A Fair Trade - A Short Story [#18]

Inspiration: http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=squandered+resources

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Version 1 

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            It was a simple deal, a simple trade. I gave the hunter a jar of sand, "It's enchanted," I lied to him. He gave me a stack of animal skins, all his work for the past month was in my hands. The hunter seemed satisfied with his purchase, I was even more so.

            It was a pricey deal, an expensive trade. I gave the merchants a stack of animal skins, "They are of the highest quality," I told him. He gave me several lumps of gold, but a fraction of his wealth. The merchant brushed aside his purchase with little thought, I was relieved he did so.

            It was a dangerous deal, an unfair trade. I gave the bandit several lumps of gold, "It is all I have," I pleaded. He let me keep my life, it was all I was left with. The bandits seemed delighted in his acquisition, I was relieved when he was gone.

            In the end I traded my own life for a jar of sand, or was my life worth nothing more than sand. In the end all I had left was sand, all my life's work was in my hands.

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Version 2

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            It was a simple trade, my land, a patch of barren sand for a stack of animal skins. The land meant nothing to me, regardless of the value that hunter saw in it.

            It was a complicated trade, the animal skins, my bold investment for a lump sum of gold. The skins had their value, but the gold more so. The skins were now worth whatever that merchant decided they had, but I didn't care, I had my prize.

            It was an inevitable trade, the gold, all I had for my continued life. The gold had its value, the tax baron saw it as much. Regardless of my gold's worth, it was not mine anymore.

            It was the final trade, my life, my last possession for a patch of barren sand. If my life has any value, only the sand could appreciate it. Regardless of my actions, the only thing I've accomplished is the trade of life for sand.

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Well this was a fun story to write, I've always been a fan of Magic: The Gathering's flavor text but I didn't write anything based on it until now. From the beginning I wanted to create two versions as I interpreted the line "In the end, he traded life for sand," in two ways: first that it was a summation of his actions and second that he died in a desert. That's how I saw it anyway. Actually, I might be going on a streak of MTG inspired stories, I have at least one more in the pipeline right now.
Until then Read, Comment and Enjoy.