The Greatest King of All Time

Spring 2007

Once upon a time there was a King who wanted to rule the World. So, he called together all the wise council in his Kingdom to advise him on how he could accomplish his goal. The King was excited about his plan to rule the World for then he would be ‘The Greatest King of All Time’. The King paused for a moment, observing his fine reflection in the Royal Mirror and smiled contentedly at himself with his chin held high and a proud heart as he repeated inwardly to himself:

“The Greatest King of All Time,

The Greatest King of All Time,

The Greatest King of All Time”

The Time for the Royal meeting had come and the King addressed his subjects on his Royal plan. The King was resolute for he had fallen in love with the image of Greatness that he had seen of himself in the Royal Mirror and so he commanded his councillors to advise him by dawn the next day how he could rule the World and become ‘The Greatest King of All Time’. The King’s advisors were excited by the King’s plan for, they too, hoped to share in the King’s Glory of being the Greatest and they began to imagine their names carved out in History for All Time to Come.

However, the Elder of the Councillors felt perturbed by the King’s ambition for in his Time, he had seen the effects on the King’s People of many wars fought in the King’s name and he longed to avert the King’s Conquering heart. The Elder looked out from the Castle turrets over the Kingdom and sighed as he saw the Sun slowly bowing his head. The Elder knew that there was not much Time before Dawn to formulate his advice to the King. He sat down and pondered, ‘How can the King become The Greatest King of All Time?’ but the Elder was tired and soon fell asleep on the top of the Castle Tower underneath the stars. As the Elder was sleeping, the stars shimmered with sadness from afar as the events in the Kingdom unfurled. The stars vowed to help the Elder as much as they could for they had sensed his purity of heart. So, they twinkled their liquid light ever more intensely, which is what stars can do.

The stars began to fade as the first Sun’s rays stretched over the Kingdom, touching the Elder on the cheek as he slumbered. The Elder opened one eyelid at first and then, cursing himself for his folly in falling asleep, hurried down the spiral staircase in the Castle Tower to the Great Hall below where all the King’s councillors were assembling for the Greatest Meeting in the History of the Kingdom. The Court was a-buzz with whispering excitement as the councillors huddled together in corners discussing their strategies for the King’s Noble Mission, hoping that the King would chose to follow their own idea for posterity and a brief entry in the history books.

Trumpets sounded as the King entered the Great Hall and sat down on the Great Throne. One by one the councillors approached the King with grand speeches of War and Triumph over conquered nations. Sketches of statues of the King were presented to him as possible enduring monuments that could be erected in the central squares of all conquered cities in the Whole World. The King caught his reflection in the Royal Mirror opposite his Throne and increasingly liked what he saw. ‘I will be The Greatest King of All Time’, thought the King to himself as his proud heart swelled.

The King thanked all his advisors and told them that he would retire to contemplate all the ideas and would return to announce his first choice at Dusk.

However, the King noticed the Elder sitting quietly at the back of the Great Hall and he bade him come forward. The Elder felt afraid for he did not have a plan and he feared for his life if he displeased the King. The stars, still twinkling at the other side of the World, sensed the Elder’s fear and they all twinkled some more whilst the Elder gathered his thoughts.

Shaking a little, the Elder rose to his feet and made his way to the centre of the Hall before the Great Throne. The Elder bowed his head and, as he looked up towards the King, all the other councillors fell silent in anticipation.

“Oh Great King, I have listened to all the admirable and noble speeches of my most esteemed friends and colleagues and I can not add to their advice if you are to conquer the World for they are unsurpassed in their knowledge of War and Triumph and I am now short in my days and know little of such endeavours in the modern way. But, your question dear King, was not simply, ‘How could you conquer the World?’ but ‘How could you become the Greatest King of All Time?’. For this, dear King, you must conquer not the World, but Time Itself. Only then will you truly rule the World and become the Greatest King of All Time.”

The Elder handed the King a small alarm clock and told him that when he could always know the Time without the clock, he would become the Greatest King of All Time. The Elder paused and looked around the Great Hall. All eyes were fixed intently upon him, glinting in the candlelight like stars.

The King paused and caught sight of his deflated image in the Royal Mirror which made him feel very angry with the Elder. ‘You are a useless adviser’, he retorted angrily. ‘Get him out of my sight’, he commanded his guards. The Elder was led away to the Castle gates and banished from the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, in the King’s secret chamber, the King pondered the Elder’s words. The King wanted more than anything to be The Greatest King of All Time and, although he was embarrassed initially in front of his Courtiers, he felt the truth of the Elder’s words and secretly vowed to conquer Time Itself. The King looked at the alarm clock and put it in his pocket so that he could carry the alarm clock around with him wherever he went. The King would periodically try to guess the exact Time but whenever, he pulled out the alarm clock to check to see if he had guessed correctly, he was always wrong. The King began to feel discouraged: ‘I will never be able to know the correct time and conquer Time Itself without looking at this ticking alarm clock’.

The King was becoming increasingly frustrated and the continuous ‘Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock’ of the clock was irritating him ever more until, finally, he climbed the spiral stairs of the Castle Tower and, leaning over the turrets at the top, he threw the alarm clock into the distance. ‘I don’t need this alarm clock to tell me the Time now’, he said angrily.

The stars in the velvet sky twinkled and the King’s attention was drawn upwards as he became absorbed in the beauty of the bejewelled heavens that crowned his Castle. The King felt Majestic as the starry skies enveloped him with wonder in that Moment, stretching the King’s whole Being across the full breadth of his Kingdom and beyond without end. The King blinked his amazed eyes and felt a fullness in his heart for the first time since he was a young prince. ‘All this Time, I have not known a single moment’, he sighed as a wave of grief for lost Time rolled through him as he lamented his past endeavours to attain happiness and greatness in the future. ‘Now I know that Time is Always Now in One Eternal Moment’, said the King with a light and joyous skip as his Crown tipped to the side of his head.

A faint ‘Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock’ was heard in the distance from the bank of the Castle moat below. The King ordered his guard to go and find the alarm clock and bring it back to him…. When the King was handed the alarm clock, he remembered the words of the Elder and was filled with tears of gratitude for his wisdom and remorse for his angry retort and so he ordered his men to go in search of the Elder and to bring him back to the Castle with full Royal honours.

When dawn broke, the King woke up and called his courtiers to the Throne Room and, for the first Time, the King noticed that he felt the Majesty of his Being without needing to look in the Royal Mirror or to his courtiers for confirmation…..

There was a knock on the Throne Room Door and a young courtier entered hurriedly, “He died last night, Sire, the Elder died last night’.

– Rev. Jenny Miller