31/03/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17AZxjZHmV/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Once upon the time there lived a young man named Afamefula. He was tired of poverty. Every day, he searched for money. He worked small jobs, borrowed from friends, and even tried trading, but nothing worked. Money never stayed in his hands.
One night, out of desperation, he remembered an old belief in his village that the water goddess could bless a person with wealth if given the right sacrifice.
So Afamefula gathered what he could: bananas, chewing gum, biscuits, a comb, a mirror, a white wrapper, sweets, and a white bowl. When the night grew deep and silent, and the moon hid behind the clouds, he quietly made his way to the river.
At exactly midnight, the river was calm, lonely, and noiseless.
With a trembling voice, he called upon the water goddess.
The water began to move gently. Then suddenly, she appeared before him in human form beautiful, glowing, and powerful.
“What do you want?” she asked.
Afamefula did not think twice. “I need wealth,” he said quickly.
The goddess laughed softly, but there was warning in her laughter.
“Can you withstand the principle of wealth?” she asked.
Afamefula paused, but his hunger for riches was stronger than his fear. “Yes, I can,” he replied.
After a moment of silence, the goddess agreed. She told him to fetch water from the river.
“Take this water,” she said. “Every morning, speak your desire into it. Whatever you say with your mouth, so shall it be.”
Afamefula was filled with joy. He thanked her and ran home, his heart beating fast with excitement.
At exactly 4:22 a.m. that same morning, he woke up. He carried the water and prayed:
“My mother in the water world, from today, anything I touch should turn to money.”
After saying this, he smiled proudly and went back to lie down.
The moment his hand touched his bed…
The bed turned into money.
Afamefula jumped up in shock then burst into laughter.
“It has worked! I am rich!” he shouted.
In excitement, he touched his pillow—it turned into money.
He touched his wooden chair it turned into money.
He touched his door it turned into money.
He ran around the house, touching everything. His table, his mat, his cup, even his clothes everything turned into money.
Soon, his small room was filled with heaps of cash.
But then… hunger came.
Afamefula picked up a banana to eat.
The moment he touched it it turned into money.
He tried to drink water the cup turned into money in his hand.
His smile slowly disappeared.
Then he felt pressed. He needed to urinate.
He rushed outside, but the moment his hand touched his own body…
It turned into money.
Afamefula screamed in fear.
“What have I done to myself?!”
Now he could not eat. He could not drink. He could not even live normally. Everything he touched became money including his own body.
The wealth he prayed for had become a curse.
Crying and frustrated, Afamefula ran back to the river that same night. He called the goddess again and again.
After a long time, she appeared.
“Please!” he cried. “Take this power away from me! I cannot live like this!”
The goddess looked at him calmly.
“I asked you if you could withstand the principle of wealth,” she said.
Afamefula fell to his knees. “I was foolish. I only wanted money. I did not think about life.”
The goddess shook her head slowly.
“True wealth is not just money,” she said. “It is wisdom, patience, and balance.”
Afamefula begged and cried, but the goddess gave him no solution.
“This is the choice you made,” she said, and disappeared into the river.
Afamefula was left alone—surrounded by money, yet unable to live.
From that day, his story became a warning in the village.
MORAL LESSON:
Be careful what you wish for. Wealth without wisdom can bring sorrow instead of joy. True riches come from understanding, not just desire.
By
ERNEST JUMBO
“The glass masquerade of Africa “