Welcome to a series of children's tales read by Mark Gway.
These are classic tales told with a modern twist.
You are currently listening to The King's Cloak of Truth.
Once upon a time,
In a peaceful kingdom surrounded by ancient forests and flowing rivers,
There lived a wise king named King Everin.
The king's heart was kind,
And he was loved by his people,
But deep inside he longed for something more,
Something beyond gold crowns and royal feasts.
He often sat under the great oak tree in the palace garden,
Wondering about the mysteries of the universe and the magic of the unseen.
One day,
Two mystical travelers arrived at the castle.
They were known as Weavers of Truth,
And they carried with them stories of the stars,
The winds,
And the hidden realms.
"'Your Majesty,
' said the first traveler,
"'we have a gift for you,
An enchanted cloak like no other.
'" The second traveler smiled and said,
"'But this cloak is no ordinary cloak.
It is woven from threads of light and spirit,
And only those who have true wisdom in their hearts can see it.
'" King Everin's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"'Could this cloak help me find the deeper truth that I've been searching for?
' he wondered.
So he asked the travelers to weave the magical cloak for him.
The Weavers of Truth worked in the castle for many days,
Spinning and weaving,
With invisible threads,
Their hands moving gracefully in the air.
When they finished,
They brought the cloak to King Everin.
"'Here it is,
Your Majesty,
' they said,
Holding out the air before them.
"'This is your cloak of truth.
'" King Everin looked,
But he couldn't see anything at all.
At first his heart sank.
"'Am I not wise enough to see it?
' he thought.
But he didn't want to admit it,
So he smiled and he said,
"'Ah,
Yes,
I see it now.
It's beautiful.
'" The travelers placed the invisible cloak around King Everin's shoulders,
And he pretended to feel its weight drape over his shoulders,
Though there was nothing there.
Word spread across the kingdom,
And soon everyone wanted to see the king's magical new cloak.
The next day,
A great ceremony was held in the town square.
King Everin stood tall in front of his people,
Wearing the cloak of truth.
The crowd gasped,
Not because they could see the cloak,
But actually because they feared they weren't wise enough to see it themselves.
They whispered to each other,
"'The king is truly enlightened.
We must not be ready to see such magic.
'" But among the crowd was a small child with wide,
Innocent eyes.
As she looked up at the king,
She saw only the truth.
With a voice as clear as the wind,
She called out,
"'I could see the king's behind!
' The crowd fell silent.
Everyone realized that they had been pretending.
No one could see the cloak because there was no cloak at all.
They began to giggle and whisper,
But King Everin remained still.
He looked down at himself,
And he saw the truth too.
There was no magic cloth,
No special cloak,
Only the simple,
Bare truth of who he was.
And then,
Something powerful shifted inside of him.
With a deep breath,
He let out a soft laugh,
"'Thank you,
Little one,
' he said.
"'For reminding me of the greatest truth of all.
'" He turned to his people and said,
"'The real magic is not in what we wear or what we try to be on the outside.
The real magic is within us,
In our hearts,
In the truth we carry inside.
'" The crowd cheered,
For they saw that King Everin had discovered a wisdom far greater than any enchanted cloak could give.
From that day on,
The kingdom blossomed.
People no longer sought to prove their worth through grand displays of fancy robes.
Instead,
They focused on kindness,
Honesty,
And the deep connection they share with one another and the world around them.
King Everin spent more time under the great oak tree,
Feeling the truth of the earth beneath him,
The wisdom of the soil,
The wind caressing his skin,
And the quiet magic in his heart.
And he knew that the greatest cloak of all was the one woven from love and truth,
And the invisible thread that connects us all.
