning up against it. He had grown very sick in these last few months. He told himself that he was only going to sit for a few moments, but in about a minute he was fast asleep. He slept for many hours. When he woke an old man was walking towards him. The old man could tell that the young man was very foolish. He acted like he was blind using his cane like a seeing stick.
The foolish man was easily convinced that the old man was blind for he was very foolish. He called to the old man.
"Who is there?" the old man said.
"It is just a young, sick traveler." the young man said.
The old man acted like he was going towards the young mans voice.
"Kind sir, this old man doesn't have many more days left in him. Could you please give me your youth and your sight for this old man did not use his old life like he wanted." the old man said.
"Of course, I have lived out my dream. I don't have any possessions left, and you have possessions and a family." said the young man.
The old man reached out and took the young mans sight and youth. The old man turned young while the young man turned old. His sight went black and a black veil covered his eyes.
The now young man reached down and opened the now old mans hands. He put a piece of paper in them.
"Here is a gift for you." said the young man.
The old man raised his head up to the younger man. Tears welled up in his now sightless eyes.
"Thank you so much. No one has ever given me anything before. This means the world to me." said the old man hugging the piece of paper to his chest.
The young man said, "Your Welcome."
The young man the left the sightless old man. He snickered to himself about the foolish man. He had gotten his youth back.
The old man still sat against the tree. He hugged the slip of paper up to his chest and fell into a never ending dream. He couldn't even read what was on the slip. The paper that meant so much to him and was his only possession said
"FOOLISH"