Garden Gold

As the heat of the day wore away at him, Allen became acutely aware of the jets of steam rising all around him. Waves of distortion clouded his vision, even as he dug at the ground, turning up earth. The trowel moved in and out of the dirt. One scoop, two scoops, three scoops. Clump by arduous clump, Allen was digging his garden with only his stained shirt to keep him. Chck, wsh. Another clump.
It had already taken all morning, and he was barely a quarter done. Chck, wsh. Another clump turned over. He went about his business in miserable silence. The deathly heat swelled and swelled. Beads of sweat were dripping down his face onto the dirt. Bloop. Another drop. Chck, wsh. Another clump.
He couldn’t bring himself to take off his shirt to mitigate the heat somewhat. Nor could his bear the thought of slaking his thirst with a quick gulp from the garden hose. No, he was content to sit there, turning over earth. Chck, wsh, Another clump. Bloop. Another drop.
Clnk! A sudden click. Against something hard. Allen considered ignoring it. He didn’t want to know. No good can come of this, he thought, distrusting his luck. And nearly he went by, turning dirt and sweating. However, the slightest of things caught his attention. A quick glint of metal. In such light, it easily could have been nothing. Still, a glint of metal would not be acceptable in his garden.
Cautiously, Allen eyed the spot poking it again with his trowel. Clnk! Another click. A little dirt gave way. Another quick glint of something metal. Only this time, Allen thought he caught a tinge of yellow. Clnk! More dirt gave way. More glinting. Clnk! More dirt, more glint. Clnk...!
Allen sat there, uncomprehending. A spot of shimmering, precious metal lay buried in the dirt. Recognition came slowly, building to a crashing wave upon his mind. Dreams filled him. Adventures to be had. Debts to be paid. A community surrounding him, dying for want of a miracle. He had only to reach out, and that miracle would be his to give.
Frantic, Allen’s trowel dove deep into the dry, packed dirt around the metal. Chck, chck, ck chck ck! No more steady beat of the tool into the earth. Now it was a mad quest. Allen’s arm wearied from the effort of heaving the greedy ground away from the treasure. Before long a shallow trench had been hollowed out around the nugget. Unable to free it yet, Allen threw the trowel aside, resorting to scratching the dirt with his very fingernails.
Slowly, barely he pried the apple-shaped piece of metal free from the ground. Pop! It gave way only just. Allen quieted. The prize was free. He gently pulled up. As the bottom of the chunk cleared the ground, Allen noticed something still grasping along the lower edge. A small, gaunt hand clasped at it. Raising the whole thing into view, Allen stared into the eyes of a beleaguered, scrawny pygmy. Its leathery skin was covered in moist soil, for it had come from deep within.
The two locked gazes, regarding one another. Lacking any better words for his bewilderment, Allen simply said, “Oh.”