The bad man is continually at war with, and in opposition to Himself (Aristotle)
There once was a Prince who ruled the Land of the Eagle. He was an ambitious man, loved by many yet never totally understood. The Land of the Eagle bordered the Land of the Beaver, a land filled with tolerant, peaceful citizens, diversified and creative. This ambitious Prince was known as “The Orange Prince“, due to his facial colouring, and the Prince intended to make a mark in his nation’s history no matter what.
One day the Orange Prince devised a way to acquire his neighbors land, wealth and people. So the Orange Prince found the nicest hill within the Land of the Beaver and intended to plant his flag, the Flag of the Eagle, declaring the Land of the Beaver to be his, and his alone henceforth.
David was a young citizen of The Beaver. He got up, ate his breakfast and went outside for a walk. Where were his friends he asked himself. Oh, there was a large crowd near the hill area. Lots of his neighbors were surrounding some other people so he went to the front of the crowd. Once there he saw a large man with wavy silver-blond hair, pursed lips and blazing excitable eyes holding a flag and pole of a foreign nation. David decided he did not like this man at all and approached him slowly. The Orange Prince was surrounded by many men in black with their black suburban vehicles.
David walked up to the Prince looking at him inquisitively. The Prince looked down upon David with a smirk on his lips. That did it for David. He pulled out of his pocket his trusty slingshot. In the other pocket, he had some nice-sized pieces of rock candy his dad gave him the other day. David drew back his sling shop quickly and let loose directly at the Orange Prince.
The rock candy struck The Orange Prince right between the eyes and the Prince fell over. The men in black gathered David and all those who witnessed the assault upon the Prince, taking them away for questioning. Was little David a lone assassin or was there a conspiracy afoot? Within the hour the Orange Prince decided to declare this event a conspiracy led by the leaders of the Land of the Beaver. War was declared upon the Land of the Beaver. And so the armies of The Eagle marched on the Land of the Beaver.
David was held for a day and released into the arms of his parents. A tiny child struck at the tyranny of the Orange Prince. A child saw what the Orange Prince represented, recognized a bad man when he saw one and responded. His fellow citizens of the Land of the Beaver took David’s example to heart and fought the invading Armies of the Eagle. The innocent actions of a child brought war to a land of peace. Those who lived in The Beaver Lands loved peace but were historically great warriors, which the Orange Prince armies soon found out.
Lesson of the Story: When facing an ambitious man, think before you act, be patient and always ready to extend a hand in friendship. There is a time for conflict, war and peace. Peace is always the better alternative.
Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
