[ Midnight grins, leaning back in his chair and collecting details about the story. He loves telling stories almost as much as he loves reading them. (He's sure he's read one about a beanstalk, but it would have been a Western tale, one that he would've only known in passing. The fairytales of Higashi and Yan are the ones he heard as a child.) ]
Well, it wasn't just him and the emperor. You see, this emperor was childless, and decided to bequeath his position to a child, who would rule after his passing. Regardless of position, class, wealth... All were invited to try their hand at becoming the new emperor. And the test consisted of a task. Each child was given a seed, instructions for the care of that seed. They were given six months to grow a plant... And the child who grew the most beautiful plant, the strongest plant, would inherit the empire.
Our child came from humble means, but he was an avid gardener, so he decided to follow the directions exactly, and to give his plant as much care as he could. So he did. For the first week, he cared well for that plant, gave it sun, the best sort of water, the richest dirt and fertilizers he could afford. But nothing grew. Nothing grew the first month, the second, or the third. He tried everything, switched the dirt, the water, spoke to the plant every day, slept with the pot so it wouldn't feel lonely... But nothing grew.
The day of the evaluation came, and in spite of the boy's best efforts, in 6 months, not a single sprout came from his pot. And on top of that, when he looked to the streets and saw other children in their best clothes, carrying their pots... Their pots were filled with flowers, with leaves, with strong stems and roots. They had all succeeded.
He almost decided not to go. Why would he? He'd failed... He'd worked hard for 6 months, but nothing came of it.
But he'd tried his best. His parents told him to go anyway, to see his task through to the end. Even if he hadn't come up with anything, he had to have the courage to look the emperor in the face and tell him that he had tried his best...
[ Midnight pauses for a moment. ]
When the emperor finally came to judge the plants, he walked among them, face emotionless. He looked at each plant one by one, but said not a word. Not until he came to our child's pot.
When he did, he finally stopped. He looked at the boy. "You brought nothing," he said.
"I know," the boy said, frightened. "This was the best I could do. I'm sorry. I tried my best."
Then the emperor smiled. "Finally," he said. "One honest child. You see, every one of those seeds had been boiled overnight... Not a single one would have ever been able to grow."
[ Midnight pauses and sighs. ]
I always liked that bit. Fairy tales, you know. A place where fantasies do come true, at least for a little bit.
[ This is actually where the Earth version of the story ends. The Terran version... well, there's a little more added onto it. ]
no subject
Well, it wasn't just him and the emperor. You see, this emperor was childless, and decided to bequeath his position to a child, who would rule after his passing. Regardless of position, class, wealth... All were invited to try their hand at becoming the new emperor. And the test consisted of a task. Each child was given a seed, instructions for the care of that seed. They were given six months to grow a plant... And the child who grew the most beautiful plant, the strongest plant, would inherit the empire.
Our child came from humble means, but he was an avid gardener, so he decided to follow the directions exactly, and to give his plant as much care as he could. So he did. For the first week, he cared well for that plant, gave it sun, the best sort of water, the richest dirt and fertilizers he could afford. But nothing grew. Nothing grew the first month, the second, or the third. He tried everything, switched the dirt, the water, spoke to the plant every day, slept with the pot so it wouldn't feel lonely... But nothing grew.
The day of the evaluation came, and in spite of the boy's best efforts, in 6 months, not a single sprout came from his pot. And on top of that, when he looked to the streets and saw other children in their best clothes, carrying their pots... Their pots were filled with flowers, with leaves, with strong stems and roots. They had all succeeded.
He almost decided not to go. Why would he? He'd failed... He'd worked hard for 6 months, but nothing came of it.
But he'd tried his best. His parents told him to go anyway, to see his task through to the end. Even if he hadn't come up with anything, he had to have the courage to look the emperor in the face and tell him that he had tried his best...
[ Midnight pauses for a moment. ]
When the emperor finally came to judge the plants, he walked among them, face emotionless. He looked at each plant one by one, but said not a word. Not until he came to our child's pot.
When he did, he finally stopped. He looked at the boy. "You brought nothing," he said.
"I know," the boy said, frightened. "This was the best I could do. I'm sorry. I tried my best."
Then the emperor smiled. "Finally," he said. "One honest child. You see, every one of those seeds had been boiled overnight... Not a single one would have ever been able to grow."
[ Midnight pauses and sighs. ]
I always liked that bit. Fairy tales, you know. A place where fantasies do come true, at least for a little bit.
[ This is actually where the Earth version of the story ends. The Terran version... well, there's a little more added onto it. ]