My great-great-great-grandfather bought the golden piggy at a flea market. It is a beast at first glance, completely cast in gold, with a short, curly tail and a snout disproportionately bigger than the rest of its body twisted into a sneer.

Yet for some reason, this golden pig was revered like a god.

Every day at the crack of dawn, my great-great-great-grandfather would kneel in front of the pig and say a quick prayer asking for its blessing, before dropping a single dollar coin into the slot in its back. It is thanks to this tradition, as my father told me, that my family has been rich and successful for decades.

When my great-great-great-grandfather died, he willed the golden piggy to his eldest son. Henceforth, the golden piggy had been passed down from father and son for generations.

When my grandfather left China, he brought the golden piggy with him. He taught my father the tradition and passed the pig to him…

…who then taught me.

I never really believed that the golden piggy was the cause of our unlimited family wealth, but the money was right there. Confident that the family fortune could secure my future, my parents didn’t pay much attention to my education, and neither did I. Fell into the wrong crowd in my mid-teenage years. Started doing the hard stuff: alcohol, drugs, even sex.

But I didn’t care. When you’re rich, life is a piece of cake. I bought a penthouse to host my parties. I stopped waking up at sunrise to feed the stupid pig, especially since I didn’t really have a reason to. It stood on the piano sneering at us in its ugly, piggy way.

Then the first notice arrived.

One of my credit cards got cancelled because I couldn’t pay them. My face was white and my hands were shaking. It was impossible. I had always been rich. I thought it was a mistake, or some sort of dream, but no, the notices kept on coming. So did the debts.

I tried getting a job to pay off the debts, but it was like swimming in quicksand. Soon I couldn’t even afford the lovely penthouse. We had to leave at the end of the month.

Desperately I looked at the golden pig. Generations of coins sat inside its belly. Was it enough? It had to be.

Taking a deep breath, I smashed it with a hammer.

Empty.

I cursed, then began to choke.

I fell on all fours as my skin hardened into gold. My nose blew up into a snout. My throat began to close.

Then my belly began to crack.

Dozens of coins cascaded out in a light golden shower, engraved with a grinning pig and coated with blood.