The king's desert

The king

-‘Grandfather, grandfather tell me a story’, cried a child...

…-‘A child doesn’t want to be taught the ways of the elders, rather, he wishes to discover everything by him self, and learn through his mistakes…but it’s more important to listen, rather than speak my son; let me explain.

Life reveals her mysteries and wonders to those who’ve chosen to understand with their hearts, and not to those who try and figure it out with their minds, for the heart only knows what we long for, the mind just helps us get there! Life is like the desert my son; long, warm, and cold at nights. Picture a man, an ordinary person, whose mission is to confront the dangers his ‘desert’ hinders inside, with just a single weapon, his mind. And ask your self; ‘is that enough to get him out of here alive?’ In order for you to answer that question, you have to answer another; ‘can the mind affect the will?’

-I’ve crossed through many deserts, and I’ve realized that the one thing that mattered the most wasn’t what I was going to find in the other side, it was the journey that mattered the most, and what I’ve learned from it. But since you insist of hearing a story from my bare lips, I shall not let you down for I know what you long for; I proceed…

A great king had two twin sons who he loved unconditionally and equally, and not one of them fell short in his sight; despite of that he made a decision. They where only seven months old when he decided to send them far away from his kingdom, into an unknown land so they can be raised by two of his servants.

But before that, the king brought his servants who where male and female before him and said: ‘I have decided to send away my beloved ones, into a place where night and day are divided into half. And I have chosen you as faithful servants that you are, to raise them in a way that is pleasing to my very sight. There are though things you need to know before I send you all away. As you can see my children which I very love, have not yet met me, and have not known me as their father, a thing which brakes my heart but I have my reasons to do what I’m about to. The children will grow up very soon and as they grow you will represent their family. They will learn to love you and call you father, and mother. Your job is to let them know me through your words, and teach them all those things I taught you here in this very palace, and love them the way I have loved you for all those years that you have served me. You should though remember that I never betrayed you and that I always treated you with respect and mercy. It is hard for a father to ‘loose’ his children but it is for their own good. Because if they grow up inside this palace, they will never learn how it feels to be poor and full of needs, they will never learn to appreciate free life. Just the same way I picked you up from the streets and clothed you and gave you a roof to sleep under, the same you will try and provide for them, and give them what I gave to you. Although I tell you this; if any of my children decides that he wants to come and find me at any time and live with me in my kingdom, do not stand in his way, for if you do I will send my guards to find you and bring you before me in shame in order for you to give an excuse, but since I have warned you from before you therefore will have no excuse and you will be cut off forever. Now go, and take my children and teach them my works, and if you need anything at any time you have nothing to do but ask, and I shall send you goods and things you need, for I know from beforehand what my children long for. In order for you not to forget, I wrote all these into a little book which you will take with you, now go and do as I commanded!!’

So the two servants took the kings children and went far away from the palace. They found a house and lived in it for many years. The servants did as they where told. The king provided them with goods, food and water to satisfy their needs. The servants had everything they ever wanted; they lived as kings but eventually forgot what they had to do. They forgot to explain to the kings children who their father was. So the children slowly grew up with their new father and mother, but they had no idea who their real father was. The servants ate, drunk and slept, though in their pleasurable lives they forgot the king’s words; they forgot that all they have, was provided by him. The children where at the age of seventeen now and still they knew nothing about their father, nor about his kingdom, but instead they loved their new mother and father, and followed them in their actions.

The king on the other hand was furious, because his servants had forgotten his words, and did what they thought it was best. So the king kept his promise and had ordered several of his army to find one of the servants and punish him. So the army left the palace and poisoned the food of one of the servants in secret; for the servants forgot that what they ate for all these years came from the king’s garden. So the mother servant died and the king hoped that this would remind the father his promise.
But when the father saw that he was in great sorrow and anger and told the children that the king of a very far country did that to their mother. So the children got angry with the king and cursed his name, for he took their mother away.

The years went by the father made no effort to explain so the kings guards where sent again and as he labored into the fields, a poisonous snake took away his life. The children where devastated when they heard that. They wept for days and nights for their parent’s loss. But after some time as they where going through their parent’s things they bumped into that little book the king gave a long time a go to his servants. They couldn’t believe what they where seeing. They did not know what to believe since their parents told them it was the king’s fault of their mother’s loss. So since the brothers where old enough now to understand and find out the truth, they began a great journey to find the king and ask for answers. The one brother said: ‘ I read the book and it is full of lies, lets go and find this king and take his life, the way he took our mothers’. They searched and looked but they found nothing. They where lost far away from their home which was now empty. So they went back to their house and read the book again.

The other brother said: ‘ I have read the book and I believe every word of it, because everything then makes sense, so I want to go and look again for that king, for maybe he truly is our real father’. But when the other brother heard these words he got furious and out of control and refused to believe and go out to look again, so he asked his brother to go alone. So he did, but the brother who was going to go said that if he finds that kingdom he will never return because there he will have all he needs to have. The other brother laughed and showed him the door.

So he took off all by him self, looking for that kingdom. But when the father heard that one of his sons was looking for him he ordered his troops to show him the way, and so they did. And the son was brought before the eyes of his father who wept of joy. So the son opened his mouth: ‘ Are you my real father, the one written in that little book, the one who sent me away to live alone with strangers under the stars and beneath the sun beams?’

The father replied: ‘Indeed I am’

So the son walked closer to the father and whispered into his ear: ‘All my life I believed the lies they have been feeding me, all my life I struggled and wept looking for the reasons to explain all these, and this empty space became so wide open that I nearly fell in and died, but you never forgot about me, and every word I’ve read I believed because I had nothing else to live for. Because you’ve taken away things which I loved but they never loved you, and things that loved you had forgotten who you where and what power you have. For now that I found you, nothing else is left out there, but a brother who is lost and is all alone. So I ask you what shall I do now father?

The king took a deep breath and said: ‘my son, my son, you have broken the bonds of illusion and have found your way, and so your brother will as well, but when the time is right. Now he has to stay alone and learn for himself, and since you never returned, he will know that you kept your promise and found me. So if he is wise enough to remember he will follow your way and he will find me as well, and I will be waiting for him every moment.’

-Remember son stories are made for children because they believe straight away, and ‘deserts’ are given to others who need time to understand the true meaning of those stories.

Written by harris.p