A poor boy befriends a rich unpoppular boy, then betrays him.
THREE GOLDEN NAILS by Steven Douglas Elwood
I was not a mean kid in the third grade, it was quite the opposite actually, that was why I befriended Kyle.
He was a new kid in town, his family had bought the big house up on the hill.
He was a rich kid that nobody wanted to play with, everybody said he was stupid. He wasn’t stupid, he was just too trusting.
I used to go to his house just to play with his toys. I was poor and I didn’t have any toys.
His father was very well off and treated Kyle like he was a king. Kyle loved his father very much. I didn’t have a father and I was jealous, that is why I did what I did.
When we were playing in the tree house his father had built for him. His mother would call up to us to come down for milk and cookies. His family was so perfect it made me angry that my family was so messed up.
One day I found a gold spray paint can with some paint left in it. I looked around the garage for something to paint. I found three large galvanized nails. I threw down a piece of cardboard and painted the nails. First one side, then I waited awhile, then I painted the other side. I didn’t have a plan when I painted the nails. It came to me as I stood holding the gleaming objects in my hand. I remember thinking, man, these look like real gold. Then the plan slowly developed in my mind.
I went over to Kyle’s house and knocked on the door. Kyle’s mom answered the door with a big smile on her face. "Hello Steven."
I detested getting called Steven, my mother would only call me Steven when I was in trouble.
I smiled back, "Hi, can Kyle come out and play?"She turned back inside the door and yelled in her sing song voice,
"Kyle, Steven is here!"
I cringed at hearing this. Soon I saw Kyle bouncing down the stairs and running to the door. As he was closing the door his mom yelled,
"You be home before dark!" Kyle stopped and yelled back through the door,
"I will!" When he shut the door, he turned towards me. "Hi, Steve."
"Hey Kyle, let’s go to the tree house." We ran around to the back of the property. I followed Kyle up the ladder.When we got inside I said, "I have got to show you something."
"What?" Kyle asked with a puzzled look on his face.
I carefully pulled out the three golden nails, Kyle’s eyes got as big as saucers.
"Are they real?" He asked with awe.
"Of course they are real." I said with a disgusted look on my face. "They are solid gold."
"Why would they make solid gold nails?" Kyle asked. ( Maybe Kyle wasn’t as dumb as I thought he was.)
"Well, you heard of golden spikes for the railroad. These are golden nails for builders." I explained.
"Like my dad." Kyle said.
"Yeah, like your dad." I said as though the thought never occurred to me before.
"I sure would like them for my dad. What do you want to trade for em?"
"Geez Kyle, these are solid gold, do you know how much these are worth?"
"I’ll trade my wagon and all my matchbox cars."
"I don’t like matchbox cars, what else you got to trade?" I asked, not believing he was really going for it.
"I’ll give you my wagon and all of my Tonkas." Kyle said, still staring at the nails.
"I don’t know Kyle, all of the Tonkas, including Herbie the love bug?"
"Yes."
"Well, bring them all to the back yard with your wagon and let me take a look at them." Kyle was running back and forth from the house to the back yard at least a dozen times before getting all of his Tonkas. I made a good show looking at the gleaming nails in my hand and then to all of Kyle’s Tonkas.
"Ok, I’ll trade Kyle, on one condition, you can’t tell anybody. I don’t want to be laughed at for being suckered."
"I wont tell anyone." Kyle assured me.
"Pinky swear." I said holding out my pinky. "And no trades back." I added as Kyle wrapped his pinky around mine, we both said, "Deal." I loaded up the wagon with all the Tonkas and headed for home.
It was late afternoon by the time I got home. The Tonkas were piled high and I had to keep picking up the Tonkas that kept falling out of the wagon. I didn’t realize he had so many. I put the wagon and all of the Tonkas in the garage and went inside to eat. I got wrapped up in a television program and forgot all about the Tonkas.
Late that evening there was a knock on the door. My mom answered the door and I heard some muffled talking. A minute later I heard my mom scream, "Steven!" I came running, I knew I was in trouble, but I didn’t know what for.
When I reached the door I saw Kyle’s dad with a angry look on his face. "Give this man his son’s toys back." My mother demanded.
"But mom, we traded."
"Don’t give me that! You swindled him!"
I hung my head and lead Kyle’s dad to the garage. I opened the big door and Kyle’s dad picked up the wagon with all the Tonkas inside and walked out without saying one word to me.
I don’t know how anyone found out, but, it was all over school the next day. I think my brothers might have had something to do with it.
All the older cool kids knew my name after that. They would slap me on the back and say I was going to make one heck of a salesman. I was finally accepted as a cool kid.
I never spoke to Kyle again after that. Every time I would see him in the halls someone would be picking on him. Pushing the books out of his hand, calling him sucker, or asking him if he wanted to buy some golden nails.
It wasn’t very long afterward that Kyle and his family moved away.
Yeah,... I’m cool...sure I am... yup....you bet...Don’t you think so......?
Steven: Another EXCELLENT WRITE!!! (Smile). This story reminded me of when I was about 10, in troublng times children can, surely, have creative minds. I had lost one parent, and was soon to loose the second, they died very young. Yet, I remember getting a comfort out of telling the kids at school, that I was going to visit the King and Queen, on top of the hill. There was this golden building in perfect view from our school grounds. I must says, I never met a King (only Jesus, the King of Kings) and I never met a Queen either. The building was actually the Mormon Temple, yet, what an absolutely creative mind we have as children (smile). In His Greatest Love, Sis "D" A Servant of the Most High God.
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