The King’s Riddle by Kathryn England
The story so far. King Riddles has already given a sack of gold to the old man who asked him a riddle he could not answer. But instead of telling everyone the answer, the King has set another contest. Whoever can answer the riddle will get two sacks of gold, two horses and two carts.
borders. A young peasant boy named Seth heard about the contest from a travelling salesman. “I wish I knew the answer to the riddle,” the
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salesman said. “If I had two sacks of gold, two horses and two carts I’d be able to stop traipsing all over the countryside selling pots and pans. I’d buy a nice little house by the sea and retire.” “Can you tell me the riddle?” Seth asked. “It’s a difficult one,” the salesman said, handing
Seth a pencil and a sheet of paper. “You’d better write it down. Ready?” Seth nodded and the man repeated the King’s
riddle. “The rich want me
The wise are sure of me Fools know me Heroes fear me What am I?”
Seth frowned and handed back the pencil. “Told you it was a hard one,” the man said as he
climbed into his donkey wagon and continued on his way. Seth was neither rich nor wise, a fool nor a hero.
He was also not particularly good at riddles. Nevertheless, he decided to enter the contest. But he intended to arm himself with as much information as possible. First, he went to the nearest library and
borrowed The Giant Book of Riddles. Next, he stood under the Tree of Knowledge to see if he could pick up any good riddle-type vibes from it. So that he might be inspired by the wisdom of the tree, he made himself a rough cloak from its branches and leaves. A kindly wizard saw him making the cloak and gave him a magic cone hat to complete his outfit. The wizard had absolutely no interest in riddle contests but thought that any boy who was prepared to walk all the way to the palace barefoot and covered in foliage deserved his help.
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ord of the second contest spread far and wide throughout the land, even to the far
Part 2 “Thank you,” Seth said, placing the hat on his
head. It was a little large and tended to slip down over his eyes, but he could feel its power. “Good luck,” the wizard told him. With hope in his heart, Seth set off. As he lived
a long way from the palace, by the time he got there the final three contestants were before the King. A librarian stepped forward. “Do you have an answer for me?” the King
asked. Seth noticed that the man was carrying a copy
of The Giant Book of Riddles. Its polished leather cover looked brand new and Seth was dismayed to see that it was a more recent edition than his own. “Yes, Sire,” the librarian said confidently. “The
answer is … power.” He rubbed his hands together, for when he received the gold, horses and carts he was going to travel the world. But the King shook his head. The librarian’s
shoulders drooped almost to his waist and he left the palace. The second-last in line was a witch. She wore a
cone hat identical to Seth’s. “Do you have an answer for me?” the King
asked. “Yes, Sire,” the witch replied. She raised her
arms and placed the tips of her fingers against a half-moon on either side of the hat and shut her eyes. Swaying from side to side, she summoned up the hat’s powerful magic. “My answer is … fame.” The witch waited for the King’s cry of delight
and the crowd’s loud applause, for when she received the gold, horses and carts she was going to move to the next town and open up a magic shop. “Sorry,” the King said. The witch’s eyes
popped open and flashed. She chanted a few words before disappearing in a shower of psychedelic sparks and a puff of purple smoke. The last contestant was the King’s old school
master. He wore a fine suit woven from branches and leaves of the Tree of Knowledge. “Do you have an answer for me?” the King
asked.
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