A young man is presented with five gifts by a fairy: Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure, and Death. He chooses Pleasure first, but finds it fleeting and ultimately unsatisfying. Regretting his choice, he opts for Love next, only to experience profound grief as loved ones pass away, leading him to curse Love for the sorrow it brought him. The fairy offers him another chance, and he selects Fame, believing it will bring him fulfillment. Initially, he enjoys the accolades, but soon faces envy, detraction, and the eventual decay of his reputation, realizing that fame is a double-edged sword that brings misery alongside its fleeting glory. With two gifts remaining, he chooses Wealth, convinced it will grant him power and happiness. However, after a brief period of indulgence, he finds himself destitute and alone, lamenting that all the gifts he pursued were mere illusions, masking the harsh realities of life. In his despair, he longs for Death, recognizing it as the only true release from suffering. The fairy returns but reveals that Death has been given to a child who unknowingly requested it. The man is left with the bitter reality of aging, a fate he deems worse than death itself, as he grapples with the consequences of his choices and the inevitability of his own decline.
By Mark Twain · First published 1886 · Genre: Philosophical Fiction, Allegory, Literary Fiction · 5 chapters