Jakob speaks

Better poor and alive than rich and dead, or so the saying goes. I have a knack for making ends meet, but I am glad to be penniless by now. If any gold can burn one's hands, I have seen it, wished to own it like it was my very soul, grabbed it with a wicked smile, dropped it in a hurry and watched it burn from afar. The truth is, I would have burnt with it had my friends not pulled me away and dragged me in a place where greed is not that dangerous. No, the cells here are okay, really, and the master of the keys is not a bad man. I would just like to bathe a little more. Better poor and clean than poor and filthy.

First published the 10th of July, 2005 on http://achernar.over-blog.com/article-570961.html.