A Trap Of $99

Plot Summary:

The short story describes a shoemaker’s family and their happiness. Every night from her veranda, the Queen sees the shoemaker coming from work and plays the flute with his wife, joyfully. Queen told the story to her husband about shoemaker’s family and their happiness because the king never gives time for her. One night the king left a bag with full of money in front of the shoemaker’s door. In the morning, shoemaker found the bag and counted the money. He counted only $99 dollars a dollar short to be $100 dollars. Shoemaker thought that if he could work extra hours than he can save a dollar which would make $100 even. Since than, he started working extra hours to be rich. Few days later, King asked the Queen about the shoemaker’s happy flute playing and singing for his wife, in which she replied, “Not anymore. Their joyful singing is gone.” The king said, “You will not see them happy anymore because the shoemaker is in the trap of $99.

Characters:

King: A very busy person who does not have time for his wife because he only thinks about making the state wealthy, powerful and strong.

Queen: Lonely and unhappy person who spends most of her time alone because her husband is busy with his power and politics.

Shoemaker: At the beginning of the story he was very happy person. He spends times with his wife every evening, but when he caught in the trap of $99 to become a rich what made him unhappy.


A trap of $99

Once upon a time, there was a king who was always busy only in keeping his State strong, powerful and wealthy. King always has meeting with his ministers, how to collect taxes in a proper way from its residences, how to keep his territory safe from his enemies. He looked older than his age with a very dry face. But, in a glance, his politicians face is very recognizable. He seems like he is so hungry for land and wealth. So, he hardly has time for the Queen, not even a happy conjugal life. On the other hand, the Queen misses her husband so much, and always hankering for a meaning of life!

Queen’s part time is watching the sunset everyday from her well decorated veranda where she sits every evening. As usual, her attention is always goes on the shoemaker and his wife. She sees shoemaker comes from work and plays a flute every evening. His wife becomes so exited and claps her hands or sometime she dances like she owns the world. As a poor family they go through hardship for money to support the family, but they do not feel any stress and they are happy with what they have. This happy family scene makes the Queen’s loneliness grow more and painful inside.

One day, Queen told her busy king husband about the shoemaker’s family’s happy story. The heartless king did not respond anything to the wife and just walked away. The Queen became more depressed because of the king’s attitude. She thought that maybe the king does not love her at all or was a having an affair. But king is not an unfaithful person. He just could not explain to his wife, why he does not have time for her.

One night the king left a bag with full of money in front of the shoemaker’s door. In the morning, shoemaker ready to go to work found the bag in front of the door and he was wondering it could be. He opened the bag and counted the money; it was $99 dollars. Shoemaker thought that he could work extra hours and he can save a dollar which would make $100 even. It was a good idea to work extra hours. That day, he worked morning to midnight and made $1.50 dollars and saved $1.00 to make $100 even. Now, he became greedy and worked extra hours every day to save a $1.00 per day to be rich.

Few days later, King asked the Queen about the shoemaker’s happy flute playing and singing for his wife, in which she replied, “Not anymore. Their joyful singing is gone.” The king said, “You will not see them happy anymore because the shoemaker is in the trap of $99.