Johannes was his most loyal servant. He had been true and loyal to the king all his life...
KIDS CORNER
Long ago, in a far-off land, there reigned an old king who fell really sick. In great pain, he thought, ‘This bed I’m lying on will be my deathbed.’ Then, he sent for his faithful servant, Johannes.
Johannes was his most loyal servant. He had been true and loyal to the king all his life. When he came into the king’s bedroom, the king beckoned him close to the bed, and said, ‘My good and faithful Johannes, I’m have no desire for this world anymore. The only thing that troubles me is my son. He’s a good lad, but he’s young and he doesn’t always know what’s best for him. I won’t be able to close my eyes in peace unless you promise to be like a father to him and teach him all he ought to know.’
Faithful Johannes said, ‘I’ll do that gladly. I won’t leave him, and I’ll serve him devotedly even if it costs me my life.’
‘That’s a relief to me,’ said the king. ‘I can die in peace now. When I am gone, that is what you must do: show him over the castle, all the vaults, the chambers, the halls, and all the treasure they contain. But keep him away from the last room in the long gallery.’
Soon after, the king died, and his son, Charles, became king. Faithful Johannes kept his promise and did as he was bid by the old king. Charles also obeyed his father’s will by keeping himself away from the last room in the long gallery, and despite his curiosity, he was obedient enough not to break his father’s and Johanne’s trust.
With time, Charles grew up and became a kind, wise, just and powerful king. Johannes got old and sick. One day, Johannes realized that he was going to die soon. He called Charles and said, ‘O Majesty! Soon I am going to die. I completed my task and fulfilled the trust your father bestowed on me. Now, I just want a promise from you: whatever you do, just keep away from the last room in the long gallery.’
‘O my Faithful Johannes, I promise I will keep myself away from that room.’
Faithful Johannes died a week later. He was buried beside his former king in the Royal Graveyard.
***
King Charles got married to a beautiful princess and they had a son and a daughter. He was a very successful king and conquered many kingdoms and built a huge empire. But every day, his curiosity about what was in the last room in the long gallery, which he was not allowed to see, killed him.
One day, while the king’s family had gone out-of-town, King Charles decided to go to the last room and see for himself what was inside. He went to the long gallery and walked up to the last room. He stood at the door for few moments and then with his heart beating fast, he put his hand on the door knob and turned it.
Inside, he saw a long dark staircase heading upward and mellow light at the top of the staircase, coming from somewhere.
Curiosity pulled him towards the light. He noticed sometime later, after he had climbed more than fifty steps, that the light kept moving farther away as he tried to reach it.
Finally, he got scared and turned to go back but just at that moment he heard a voice from the source of light. A girl’s voice.
‘Stop! Don’t go! Many came before you and did just as you did. But they made their fortune by stepping through the door.’
‘Why, what is behind the door?’ asked the king.
‘Come and see for yourself,’ teased the voice.
King Charles stepped forward and sure enough, there was another door before him. He pushed it open couldn’t believe his eyes: he was in fairy land.
There was a large, golden castle standing tall with fairies, dancing around and cleaning it with large, golden dusters. He stepped forward and saw that a group of fairies was coming towards him.
The group was being led by a gorgeous fairy, wearing a beautiful, golden crown studded with large emeralds, diamonds and rubies. She had long, golden hair and she wore large diamond-studded earrings. Her gold dress was also studded with diamonds and emeralds. Behind her, five fairies carried the long train of her dress. She had magnificent, white wings and was holding a large, golden wand in one hand.
She approached King Charles and welcomed him to her kingdom. She showed him around the magnificent castle and all the jewels and treasure it contained. Though he was already a king, his entire empire was dust as compared to the magnificence and beauty of this wonderland. The queen gave him everything but told him to keep away from the last room in the long gallery. And surprisingly, it was the same as the one he had back in his castle.
Struck by her beauty and the treasures of the world, the king decided to stay there with her. He married the queen and started leading a comfortable life. One day, while the queen had gone out with her fairies, he went to the long gallery and stood in front of the door and thought, ‘Last time I dismissed the warning and ended up here. Maybe, if I dismiss the warning this time, I would end up in a more beautiful and luxurious place than this one.’
He opened the door found himself back in his old kingdom. He had returned back to his castle and the door to Fairyland had vanished. He was back to his old life. His castle was in an absolute shambles. He was astonished to find out that his huge empire had shrunk to less than half since he had been gone and his wife and kids had left the castle to live somewhere far away land with the remains of the riches the king once possessed. He was not just stuck back in his old life but had no riches, and no family. He was left all alone.
Moral of the story: Greed is a demon; whatever you feed it is never enough. So be content with what you have.
