The blue bicycleBoats bobbed as Lantern Bay woke up, and Kai started work at the dock, sorting fish for ten pretend coins every month. On the way home, Kai stopped at a window where a blue bicycle shone, but the tag said twelve coins, and ten was two short. Bea the lender heard about it and said, "I can lend you twelve coins." Together they wrote a plan: three coins a month for four months made twelve. Bea asked for one small extra coin each month, for the lending, so each month Kai would pay four coins: three for the bicycle, one extra. Kai rode off, and whoosh, it felt wonderful! Then payday came and the usual ten coins arrived, but four coins slid over to Bea, and six stayed with Kai. At the market a honey bun cost two coins, so ten coins had bought five buns before the loan, but now six bought only three. A loan spends coins from months that have not happened yet, which is how it shrinks your future. A friend named Odo wanted the same bicycle and saved four coins a month instead, so after three months the jar held twelve and Odo bought it with no extra. Kai paid sixteen coins and rode from week one, while Odo waited three months and paid twelve. Both plans are fine. In month five Kai's plan was done, and all ten coins of pay came home again: borrowing is okay, it just has a cost.