GREED

Digging in my yard one day, making posts for a fence to separate my lot from that of my neighbors, I happened upon an old chest full of gold coins buried in the black soil. As I am not interested in wealth or personal gain, this discovery only caught my attention because it was so strange. I have never been ambitious and do not care much for material possessions.
After digging up the chest, I took out the coins and cleaned off the years of dirt and dust. I shined them with an old rag, they were so dirty and tarnished. Once I had neatly stacked the coins on my desk, I took to counting. It was clear I had come upon an incredible  fortune. To pass the time, I began to imagine all the things one might buy with these riches. I imagined how crazy someone would become when they found this stash, if they happened to be greedy.
Fortunately, this was not my case.
Today my neighbor came to claim the coins. He tried to convince me that the money was his because his grandfather had buried it years before and, therefore, it belonged to him. I was so annoyed with his arrogant attitude... I killed him! 

If he had not been so desperate to claim those coins I probably would have give them over, because, as I say, I was not interested in the money. But if there is one thing I cannot abide, that is greed. Really, I just hate greedy people.


(translated and adapted from the work of the Argentinian story teller, Jorge Bucay, entitled "Codicia")