The Flying King – A Tale of Magic, Deeds, and Dreams

Once upon a time, in a rather lazy kingdom, there sat a king who was the very definition of idle. Day in and day out, he lounged on his throne, gnawing on oversized drumsticks, swigging cheap beer from his flagons, and doing… absolutely nothing else. His court was bored, his kingdom unimpressed, and his son — the Prince — was utterly ashamed.

The Prince, who had grown up watching his father’s inactivity, swore to himself, “When I become king, I will do things! Lots of things!” That simple but firm declaration became his life’s mission.

When the old king eventually passed away — though, truthfully, it took a few days for anyone to even notice — the Prince became King Timmy. People finally acknowledged the former king’s death when they realized no one had seen him eat, drink, or even burp for days.

As promised, King Timmy was determined to live differently. And indeed, he did things — all kinds of things! He learned to play the cello, mastered the game of chess, became fluent in three foreign languages, taught himself cooking, took up archery, excelled in needlepoint, earned a black belt in tae kwon do, starred in King Lear, wrote seven whole books, trained dachshunds, won a jousting tournament, and even invented the tricycle. Yes, really!

Before long, King Timmy became famously known throughout the land as King Timmy Who Does Things, and tales of his endless accomplishments spread far and wide. Bards sang songs about him, and scholars wrote about the many things he did when he did the things that he did. (It gets a bit wordy, but you get the idea.)

However, one day as Timmy gazed out of his grand castle window, he watched a bird soaring gracefully across the sky. A sudden thought struck him — of all the things he had accomplished, there was still one thing left undone: flying! So, he made his third vow in life: “I will learn to fly!”

Naturally, the court advisors were appalled. “But, Your Majesty, humans cannot fly!” they protested. They cited history, physics, and all the unfortunate souls who had tried and failed — often fatally.

But King Timmy was not King Timmy Who Thinks About Doing Things But Then Gives Up When It’s Hard. No, he was a man of action. He gathered the kingdom’s most brilliant minds — scientists, inventors, and philosophers — and ordered them to figure out how a man could fly.

For six long years, they experimented, designed contraptions, and debated fiercely. Eventually, the wisest of them came forward and said, “Sire, it is quite impossible. To fly like a bird, your body would need to be hollow-boned, your muscles differently formed — basically, we’d have to take you apart and rebuild you, which, alas, would kill you.”

Just then, Timmy pointed to the sky. “Then explain that!”

Hovering above them was a woman — a real, live human — flapping her arms and flying gracefully. She noticed them staring and gently landed.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty,” she said cheerily.

“How are you flying?!” Timmy asked, awestruck.

“Oh, that!” she chuckled. “I saved a witch from drowning in quicksand, and she granted me one wish. I wished to fly, and here I am!”

Of course! Science had failed, but magic had succeeded. All King Timmy needed was to find a witch, help her with some great deed, and he too could soar like the birds.

Timmy set off across the world in search of witches in distress. But to his frustration, all the witches he met were perfectly fine, thank you very much — no quicksand, no dragons, no dire situations needing a hero. Weeks passed with no luck, and he began to lose hope.

Then one day, he heard a voice crying, “Help! Help me!” Excited, Timmy rushed towards the sound, hoping it was a witch in peril. But to his disappointment, it was just a goose — a talking goose, at that — being attacked by a snake.

“Please help! This snake is going to eat me!” cried the goose.

“Are you a witch disguised as a goose?” asked Timmy.

“What? No! I’m just a goose! But I’d still appreciate the help!”

With that, Timmy drew his sword and dispatched the snake with ease.

“Thank you!” gasped the goose. “Could you help me a bit further? I’m scared of more wild animals. Would you mind carrying me home?”

“Hmm,” said Timmy, “you’re definitely not a witch?”

“No, I promise I’m just a goose.”

“Well, alright then.”

He picked up the goose and carried it safely home. As they reached her farm, the goose smiled and said, “Thank you, kind King. And now — surprise!” She shimmered and transformed into an old woman.

“Yes, I’m a witch! I told you I wasn’t because I wanted to test your kindness. And you helped me anyway, expecting nothing in return. That deserves a reward.”

Naturally, King Timmy’s wish was simple — to fly. The witch granted it immediately, and just like that, Timmy soared into the sky, light as air, flapping with ease.

And so, the world knew him as not just King Timmy Who Does Things, but also King Timmy Who Could Fly.

Moral of the Story

Kindness without expectation often brings the greatest rewards. Do good deeds because it’s the right thing to do — sometimes, you might just get to fly!