A Grain of Corn

Once upon a time, there was a nice King who ordered wisely. All the people of the Kingdom loved him. One day, the King called his four daughters and told them that he would like to leave the Kingdom for a long journey. “I want to learn more about God and the meaning of this life. I will go to a very far ascetic place and spend a long time for asceticism. While I am not here, I order you all to take responsibility on my Kingdom,” he said.

“O, Father,” said his four daughters. “Don’t leave us, please…We will never be able to order this Kingdom without you,” said them again. The King smiled. “You will run this duty well while I am not here,” he said. “Now, before I leave, I would like to give you all something. I wish it can help you how to order this Kingdom,” said the King. He put a grain of corn on every hand of his four daughters. Then, he leaved.

The oldest Princess came into her room, warped the grain of corn with a silk cloth and tied it with a gold yarn, then kept it carefully. The second Princess also came into her room and placed the grain of corn in a beautiful glass box. Whenever she missed her father, she would lift the box and stare at it. The third Princess, a very practice girl, looked at the grain of corn and thought,” This grain of corn is as same as other grains,” she then threw the grain away.

The youngest Princess held the grain and took it into her room, and then thought hard to the real meaning of his father’s gift. She thought of it in weeks until finally she could understand the meaning of the gift.

For months and even for years, the four Princesses ordered their father’s Kingdom. Until one day, the King came home. His beard was luxuriant and his eyes were shining within a peaceful shine that he got from his asceticism. The King greeted all his daughters, and then asked them to show him the present that he gave.

The oldest Princess immediately came into her room and took the silk package that contained a grain of corn, which given by her father. “Father,” she said, “I warp this grain of corn with a silk cloth and tie it with a gold yarn and keep it carefully.” The King bowed his head and said, “Thank you.”

Next, the second Princess presented her father a beautiful glass box that contained the grain of corn. She said, “For the past few years while you were gone, I have kept this grain of corn in a save place and stared at it whenever I missed you.” Again, the King bowed his head to his daughter, received the box and said, “Thank you.”

The third Princess went into a kitchen in a hurry, took a grain of corn from a cupboard and gave it to her father and said, “Father, this grain of corn is as same as the grain of corn that you gave to me.” The King smiled and received it and said, “Thank you.”

At last, the youngest Princess came forward to her father and said, “I don’t have the grain of corn that you gave to me anymore.” “All right, but what have you done to it” asked the King. “Father, I thought of it for almost one month and finally I found the meaning of your gift. I realized that the grain of corn was a seed, so I planted it in the ground. The grain then grew up, then I got other grains from it. After that, I planted all the grains and harvested the result again. I have continually done it. Let’s come out and see the result.”

The King walked out, following his youngest daughter. There, he saw a spread out area of corns along his eyes’ sight. The corns were much enough for feeding all the people of the Kingdom.

The King came forward to his youngest daughter, put off his gold crown, and then put it on his youngest daughter’s head. “You have learned and understood on how to order a Kingdom,” he said tenderly.