Atondido Stories
The Story of Three Wonderful Serving Men
There was once an aged king who had an only son. One day he
called the prince to him and said: “My dear son, you know that
ripe fruit falls in order to make room for other fruit. This my old
head is like ripe fruit and soon the sun will no longer shine upon
it. Now before I die I should like to see you happily married. Get
you a wife, my son.”
“I would, my father, that I could please you in this,” the
prince answered, “but I know of no one who would make you a
worthy daughter-in-law.”
The old king reached into his pocket, drew out a golden key,
and handed it to the prince. He said:
“Go up into the tower to the very top. There look about you
and when you have decided what you like best of all you see,
come back and tell me.”
The prince took the key and at once mounted the tower. He
had never before gone to the very top and he had never heard
what was there. He went up and up until at last he saw a small
iron door in the ceiling. He opened this with the golden key,
pushed it back, and entered a large circular hall. The ceiling was
blue and silver like the heavens on a bright night when the stars
shine, and the floor was covered with a green silken carpet.
There were twelve tall windows set in gold frames, and on the
crystal glass of each window a beautiful young girl was pictured
in glowing colors. Every one of them was a princess with a royal
crown upon her head. As the prince looked at them it seemed to
him that each was more lovely than the last, and for the life of
him he knew not which was the loveliest. Then they began to
move as if alive, and they smiled at the prince and nodded, and
looked as if they were about to speak.
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