The Unusual King

There was an extraordinary land, and in that land, they used to make one person the king. But the rule was he could be the king for only five years. And after his five years tenure, he was snatched out from the throne and thrown to the wild beasts on the other side of the river. The town was on one side of the river, and there were these vast jungles on the other side with the wild beasts. So, at the end of the five years, the person was physically pulled out, put into a boat, and tossed onto the other side to be eaten up by the wild beasts. That was their rule.

So, when people got nominated king, the first four years they were thrilled. They enjoyed life and had great fun. And in the last year, it started hitting them that after one year, I will die. That's why the last year used to be horrible for whoever was the king because he knew what was coming. It wasn't that he didn't know when he became the king, but for the first four years, he enjoyed and in the last year slowly slowly slowly, it would build up.

And this would happen time after time, the tragic scene to see the king physically being pulled out of the palace, put into the boat, taken to the other side while he was screaming and yelling, and tossed to the wild beasts.

Now, once it happened that a boy got nominated to be the king. The boy, like all the other kings, enjoyed himself for the first four years. He continued to enjoy even after he entered the last year of his kingship. Six months into the fifth year, he was still happy and enjoying. Into the 9th, 10th, 11th month, and he was still having a merry time. And in the very last month also he was happy. The ministers thought that the boy had lost it. They thought maybe he has forgotten. So they reminded him - it is your last month on the throne. And he responded, 'yeah, yeah, no problem' and he continued to have a good time.

And then, there was only one week left, and he was still happy. People thought he had gone mad - why does the boy not understand that he will be physically pulled out and thrown to the wild beasts. The countdown began 5,4,3,2 days, and he was enjoying life as though nothing is going to happen. It was the last day, and he was still joyful. He was doing his work, relishing his food, and having a good time. And everyone wondered - at 5 pm today, we will give him a cup of tea, and he will physically be picked and off he goes.

And at 4 pm, he was still happy. He said, ' Hey, are you people ready, cmon let's go.' People thought he had gone crazy! Then, at 5'o clock sharp, the soldiers come with all the armor and weapons to take him. And he said, 'Why have you come with all this. I am ready. Let us go.' So they didn't have to pick him up, they did not have to pull him. He was jumping and dancing while going into the boat. And then as he was going in the boat, he waved out to everyone, bye people, see you! And he was gone.

Now, everyone had the same question that you have in your mind - What happened to the boy?

Do you know what happened?

When the boy got the throne, right in the beginning, he sent his people to the other side to build himself a permanent kingdom that side, and in five years, that kingdom was ready, so he was delighted. When he finished with this kingdom, he went over there, and he was king in that kingdom. Smart boy, right!?