The Ghost and The Miser

Long ago there was a village where they believed that, on All Hallows Eve, one had to leave out offerings for ghosts.
"If you leave out offerings", old women of the village would tell their grandchildren, "The ghosts will be happy and go on their way".
And when all hallows eve came, that is what everyone in the village did.
They left out sweet cakes for the ghosts, made with almonds and figs and other delicious things and the ghosts, stopping at every door, had a cake and then went on their way.
One house in the village, however, belonged to a miser who had only recently moved their and he did not like the idea at all.
"A waste of good food if you ask me", scoffed the miser, "Leaving out food for ghosts? And what would a ghost do with food anyway, its already dead. Its not as if the ghost can die of hunger".
And besides that the Miser didn't really believe in ghosts. He thought himself much too sensible to be gulled by old wives tales and superstitions.
"Stuff and nonsense", he said to himself, "A story to frighten little children more than anything else. Well it won't frighten me".
And so when the ghost came to the misers door there were no cakes left out.
But then, angry with the miser, the ghost leapt down his chimney and started to chase the terrified old man around his house.
But whatever room the miser hid in, even when he locked the door, the ghost would leap through the wall of the room and chase the miser out again.
In desperation the miser started to pray.
"Oh please god please", he said, "Save me from this spirit and I'll give away a quarter of my wealth to charity".
And when he said this, the left leg of the ghost disappeared.
But then the ghost started to hop after him.
"Alright, alright", said the miser, "Half of my wealth. I'll give half of my wealth to charity".
Now the right leg of the ghost disappeared but it started to crawl after him, dragging itself along by its skeletal hands.
"Alright. Alright", said the miser, "You win. I'll give all of my wealth to charity. Just save me from this terrible phantom".
And as soon as the miser said this, the ghost disappeared altogether.
But though the ghost was gone the miser, because he had made a promise to god and was afraid that the ghost would come back if he broke it had to give away all his wealth.

He gave it away, begrudgingly, to the people of the village. When he did however, everyone in the village liked him. They invited him to all their parties and he realised the life he had been missing.

"Getting rid of that money is the best thing I could have ever done", he said, "Its like I've been set free".

And he had, for inside the miser another hungry ghost had always been squatting, the ghost of his own greed and, in letting go of his wealth, that ghost had been cast out and the miser freed to enjoy life and realise its true value.