Dying Father Passes All His Money to Elder Daughter, Younger Gets a Miniature Ship in a Bottle — Story of the Day

A dying man decides to cede all his money to his elder daughter while he gives her younger sister a miniature ship inside a bottle — it would later take her to riches, but she didn't know that.

Noah Nissi wished he could live forever. It was a purely selfish desire; he knew but didn't care. Why? Because he believed it was for a good reason.

He was a 60-year-old man who was a father to two girls he cherished very profoundly. The firstborn was Sarah, while Elsa came ten years later.

Regardless of their ages and differences, Noah loved his daughters equally. Sarah, his first, had developed a passion for money at a very young age.

She had a head for figures and always aced anything involving arithmetic, so it did not surprise her father much. He supported her aspirations — sponsoring her education and priming her to take over his small company.

The only problem was that the older she got, the more ambitious she became. And what was more? She did not care who she trampled on to reach her goal, purely believing that the end justifies the means.

When she was old enough, she started working at her father's company, but all the employees didn't like her. She was very rude and self-loving, never ready to help unless it benefitted her.

As far as she was concerned, the employees were irrelevant, and so it was not necessary to maintain a good relationship with them. "There is little I stand to gain from playing nice with peasants," she would often tell herself.

Her greatest desire was to become the sole owner of her father's business. "Let's see if they won't like me when their livelihood is in my hands. Daddy just needs to hand the reins over quickly."

Her sister Elsa was totally different, and many often described her as the direct opposite of Sarah, which was only too true. Unlike her older sister, Elsa did not have the aptitude for arithmetic or business; in fact, she found numbers quite boring and mechanical.

"I'm more of a people person — I like people so I think whatever I study will always have to do with them," she told her father one day when they were discussing her career path.

"Besides Daddy," she added, "you already have a business-oriented child, you can't have two."

Elsa worked as a babysitter because she enjoyed being close to babies. She had a soft spot for kids and dreamed of one day establishing a charitable organization to help homeless people and orphans worldwide.

Her father took good care of her so that she wanted for nothing. This gave her the opportunity to donate all the money she earned to charity.

When Noah was dying, he summoned his girls to his side to share his last words with them as well as to distribute his wealth. To his first daughter, he gave $100,000.

"You always wanted to own a business and now I am giving you money for it," he said and watched as she attempted and failed to keep her smile from showing.

Sarah had always wanted her dad's business, but if he could give her enough to start her own, she was positive she could create a masterpiece.

To Elsa, his youngest, he gave a small, elegant ship in a small bottle. It was the same one Elsa gifted him on his birthday ten years ago.

"I want to leave this world now dear child, and go on an Eternal Sail. Promise me that after I die, you will go to the lake where we used to spend the weekends when you were a child. When you get there, go to our secret place, break the bottle, and put this ship in the water and release it with my ashes in it."

"I promise father," Elsa said with tears in her eyes.

Noah passed away a few days later and Elsa had to endure Sarah's jokes about how she only got a tiny old ship despite how much she had sucked up to their father.

Elsa did not rise to the bait, though. She was more concerned about fulfilling her father's last wish. So after the cremation, she went to the lake and found their secret place.

It was a small wooden construction on the bank of the lake, which was a few feet deep. She broke the bottle and put the ship into the water, then bowed her head to whisper some parting words.

"Goodbye my lovely Daddy. May your journey be fascinating and full of exciting memories you can tell me about when we meet again. Until then, rest easy old man."

She was watching the little ship drift along the channel when suddenly, she noticed a red box near the wooden construction.

It was the old lunchbox they always took with them every time they visited their secret place. She opened it and found a note inside. It was written in her father's handwriting.

It read: "I told you to come after my death. So if you're reading this, then I must have gone. I love you so much, my dear Elsa. I want to reward you for your kindness and sincerity. My business is yours now.

You may sell it and make your dream come true. Throughout your life, you have been helping those who needed that help and now I want to do it together with you."

Elsa wept after reading the letter, and she purposed in her heart to continue as she had. She sold her father's company and eventually established a charitable organization which she named "Ship in the Bottle."

Meanwhile, her sister used her money to establish a Beauty Store, but she was very reckless and ruthless. Within a year, she had run into debt and losses, leaving her no choice but to shut down the place.

What did we gain from this story?

• Selfishness never pays. Sarah was all about money, and she was self-serving too. It was why her father gave Elsa the company and also why she was unable to succeed with her company. Elsa was different, and it helped her progress in life.
• Learn to make friends wherever you go. Elsa was beloved by all because of her selfless nature, but Sarah made enemies because of her self-serving nature. It counted against her in the end because people are important where business is concerned, and she just didn't get along with them.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a dad who leaves his younger daughter a house, while his older daughter only gets a dirty dish.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com