Once upon a time, in a far-off kingdom, there lived a king named King Kool. King Kool was different from other kings because he loved to laugh and play pranks. One day, he had an idea that would be the most hilarious prank ever. He decided to pretend that the kingdom was in danger and that the only way to save it was to destroy his desk.

King Kool summoned his bravest knights and announced the emergency to the entire kingdom. "My friends," he declared, "the kingdom is in grave danger! A monster has been spotted, and it's heading straight for us! The only way to stop it is to destroy my desk!"

The knights looked at each other, confused. "Your Majesty, how can destroying your desk save the kingdom?" they asked.

"I'll explain," replied King Kool. "You see, this monster is so powerful that it can only be defeated by a mighty blow from the strongest and bravest knight in the land. And, since my desk is made of the strongest wood in the kingdom, you must use it to strike the monster and defeat it."

The knights thought this was a strange request, but they trusted King Kool and went to work. They gathered all the tools they could find and began to destroy the desk. They pounded it with hammers, sawed it apart, and even tried to set it on fire. But no matter what they did, the desk wouldn't break.

Meanwhile, the kingdom was in a panic. People were running and screaming, and the streets were empty. The monster was getting closer and closer, and everyone was sure that the kingdom was doomed.

Just then, a young boy appeared. He had been watching the knights try to destroy the desk, and he had an idea. "Your Majesty," he said to King Kool, "I have an idea! Let me try."

King Kool was skeptical, but he agreed. The boy approached the desk and gave it a gentle tap with his finger. To everyone's surprise, the desk broke into a million pieces.

King Kool was shocked. "How did you do that?" he asked the boy.

"It's simple," replied the boy. "You see, your desk was so old and worn out that it was ready to fall apart. All it needed was a little push."

King Kool was so impressed that he made the boy his chief advisor. And from that day on, the kingdom was safe and happy, and everyone depended on the boy's wisdom and wit to keep them laughing and protected.

And as for the monster? Well, it turned out that it was just a silly old joke created by King Kool to test his knights and develop their sense of humor. But that's another story for another time!

Reflections

1. What did King Kool ask the knights to do to save the kingdom?
2. How did the young boy save the kingdom?
3. Was the monster real or just a joke?
4. What was the young boy's reward for saving the kingdom?
5. Why was the king's desk so difficult to destroy?
6. What lesson did the knights learn from this experience?
7. How do you think the kingdom was different after the young boy became the chief advisor?
8. Can you think of a time when you had to be brave like the young boy in the story?
9. Why do you think King Kool wanted to play a prank on his knights?
10. What do you think would have happened if the young boy had not appeared and tried to destroy the desk?