In a red ceramic piggy bank, where everything jingled merrily with each shake, lived a small, shiny one-cent coin named Penny. He was not happy, though. He felt tiny and forgotten. When the piggy bank tilted and a sunbeam shone inside, he always admired the big, gleaming coins. There were silver euros and majestic two-euro coins with golden hearts.
"Oh," sighed Penny so quietly that almost no one heard him. "I'm just such a copper trifle. You can't even buy a small candy with me."
However, his sad voice was caught by one wise two-euro coin. They called her Twoey and she had already traveled through many pockets and piggy banks. She gently rolled over to Penny.
"But, little friend, why are you so sad?" she asked in her friendly, deep voice. Her silver edge gleamed and the golden center seemed to smile at him.
"Because I'm worthless," whispered Penny and looked down at the ground, well, at the bottom of the piggy bank. "You're big and important. You can buy a toy car or a book. But me? Nothing."
Twoey pondered. "You know, Penny, value isn't always about size. Sometimes even the smallest piece of the puzzle is the most important one. Would you like to see for yourself?"
Just at that moment, something unexpected happened. The piggy bank was lifted into the air! Little Lucy's hand carefully turned it over and all the coins spilled out with a jingle onto the soft carpet. It was a big day for them!
"Mommy, look how much I've saved!" Lucy exclaimed joyfully.
Lucy's mother smiled and said: "Excellent! Today we're going to buy crayons for school. Take some coins with you, we might need them."
Lucy put several coins into her small wallet. Among them was the wise Twoey and, wonder of wonders, the small, frightened Penny too. The journey in the wallet was dark and a bit scary. Penny heard the rustling of paper bills and the jingling of other coins. He pressed close to Twoey.
"Don't be afraid," Twoey whispered to him. "Our adventure is beginning. You'll see that each of us has our role."
Soon they arrived at a big store with toys and school supplies. There were colors everywhere, the scent of paper and cheerful children's laughter. Lucy chose a beautiful set of colored pastels. The saleswoman smiled and said the price: "That will be three euros and twenty-one cents, please."
Lucy's mother opened her big wallet and began counting. She placed one two-euro coin on the counter – it was Twoey! Then she added one euro coin and one twenty-cent coin.
"Three euros and twenty cents..." Mother murmured to herself. "Oh, I'm missing exactly one cent. Lucy, do you happen to have just one cent in your wallet?"
Lucy opened her small wallet. And there, at the very bottom, lay the lonely, copper Penny. Lucy picked him up with a smile and placed him on the counter next to the other coins.
Clink!
The saleswoman smiled. "Perfect, the amount is exact! Here you are, here are the crayons."
Penny lay on the counter and his little heart was beating with excitement. He looked at Twoey, who winked at him encouragingly. Suddenly he understood everything. Without him, that sum wouldn't be complete! Without him, Lucy couldn't buy her dreamed-of crayons.
When the saleswoman put them into the cash register, Twoey still managed to whisper to him: "See? Without you, the transaction wouldn't have happened. You're small, but at the right moment you were the most important."
In the cash register, Penny met many other coins. There were cents, five-cent coins, fifty-cent coins and euros. They all waited together for their next journey. He no longer felt inferior. He knew he was part of a big team, where everyone has their place and their value.
And from then on, Penny always smiled. He knew that even the smallest coin can help fulfill a big dream.
And what about you? Have you ever tried counting with your parents how many different coins you need to buy your favorite treat? You might discover that even the smallest coin is very important.