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THE CARPENTER
He was home! Rich ran excitedly to his front door, gripping on to his notebook as he opened the door.
His heart was pumping and a big grin was stamped on his face.
Rich ran through the house and opened his father’s bedroom door.
“Dad, we’re going to be rich! You won’t believe what happened today!”

“Richard! Why have you been out for so long? Where’s the Well Water?”

Richard stopped dead. “Oh. No, I didn’t get the Well water. But look what I did get.” He held out the notebook.

The Carpenter pulled himself up in bed and looked at Richard in despair. “Richard, where is the Well water? That’s all you had to do today. Go to the Well of Wealth and get the Water. We need the Water, Richard. Where’s the Water?”

Richard pleaded “No Dad, we don’t need that Well water. The Well of Wealth isn’t where you think it is. I've seen the ocean, Dad. I’ve seen the ocean.”

Richard saw his father’s eyes well up, as the carpenter shook his head. He slowly pulled himself from the bed and began to put on his socks. “I have to go. I have to go now to the Well. We have to get the Water.”

“Dad, it’s night time. Do it in the morning. Dad, time is so precious. Let me tell you my vision. Let me tell you what I’ve learnt today.” His words were falling about him, dropping on the floor before they reached the ears of the Carpenter.

“Where’s the dollar, Richard?”

The words came out like they were causing the carpenter pain, and he doubled up as he stood.

Richard began to cry.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have the dollar anymore.”

“Oh, Richard. You have no idea. This is terrible. This is so terrible. What have you done.”

 The old man shuffled to the money box, pulling out a dollar and pulling on his coat. “I have to go now. I have to get to the Well. Lock the door after me. I’ve got keys.”

Richard began to cry harder as the Carpenter laboured towards the door.
“No, Dad. Please. Please let me tell you. Look at my notebook. Look at what I’ve written. Please, Dad.

Look. Learning is a game. Time is our most precious asset. Dad, it’s all here. Please just sit for a minute and let me explain it to you.”

Richard desperately wiped his eyes. His tears were washing away his vision, washing away his clarity.

“Let me inspire you. The Well is right here. The Well is in your Words.”

He was talking to a closed door.

He sat on the floor and began to cry.
This was going to be his best day, and now it was his worst day. It was like a bad dream.
None of it was real. Only his tears were real. His tears, and his father’s pain, and the cold floor.