The Nail

Once upon a time, there was a merchant who went to a big fair to sell his things. He had lots of stuff to sell, and by the end of the fair, everything was gone! His bag was full of gold and silver coins, and he was super happy. He put all his coins into a big bag, put it on his horse, and they started the journey home.

The sun was shining bright in the sky when the merchant stopped in a small town to rest. While resting, a helpful helper noticed something and said to the merchant, "Sir, there's a nail missing from one of your horse’s shoes."

The merchant looked at his horse and thought for a moment. He really wanted to get home before it got dark. "It's okay," he said to the helper. "The shoe will surely last until we get home. I'm in a hurry."

Later, they stopped again so the horse could eat and drink. Another helper came up and said, "Sir, a shoe is missing from your horse's foot. Should I take him to the blacksmith to fix it?"

Again, the merchant was in a rush and replied, "It's okay. We don't have far to go. The horse will manage. I'm in a hurry."

But oh, as they rode on, the poor horse began to limp because walking without a shoe was hard. Soon, the limp turned into a stumble, and before long, the horse fell down and hurt its leg. The merchant felt so sad and realized he should have fixed the shoe when he had the chance. Now, he had to carry the heavy bag of coins all the way home by himself, arriving very late and very tired.

As he walked, the merchant said to himself, "All this trouble came from just one missing nail. If only I had taken a little time to fix it, my horse would not have suffered, and we would have been home much sooner."