Once
upon a time there was a ring that King Galifinakis wore every day since his
sixteenth birthday. The ring was a deep shade of purple, and it sparkled
whenever it hit the light. The purple reminded the king of his royalty, and
although he was in no way a ‘mean’ king, he treasured that ring more than he
appreciated any of his servants or people. One day the King awoke and, like
every other morning, raised his hand to admire the ring he had received so many
years ago. To his surprise, the ring was no long the deep, beautiful, purple
that it once was. The king jumped out of his bed, as worried as can be, and ran
to one of his servants to show them the ring, which was now a dark blood-red
color. The servant gave the king a look of concern and told him the story of a
ring lost long ago that changed colors when the owner was going to come into
more wealth than can ever be imagined- or when someone close to the owner was
going to die. There was no way to distinguish which one was going to happen
until one or the other did. In a daze, the king walked slowly to his study,
where he sat down in his favorite lounge chair and thought about what he had
just learned. Eventually King Galifinakis fell asleep, only to awaken in a dark
room with no windows or doors, and the only light peeking through a crack in
the wall. The king crawled over to the crack and tried to look out of it,
however all he could see was rocks, and he could hear the faint crash of waves.
Looking down at his hand, he realized that his ring was still glowing red.
After a moment’s hesitation he pried the ring off of his finger, and pushed it
through the little crack in the wall. As the king sat in silence, a door that
he did not notice that was hidden in the wall had started to creak open. The
servant that he had talked to earlier made his way through, only this time he
was dressed as royalty. Confused and slightly relieved, the king stared at the
servant, not sure what to make of the situation. The servant smiled and
extended a hand to help the king stand up. “Congratulations, sir. You passed our
test. I am part of your council; I was sent here to make sure that you could do
whatever it takes to protect your country. In this case, we knew the ring meant
more to you than anything else. If you could separate yourself from the ring,
even in the chance of more wealth, then we knew you could continue to take care
of our country.” As the king stood up, the servant reached into his pocket and
pulled out the purple ring that the king recognized immediately. The servant laughed at the king’s bewildered
look, “we had to switch the rings out while you slept; and might I add, you are
an incredibly heavy sleeper.” Unable to say anything, the king took the ring
and stumbled out of the room. Upon entering the hallway the king realized he
was in the dungeon that had not been used for centuries- the king did not
believe it was humane to keep people locked up in such filth. As the king
walked past a barred window, he reached inside his pocket and grabbed the ring.
Playing with it in between his fingers, he took a deep breath and tossed it out
the window, ashamed that he had ever prized something more than all the people
and wealth he had around him.
Many years later, the king passed away. Surrounding him was
a beautiful wife, and two children.
Needless to say, after getting rid of the ring the king became a much
more sociable person. He got married and enjoyed a long life with his family. Never
again attaching himself to material items.
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