Once upon¹ a time, there was a man who loved money. He loved it so much that he wouldn't spend any of the money he earned. He wouldn't part with even a tiny bit.

This stingy man didn't buy new clothes. Instead, he wore old clothes that he found in the garbage. He didn't buy food, either, and he became skinnier and skinnier.

He put all the money that he saved in a box and hid it under his bed. Every night, he opened the box and looked at all his money.

One night, the man looked in the box and the money was gone! Someone had stolen it! "I've been robbed²!" he shouted. "My precious³ money is gone!" He lay down on the bed and cried and cried.

The neighbors heard him and came over to see what was wrong. When they heard the story, one neighbor said, "Don't cry over your money. You never used⁴ it anyway. Fill the box with paper and imagine it is money. It will do you just as much good."