Once upon a time, in a far-off kingdom, there lived a wise and witty king named King Arithmetic. King Arithmetic loved all things math and finance, and he was always looking for ways to make his kingdom even richer.

One day, King Arithmetic decided that his kingdom needed a financial advisor, so he hired an auditor named Alistair. Alistair was known throughout the land as the best accountant in all the land, and King Arithmetic was sure that he would help the kingdom's finances flourish.

But Alistair was not all he appeared to be. He was actually a thief in disguise, and he was planning to steal all of the kingdom's assets and run away with the money!

King Arithmetic soon discovered Alistair's plan, and he was determined to stop him. He called in an actuary named Anna to help figure out how much money Alistair had stolen and to help calculate the kingdom's assets.

Together, King Arithmetic, Anna, and the kingdom's loyal subjects worked to track down Alistair and get the stolen money back. They found that Alistair had used the kingdom's funds to buy bonds, and he had been enjoying a life of luxury with the accrual from these bonds.

But King Arithmetic was not about to let Alistair get away with his evil plan. He called in a team of brave warriors, who set out to capture Alistair and recover the kingdom's assets. They chased Alistair through the forests and over the hills, finally cornering him at the edge of a cliff.

King Arithmetic approached Alistair and offered him a deal. If Alistair returned the stolen money and promised never to steal again, King Arithmetic would spare his life and let him go free.

Alistair agreed to the deal, and he returned all of the stolen money to the kingdom. King Arithmetic was so grateful for the return of the kingdom's assets that he declared a day of appreciation, and all of the kingdom's subjects celebrated with feasts and parties.

And as for Alistair, he lived the rest of his days as a humble bookkeeper, never daring to steal again.

The end.

Reflections

1. Who is King Arithmetic and what does he love?
2. Who was the financial advisor that King Arithmetic hired and what was their real plan?
3. Who helped King Arithmetic figure out how much money was stolen and how was it stolen?
4. What was Alistair doing with the stolen money?
5. How did King Arithmetic and his team recover the kingdom's assets?
6. What happened to Alistair after he returned the stolen money?
7. Why did King Arithmetic declare a day of appreciation?
8. What lesson did Alistair learn in the end?