The Man in the Boat
Once upon a time, beside an ancient river of silver shimmering waters, there lived a wise fisherman. In the twilight of the evening the surface of the water reflected the stars of the sky like a vast mirror. Kerem, the old fisherman, sat on the bank every night and listened in deep awe to the whispered tales the water brought. That night a mysterious shadow appeared out of the mist and slowly broke the silence of the calm waters as it neared the shore. It was a small boat whose wooden carvings gleamed like gold, without oars yet gliding by itself against the current. Right in the middle of the boat a mysterious man stood in silence, his face covered by a long hooded cloak. "O weary fisherman, do you wish to board this magical boat and reach the invisible treasure on the far shore?" asked the stranger.
When Kerem heard the man's deep and booming voice, he could not take his eyes off the carved boat. The offer looked tempting, but the far side of the river was a dangerous land from which greedy people had never returned. "Does the treasure consist of gold and diamonds, or is the peace I seek hidden there?" Kerem replied. The man in the boat smiled faintly and held his lantern out towards the water, lighting up the darkness. "Whoever sets foot in my boat meets the true face of the greatest desire in his heart," he said slowly. "If your intention is pure, the depths of the river will reveal their most precious secret to you." Kerem took a step without hesitating, and the moment his feet touched the wooden floor of the boat a miracle happened.
With the magical whisper of the wind, the boat began to move swiftly, cleaving the waves of mist in the middle of the river. The glittering lights rising from the bottom of the river symbolized the peace of heart and the wisdom Kerem had longed for over the years. The mysterious man in the boat suddenly vanished, and the boat turned into a wise guide offering Kerem the richness of his own inner world. At that moment the old fisherman grasped that worldly riches are fleeting and that the real treasure lies hidden in the depths of the soul. When he reached the far shore, with the first light of the morning the river had granted him an endless peace. The person who is content is the one who owns the greatest treasure in the world. Contentment is an inexhaustible treasure.