THE KING WANTS TO SEE YOU: PART ONE

Once upon a time, In a land created for allegories… 

There was a peasant who lived in a modest hut.

He would get up every day to begin his chores on his small farm. 

Milking the cows. 

Collecting the eggs from the chickens. 

And feeding the goats in the back pen of the farm. 

As the peasant was finishing up he went inside his hut to eat some bread. 

KNOCK KNOCK. “You have a message!” 

The peasant walked over to the door and the King’s messenger stood proudly with a scroll in hand. 

“A message? From whom?”

The messenger hands the peasant the scroll which is sealed with The King’s seal. 

“The King wants to see you, sir.” The messenger smiles gently. 

The peasant panics. “What have I done? Am I in trouble?”

The messenger shakes his head. “I don’t know sir. Come to the castle as soon as you can to speak with Him yourself.”

“Of course. Please tell Him I am on my way.” 

The messenger nods and walks towards the castle. 

The peasant rushes back to his room and does his best to clean himself up. There are flecks of mud on his clothes so he quickly changes out of them. He places his nice cap on his head and heads out the door toward the castle.

The peasant walks for about an hour before he reaches the castle. 

As soon as he approaches the bridge a guard yells out to him. “What do you need?”

“The King wants to see me.” 

The giant wooden doors open for him and he hurries in. 

The peasant navigates the castle until he reaches the throne room. 

His heart begins to race. 

He’s never been summoned before. 

What could The King possibly want from him?

The door opens and the peasant’s eyes are in awe of the sight before him. 

The elegant stained glass windows were all around the room. 

The beautiful flowers are delicately placed in specific spots. 

And in the center of it all, there is The King. 

The peasant naturally fixes his eyes on the ground out of respect for the king. 

“Please. Come here.” 

The peasant walks up to the throne and naturally drops to his knees. “I heard that you wanted to see me, so I came.”

“I see you listened. Thank you. You may look upon me if you choose.” 

The peasant slowly lifts his head to meet the gaze of The King. 

His eyes are full of peace yet sorrow. 

His face is the definition of perfection and beauty. 

His demeanor is strengthening, yet He seems determined to be brought low. 

The King stands up from His throne and kneels down to hug the peasant. 

The action catches the peasant off guard, yet he embraces the King's welcome. 

“How are you, my son?” 

“What?”

“I asked how are you, my son?”

The embrace ends and the King places His hands on the man’s shoulders. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t think straight at this time.”

“That’s perfectly fine. I have that effect on my subjects.”

“I can understand why. Your power is beyond all comprehension. You demand all respect, worship, and glory. Yet even if your subjects don’t give it to you I’m sure the rocks will cry out your name.” 

“You speak well. Would you join me for a walk?” 

The king places his long cape on the throne and walks towards an extravagant doorway. 

The peasant forgets to answer but follows him nonetheless. 

They walk into a beautiful garden. As if it was handcrafted by The King himself. 

The hedges, flowers, and exotic plants practically proclaim the glory of the one who created them. 

“Your highness, why did you call for me?”

“I wanted to be with you.” 

“That’s it?”

“Do I need another reason?” 

“I don’t know. I know so little about you. I don’t understand why a man of your power would spend your afternoon with a peasant of less status.”

“Would you believe me if I said I care nothing of your status?” 

“I could come to that realization. But that doesn’t explain why out of all the subjects in your kingdom you wanted to see me.”

The King goes silent for a moment. “Follow me, I want to show you something.”

The King guides the peasant up the castle wall to see an overview of the kingdom. 

“I invite all my subjects to come and walk with me, to talk with me. I want to be with them all. Most don’t answer my invitation. No matter how many times I call upon them they deny me.” 

“Your highness, that’s a tragedy.” 

“For them, yes I agree. Although I don’t stop calling upon them.”

“So why am I here?”

“I wanted to ask you a question. Do you have all you need?” 

“I believe so. My hard work has gotten me far in this life. I can’t seem to think that I need anything else.” 

“Very well. I will call upon you often. I want to hear how you are. I want to speak the truth to you. I want you to know that I am all you need. It’s easy for you to forget that you even have a King ruling you from afar. I want to destroy that divide between us and create a relationship with you.” 

“Well thank you, my King. I will do my best to return as often as I can.” 

“Leave my house well, I hope to see you soon.”

The peasant left the castle and headed back to his hut. 

Once he returned he went about his chores as night was fast approaching. 

He thought of the King as he worked. How odd to have been invited into his throne room. 

He couldn’t comprehend why others had turned down his invitation. It was a fantastic moment. He wondered when he would see The King again. 

After he tired his body with the work of his hands he laid his head down to sleep.