Short Stories for Kids- The king and the jester
In a faraway land, lived a king who went by the name, ‘Otupus’. He was very well loved by the people of his kingdom. He treated everyone equally, with much love and respect. As kind and calm as he was with his people, he was equally fierce and smart when it came to protecting his people.
One day, a jester showed up in the kingdom. He was friendly with everyone and kept everyone entranced with his tales of travel and what other places are like. Everyone liked him and as his stay lengthened, so did everyone’s trust on him.
Slowly, he started spreading small irrelevant lies among the people. With time, these small lies turned into quarrels and soon, the minds of people turned sour for each other.
The change in the behavior of his people reached the kings ear and he requested one of his trustworthy ministers to find the cause of it discreetly. A few days later, the minister reported back saying, ‘your highness, I have talked with as many people as I could and I have my suspicions on the Jester”
“Why are you suspicious of him, Arim?” asked the king.
“Your Highness, he was a part of everyone’s story in some way and also, the rumors started only after his arrival in the city.”
“It cannot be a coincidence.” Mused King and ordered, “Bring him in the court tomorrow.”
Arim interrupted and said, “Your highness, presenting him in the courts would be futile as we have nothing on him. We cannot prove anything.”
“What do you suggest we do, Arim?” asked the king.
“My suggestion would be to keep a note of his activities and catch him red handed.” Suggested Arim.
The king stayed silent, thinking over Arim’s suggestion and the whole situation.
“It will be difficult to catch him red handed. He is not stealing something that you can catch him in the act.” Said the king and after some more discussion, the court was dismissed.
The next morning, a trader arrived in the city. He too was welcomed whole heartedly by the people of the city. Soon, the trader was all everyone could talk about. His travels, his sweet talks and his collection of such unique gems left everyone wanting more. He showcased his gems to anyone who wanted to look at them irrespective of the promise of sale.
His praises left a sour taste in the jester’s mouth. People were forgetting and forgiving their quarrels and were starting to again live in unity. Seeing his months of work come undone in just a few weeks angered Jester and he decided to turn everyone against the trader and outcast him.
As per his plan, he befriended the trader and stayed by his side all the time under the pretense of learning the trade. Slowly he started exchanging the gems with cheap stones and started dropping seeds of mistrust in everyone’s mind.
One day, the king’s minister came to the trader in hopes of purchasing a rare gem to gift to his wife. The trader showed him quite a few gems and the minister liked a pearl white gem with hues of pink all over it. He paid for it and took it with him.
The next day, the minister visited the trader again and said, “I am doubtful of the originality of the gem. Is it really as rare as you say it is?”
The trader stunned at the question, calmly asked, “What makes you dubious of it, sir?”
“I have been told it’s a part of the pair and you have saved the other gem to sell at higher price. You have been lying about your gems.” Said the minister.
“You have been given half information, sir. It’s true, there is a pair of gems just like it but this is not that pair. That pair belongs to me and my wife.” The trader said showing the ring on his finger encasing the gem in question.”
By that time, a crowd gathered and were watching in anticipation. The jester was the most interested and when he saw the minister looking a bit convinced by the trader, he whispered, loud enough to make sure that the people standing near him could hear him, “but, that’s just one gem. He could still be lying.”
His words brought an uproar among the people and everyone demanded that the trader prove his words. Sighing the trader agreed and called for his wife.
Everyone watched in astonishment as the queen walked in and stood in front of the trader. No one knew what was happening, why was the queen there.
Suddenly the jester jumped up, assuming that the queen was there to make a purchase and said, “My queen, please do not trade with him. He is a liar and we are all here to see to it that he doesn’t trade for long.”
“What makes you sure of that?” asked the queen, her eyes shining in humour.
“I know it, my queen. He has sold cheap stones as precious gems to many others.” Said the jester.
No one backed him up as he stood looking at others wondering why no one was speaking up. He turned to the guy beside him and said, “The ruby you purchased the other day was fake too. Throw it to the ground and it will break. Believe me.”
The guy looked at him holding the ruby gem in his hand. The queen requested him to test it out. It didn’t shatter. The jester was shocked. He took the ruby from the ground and threw it again with much force. Still it didn’t break.
“Why is it not breaking?” he said angrily throwing it again and again.
“That’s enough now.” Said the queen.
“But, my queen, it’s wrong. It is supposed to break. I changed the gems myself. These are cheap colored stones. I don’t understand why it is not breaking.” The jester ousted himself
Everyone gasped in shock just as the trader slowly took the queens hand, gave it a kiss and brought the queen to his side. Holding her hand, he revealed the other gem in the Queen’s ring.
Shocking everyone once again, He took off his disguise and revealed his true identity. It was King Otupus.
Looking at the jester, he asked, “Why did you do it? What did you gain from it?”
The jester had no answer. In the end, the King banished the jester from his city for disturbing its peace.
Moral of the short story:
“Sometimes, people lie or mislead others for no obvious reason but for their own entertainment. Always keep your mind and heart open for any possibilities but be wary of who you let in.”
HOW DO SHORT STORIES FOR KIDS HELP?
Short stories for kids are great conversation starters, they build empathy and help kids develop a creative mindset. At Ekdali, we belive child development happens best when they are off the screen, spending their time reading and conversing with adults and playing with other children. Our posters, maps and flashcards are some screen free way for kids to build knowledge and have conversations
ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THIS SHORT STORY:
Manisha Sanghi - A lively mom to a witty toddler who loves baking not only stories but also cookies and cakes
