Embedded Files
"Daddy! Daddy! Tell us again how you became king," shouted the three princes.
"Not again, boys!" said the King.
"Please, Dad!" said the boys in unison.
"Alright, but after this you have to go to bed. Promise?" asked the King.
"We promise!" said the boys.
The King began, "Before I became king, I was a very poor man. I lived in a ragged, old shack down by the riverbend. It was a nice day. The birds were chirping, and the sky was a brilliant blue. Suddenly, the sky began to turn dark and the winds began to roar. The once calm river began to roll." The King paused for dramatic emphasis.
The boys listened intently as their father continued.
The King continued, "As the storm raged outside, I heard a voice faintly crying for help. I rushed outside my shack into the rain and saw a man floating down the river on a log!
I knew that I had to rescue him, because if I did not, he might drown. I bravely entered the raging river and began swimming with all my might toward the log. When I finally reached the log, I fought the current and safely pushed it to shore. When I reached the bank, I realized that the man was not alone. Accompanying the man on the log was a snake, a rat, and a parrot, all of whom were unconscious. The man was just happy to be on land, so I quickly took the animals into my shack and placed them by the fire to warm them. Then, I went back out and dragged the now unconscious man into my shack. I checked each being over and concluded that the animals were in much worse shape than the man, whom I determined to be the prince.
I began to nurse each of the animals one by one and then moved onto the prince. It took a few days, but when each regained strength, they began to thank me, and eventually it was time for them to leave.
When the snake left, he was so grateful and he told me that he knew where some gold was buried. The snake promised me, that whenever I needed it, I could just go to his home and call out to him, and he would tell me where it was buried. He then went on his way.
When the rat left, he was also thankful and told me that he too knew where gold and money was buried and to come to his home and call out to him when I needed it.
When the parrot was departing, he told me that whenever I needed rice to come to him and he and his family and friends would gather the best rice they could find for him.
Finally, when the prince was leaving, he told me to come to him when he was king and he would give me all the riches I wanted.
"I think that is enough for tonight, boys. You all look tired!" said the King.
"NO, Dad! Keep going!" replied the eldest son.
"Please!"begged the other two sons.
"I suppose, but do not complain to me tomorrow when you are tired," warned the King.
The King continued the story, "Time went on and eventually the king died and the prince became king. I then decided to test each of the creatures that I rescued that day. I first visited the snake. When I got to his home I called out and the snake emerged from his home and said, "Kind sir, I will tell you where the gold is," and he told me. I thanked him for holding his end of the promise and told him I would go get it when I needed it.
I then visited the rat, then the parrot. Each animal showed that they were still so grateful to me. I was pleased and felt happy that they were so grateful and kind.
Finally, it was time to visit the king. When I approached the king in his court, he acted like he did not know me and ordered his guards to kill me because I was asking for money. The guards were in shock. As they took me into their grasp, I began to tell them the story of how I rescued the king from the river. The guards looked at me, then at each other and then charged the king, killing him. They then placed me on the throne and crowned me king. After being crowned king, I went and asked the snake, the rat, and the parrot to live with me in the palace for the rest of their lives," concluded the king.
"Thanks, Dad." The eldest prince nodded as he rolled over in his bed and joined his brothers in a deep and restful sleep.
The king smiled as he watched his sons sleep.
Author's Note: The original story is much like this one. It was titled The Wicked Prince and the Grateful Animals. The original story focused more on the wicked prince versus the poor man. The story line stayed the same. I simply changed the perspective of the story from third person to first person by making the poor man (the deserving king) tell his sons the story of how he became king. I personally thought that the story would become so much more powerful hearing the story in first person and would add another dimension making the king's sons proud of their dad. I also liked the idea of the king's sons thinking that the story of how their dad became king was the best story he ever told. From this, I feel like there could also be a lesson,which is what the king's sons were taking away from the story. During the original story, I felt that the main theme was about being selfless and caring for the well-being of other and also, most importantly being grateful, honest and truthful. The moral of the story was do not make a promise that you do not intend to keep. This was a very indirect lesson and takes some thinking to understand.
Feedback? Head to my Comment Wall.
Google Sites
Report abuse