Ticket to Heaven

This is the Sanzu River.

From beyond the mist, a single set of footsteps. A plump man wiped his sweat as he arrived at the boat landing.
He had reached it.

“Hello there, ferryman. I’ve heard tell that if I cross this river, I can go to heaven, is that right?”
The ferryman gripped his oar in silence.

“Your destination is determined by the weight of your soul. I have no say in the matter.”

The man laughed.
“Don’t say that, just look at this.”

The man had a gold ring, a gold cane, and a gold sack on his back.

When he opened the mouth of the sack, it was packed full of gold coins.

“Can’t you take me across with this? If possible, to the ‘upstream’ side...”
The ferryman stared at the river surface in silence.
“In that case... throw the gold coins into the river.”

The man frowned.
“To buy a ticket to heaven, you must first ‘let go’.”

The man reluctantly threw one gold coin into the river.

Plop...

At that moment, the river glowed faintly.

“One more.”

Plop...
“One more.”
Every time a gold coin sank, the light of the river grew stronger.

The man turned pale.
The sack became lighter, and his hands trembled.
He finished throwing the very last coin.

“I don’t have anything left at all!”
The ferryman quietly gripped his oar again.
“That is fine. That lightness is... the ticket.”

The boat began to move.

Beyond the mist, light enveloped the man.

“What... Was the gold unnecessary from the start?”

His voice melted into the sound of the river and vanished.

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