The Boy and the Talking Rock: King Ah-Who’s Tale
Do you believe in fairy tales? I truly hope you do, because this is no ordinary tale—this is the story of a curious young boy and a rather extraordinary blue rock named King Ah-Who.
The boy lived happily with his sweet grandmother in a quiet countryside cottage. They often played together in the fields behind the house, where flowers danced in the wind and laughter filled the air. One sunny afternoon, while they were tossing stones and chasing shadows, the boy heard a peculiar voice whisper near his foot.
“Hey there, little boy,” the voice said softly, “please be my friend, and I’ll tell you stories like you’ve never heard before. My name is King Ah-Who, and I’m the blue rock right next to your shoe!”
“Ah-What?” the boy asked, staring in disbelief at the sparkling blue pebble.
“It’s Ah-Who! Hurry, pick me up before your grandmother hears. I’m not meant for her ears!” the rock hissed.
The boy knew his grandmother had sharp ears despite her age. She turned around, having noticed his whispering.
“What did you say, my dear Sweet Pea? Did you find something you want me to see?”
The boy panicked. He didn’t like lying, especially to Grandma, but who would believe he found a talking rock?
“No, Grandma,” he said nervously. “Nothing to show. Maybe we should head home—I’m ready to go.”
Quickly, he shoved King Ah-Who into his pocket. But his grandmother wasn’t fooled. She said nothing, only pointed to the timeout chair when they got home.
So there he sat, in the corner of the room, on a hard wooden seat. He leaned down and whispered, “King Ah-Who… are you still there?”
“Of course I am, boy. I’m a King, not a ghost,” the rock replied proudly. “Let me tell you how I came to be.”
The boy leaned in closer.
“I was once a boy king, ruling over a kingdom with colorful banners, kind villagers, and a grandmother who told the best stories. But one day, I decided to add my own twists to her tales. Turns out—she was a witch!”
The boy gasped.
“She warned me not to meddle in her craft. But I didn’t listen—I was King Ah-Who! The next morning, I awoke floating in the middle of the sea. I had been turned into this rock and tossed into the waves, doomed to be passed from one pocket to another for all eternity.”
The boy blinked. “But if you were a king, why didn’t you just banish the witch?”
“Who’s telling the story here?” snapped the rock. “No more silly questions—or I’ll go silent!”
Still, the boy couldn’t help but wonder: could a rock really talk? Was he just imagining things?
Later, when his grandmother asked who he had been talking to, the boy held out the rock. “Grandma, meet King Ah-Who!”
“Ah-What?” she asked, squinting.
“Ah-Who!” the boy said proudly. “And he can talk. Watch this!”
He held up the rock and said, “King Ah-Who, speak to me!”
The rock said nothing.
Grandma chuckled, patted his head, and ended his punishment. The boy bolted outside and sat on the porch, puzzled.
“Why didn’t you speak?” he whispered to the rock.
“I told you,” Ah-Who replied. “Your grandma mustn’t hear me.”
The boy looked closely. “So… were you really a king?”
“Not exactly,” sighed the rock. “I wasn’t always blue, but I’ve always been a rock. I come from a long line of enchanted stones. My father could grant wishes. My mother predicted the future. My brother could make dreams come true.”
“What about you?”
“All I could do was talk,” King Ah-Who said sadly. “My family was disappointed. I was passed from hand to hand until I belonged to a spoiled prince. He’d yell, throw me around, and demand I do tricks. When I refused, he hurled me into the ocean.”
The boy sat quietly, imagining the lonely journey of the talking stone. As twilight painted the sky in shades of gold and lavender, he whispered, “King Ah-Who… I love you. I’ll never throw you away. If you promise to keep telling stories, I’ll always keep you safe.”
The rock glowed softly in the fading light. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted, boy. Let me begin again—‘Once upon a time, in a land far away…’”
And from that day forward, the boy and his magical friend shared stories beneath the stars—tales of kings, kingdoms, and curious little boys who believed in the unbelievable.
🟩 Moral of the Story:
Everyone has a gift worth sharing. Even if others don’t see your value, staying true to who you are will eventually lead you to those who do.
