King Midas (Story)

**King Midas** is a story told in the Adventures from the Book of Virtues episode Self-Discipline. It is based on the Greek Myth of the same name.

## Plot

King Midas lived a long, long time ago in Ancient Greece, and even though he had more gold than anyone else in the world, it still wasn't enough. Midas wanted more gold at the same time that his daughter Marigold would spend her days in her garden full of roses. On the other hand, Midas would spend his days in a dark, dank, smelly old dungeon where he kept his vast stores of gold. In the dungeon, King Midas admires all of his gold pieces, and especially his gold goblet, which he places on a shelf with other gold goblets while proclaiming that there's always room for one more beauty. King Midas then starts to count his coins, dumping them out of a pouch onto the table before counting them, but as he does so, he notices one silver coin among all of the other gold coins, which he angrily dismisses before tossing the silver coin out the window of the dungeon. The silver coin ends up hitting a crow, which then looks down at the silver coin that got tossed away, before it flies down and picks up the silver coin, placing it in a pouch around its neck. King Midas then opens the door, just as Marigold enters while showing him the marigolds that she picked for him. King Midas takes the marigolds from Marigold while thanking her and saying that the flowers are lovely, then adds that it's a pity that they're not made of real gold.

Marigold then pleads to Midas to come and play with her because it's beautiful in the garden, but Midas tells her that he can't because he has to count his gold. Marigold tries to protest, but Midas cuts her off, telling her to take the marigolds and go play so that he can get back to work, which Marigold sadly consents to. King Midas resumes counting his gold once again, having gotten up to 5 million two-hundred and fifty cents, but states that it's not nearly enough. Suddenly, a bright flash of light appears right in front of King Midas, much to his surprise, just as a stranger appears, while King Midas states that the door was locked. The Stranger notes that King Midas really does have a lot of gold, before King Midas points out that he doesn't have enough and that he's sure that others have more. The Stranger is surprised upon hearing that Midas isn't satisfied with the gold that he has. King Midas wishes that everything he touched would turn to gold, so because of that, the Stranger tells him that at morning's first light, he will get his wish, which King Midas is surprised to hear, just as the Stranger disappears. After the Stranger has disappeared, King Midas dismisses the whole thing as a daydream before returning to his desk again.

The next morning, King Midas is awakened by the first rays of sunlight while the Stranger's words about getting his wish are heard. King Midas still thinks the idea to be silly, but when he touches his bedsheets, they turn to gold, which surprises him. King Midas then touches one of his bedposts as it also turns to gold, before putting on his slippers, which also turn to gold, and grabbing his robe, as it also turns to gold, while King Midas gleefully states that he's rich. King Midas next touches a stool, which also turns to gold, before he states that he's amazingly rich. King Midas turns more things to gold while gleefully saying that everything he touches turns to gold then looks at himself in the mirror while proclaiming himself as the richest and the happiest man on Earth. When King Midas kisses his reflection in the mirror, this causes the mirror to turn to gold. Despite this, Midas is still ecstatic about being rich. Out in the garden, King Midas is looking for Marigold before telling himself that he must tell her the news, before he turns the roses in the garden to gold as well, stating that he'll give Marigold a garden of pure gold. At the same time, two caterpillars have been munching on the leaves when they notice the gold approach them, with one caterpillar getting turned to gold as well, while the other caterpillar tries desperately to escape the approaching gold. King Midas is still proud of his work, before noting that all this work of turning things to gold has made him hungry.

Soon, King Midas has been served breakfast by his servants, but when he tries to drink from a cup, the liquid inside turns to gold, much to his surprise, before opting to try a peach. However, just like before, when King Midas tries to eat the peach, it also turns to gold as well, which causes King Midas to wonder how he can eat and drink. King Midas then touches the table, which also turns to gold, just as Marigold comes in while telling King Midas that her garden is ruined. King Midas then informs Marigold that they're rich, richer than anyone, but Marigold tearfully tells him that she wants her flowers back. King Midas tells Marigold that they can buy all the roses in the world, but Marigold tells him that she wants her roses back because they don't look and smell so pretty now. King Midas tries to calm Marigold by telling her to dry her tears and have some breakfast because they should be celebrating their good fortune. Marigold takes her seat at the table and drinks from a cup and when she finishes, she asks King Midas that if they're celebrating, then why isn't he eating? King Midas answers that he's very hungry, but it appears that he can't eat, which Marigold is upset to hear as she goes over to King Midas and gives him a hug, while King Midas hugs her back and kisses her as well. Unfortunately, when King Midas kisses Marigold, it also causes Marigold to turn to gold as well, much to King Midas's horror upon realizing what he's done.

That night, King Midas can only gaze from the front of the palace while saying that there's no use trying to sleep because nothing is beautiful without his Marigold. As King Midas cries over the loss of Marigold, his tears also turn to gold. Soon, King Midas has fallen asleep, just as the Stranger reappears before him and bids him good morning before asking him how his faring this morning. King Midas forlornly asks the stranger how he can ask, before the Stranger tells King Midas that he must be happy because he has the golden touch. However, King Midas tells the Stranger that he is the most miserable man alive all because he lost the only thing worth living for, which is his daughter. The Stranger notes that King Midas is wiser than the last time they met, then tells King Midas to go bathe in the river and afterwards, anything that he sprinkles with river water will change back. King Midas is surprised upon hearing this, just as the Stranger disappears once again. The next morning, King Midas bathes himself in the river as he gushes over the beautiful, pure water, before he splashes some water onto a golden pitcher, which causes the pitcher to turn back to normal. King Midas is happy to see this, which causes him to realize that the golden touch has gone away. Because of that, King Midas takes the pitcher and fills it with water, before using the water to turn everything that he turned to gold back to normal, including the caterpillars in the rose garden. After the roses have been restored to normal, King Midas smells one of them as he admires the sweet smell of a rose, before picking the rose that he smelled. King Midas then approaches the gold statue of Marigold while stating it to be his last wish ever, before pouring the water over Marigold, which restores her to normal, but leaves her wet, before she asks King Midas what he's doing. King Midas answers that they're celebrating, before giving Marigold a hug, as she hugs him back, and when King Midas gives Marigold the rose that he picked, Marigold is ecstatic that the rose is alive then hugs King Midas another hug to thank him. Soon, King Midas and Marigold start playing in the garden, before King Midas, who is wearing a crown of golden roses, takes one rose and puts it in Marigold's hair.

## Characters

* King Midas
* Marigold
* Stranger