TWO WISHES

Let me answer your question about the collapse of our capitalistic society, with a story. It's a story about a Frisian nobleman, who had participated in one of the many battles and raids, which worn down the lands. His lord had lost the battle and maybe his life. Our hero had lost his harness, sword and horse. Barely dressed he ran home.

An icy wind chilled him to the bone and continuous rainfall blocked his sight and path. But he knew his way. Back home, which was nothing more than a fortified wooden farm, but which he called a “state”, a castle. The terrain was muddy, wooded and small streams were meandering down the fields. While he was running, he thought about the lost battle and about the senseless of it all. The 7 Frisian homelands had shrunken and what remained was a battlefield, with no solution in sight. It was mainly a struggle between tradition and innovation. But it was a bitter one and it had divided families and friends. His “boss”, the local warlord, fought for liberty and independence so to say, the opponents fought for emancipation through economic development. So far so good.

Our hero was running home and he was making good process. A small stream would not halt him and he was on the edge of jumping over it, when he heard a voice: “Stop, please stop”. Our poor wet knight halted and after clearing his eyes, he saw a small gnome, standing on the other side. He had heard stories about them, but had never seen one before. He walked through the water to the other side, where the creature was standing. He, it was definitively male, was about 45 centimeters tall, dressed in a brown robe, wore a cap and a long grayish beard. With a cracking, almost feminine voice the gnome thanked him. As a reward he said, the knight may do two wishes, which he would fulfill. The exhausted knight thought for a while and said: “I wish me a golden cup, which will always be filled with excellent beer!” Immediately after he had uttered these words a golden cup, was floating before him in the rain and it was filled with beer. Our hero looked around, but this mysterious being was gone. He did not hesitate and he ran further, home, to try out his gift.

Two weeks later our knight sat in his kitchen. He had a headache. The golden cup was a miracle and many friends visited him regularly to party.

Slowly he walked to the door, opened it and saw the gnome, which life he saved, standing before him. “I promised you two wishes and I have fulfilled only one. What is your second wish?” Our hero looked bewildered, thought for a while and said: “This one is fine,

I'll have another one”.