ThE mAgIcAL CoAL rOcK

This is a very old story about a magical rock that was black in colour and looked like a piece of coal.

Long ago somewhere in a town called Patrical a man whose name was Rilly was digging in a coal mine to get some coal out for his iron with which he used to iron people’s clothes to earn money for his very poor living. This person used to dig a week’s worth of coal for his iron and from the mine and take it home.  Therefore he came there every week be it rain or sunshine.

Now, he had a cart standing outside the coal mine. He was coming and going outside and inside and filling the cart with coal whenever he got some good quality coal. He was carrying all the coal from the coal mine to the cart that was parked outside with his hands. Most of the coal rocks he was picking were quit big in size but few ones he picked were so small that ten of them could fit in his one hand. He never picked up small coal rocks for his iron but these rocks looked very good as a fuel so he thought of using them out for ironing. Now since these coal pieces were small he put them on the top of the coal pieces that were already on the cart and started pulling the cart and moved slowly until he and the cart reached home.

Now, at home his kids were eagerly waiting for him. When the kids saw their father they got excited and came near him and hugged him and started moving in circles around him. They cheered that their father now had returned from a long day’s work and that now he will spend time with them. Rilly got a little sad at that time and did not know what to give his kids out of love. So he checked his coal cart and saw a shiny piece of coal lying on the top of the cart. It was a bit dusty but he picked up the coal piece, rubbed the dust of it and gave it to his kids to play with it. Now the kids took it and started throwing it towards each other so as to play a game of “catch the rock”.

Rilly was watching the kids play game and suddenly while playing the small black coal rock fell from one his kids hand and along with the sound of falling coal rock a metallic sound was heard. When Rilly heard the metallic sound he suddenly saw that a shiny copper coin appeared where the small coal piece had dropped. Rilly was dumb struck at the sight of copper coin falling on the ground. He did not know what to think of. He thought that when that piece of coal rock hit the ground a copper coin popped up (which he was somewhat right about). So he tried throwing the coal rock on the floor again but this time nothing happened. He got a little confused. He did not understand what was going on so he threw the coal rock on the floor again, this time with a little more force. But nothing happened this time too.

But he was intrigued with what had happened so he took the coal piece and kept it in a safe place. He then went to his coal cart took out another piece of coal which was also small but not as shiny as the previous coal piece. Although it was not the same piece but it was good enough for his kids, as they just wanted to throw it towards each other and play with it.

That night Rilly could not sleep he kept on thinking about what had happened. He realized that the coal rock was something special because most of the coal rocks will break when thrown on the floor but this rock didn’t break and actually gave a copper coin on colliding to the floor but he was still thinking that why didn’t it pop a copper coin the next time when he threw it on the ground. He did not lose hope in that rock. The next day as soon as he woke up he took out the rock from the secret place and thought of throwing the rock on the ground again. Just after thinking, in a wink of a eye he threw it on the ground and suddenly another copper coin popped up. Rilly yelled “ yeah!”. Now he understood that when the rock was dropped it popped up a copper coin but it did only once a day. So he came to know the secret of the coal rock. He came to know how and when the coal rock produced a copper coin.

Rilly was excited from that day on because although one copper coin a day was not that much money but was enough for them to come out of poverty. So he thought of a better days ahead and quit his ironing job. A whole year passed and Rilly kept on throwing the coal rock on the ground everyday and getting a copper coin out of it for his livelihood and savings. By that time he had built a better house and had started to live a better life maybe not a lifestyle.

After a year had passed something strange happened. The coal rock stopped popping up copper coins no matter how many times he threw the rock on the floor in day and no matter how many days he waited to throw the coin on the floor. Rilly felt somewhat bad about it. So he took it near the mirror and looked at it with a scorn. When he was looking at it he saw that the rock had faded its lustre and looked very dull. He did not understand why this had happened then he realized that maybe lustre in the coal rock was the cause of production of coins. He then thought of making it shine with damp cloth. He went to the kitchen and dampened lower part of his shirt with water and came back. He then tried rubbing the rock with the damp cloth so as to make it shine. After rubbing it a lot with the cloth he then tried throwing it on the ground again but no coin popped up still. In a rage he threw the rock in the mirror. It broke the mirror but something else happened. A small face made of wood and fabric resembling that of Rilly popped up. This astonished Rilly once again because his face was replicated in from of a toy puppet. He was shocked and surprised but felt somewhat happy about that. He realized that instead of copper coins this  coal rock was yielding toys this time.

But he did not knew that if he had to break the mirror to produce toys or they just popped up by simply hitting the mirror. So he went to another mirror in the house removed it from the wall and took it to the carnival. Before entering carnival he had to buy a ticket to enter which although was a bit expensive but he still payed for it, trusting the coal rock.  When he entered he took out the mirror put a big bag below the mirror so that whatever pops up falls in the bag and nobody comes to know about it. He then went near a ferrous wheel placing the mirror in such a way so that the image of that ferrous wheel gets formed on the glass. He then first tried, only hitting the mirror with the coal without breaking it. As soon as he did that a small ferrous wheel popped up and fell into the bag. Rilly checked the toy that was formed and it was the most beautiful toy that he had ever seen. It was the most intricate and delicately made toy and was worth a fortune. Rilly wasted no time and went to all different types of rides in the carnival. He went to the roller coaster placed it in front of the mirror so that the image of roller coaster is formed. He then took out the coal rock from his pocket and then threw it on the mirror. A model of roller coaster with a cart moving on it got formed which looked exactly like the real roller coaster but small in size and then got dropped in the bag attached to the mirror. Then he went to all the rides, put their image in front of the mirror and got the toys made, which fell into the attached bag.

He then went home happily and showed the toys to his kids. The kids got excited and asked if these toys were meant for them. Rilly smiled at them at told them that he will got more toys for them but first he has to earn some money by selling those toys and then he will make more beautiful toys for them.

That night Rilly slept peacefully. The next day he went to the market and sold each toy for 1000 copper coins and there were 10 types of models/toys which enabled him to make a lot of money. The prize he earned was more than what he had made ever in his entire lifetime. He then went back home. He had bought expensive toys, chocolates, candies, clothes and food for his kids that day and also popped up the same toys which his kids wanted by going to the carnival again that day. When he reached home the kids were overjoyed to see him and they had a celebration that day.

From that day on they never remained poor or hungry and had a lifestyle of their own. During his lifetime he earned enough money to last for his generations to come and the coal rock never stopped popping up toys!