The Midas Touch

SCENE1: Garden in the Royal Palace of King Midas Once upon a time, there lived an extremely greedy king. All his thoughts focused on his wealth and prosperity. One day, he was wandering around his palace grounds when he stumbled upon some unexpected visitors. Who is that I witness sneaking in my garden without my royal permission? Announce yourself at once! My name is Silenus and I have wandered away from my master. I became so weary after looking for him that I paused to slumber under one of your delightful fig trees. I did not intend any harm. Please forgive me! And just who is this master to whom you belong? My master is theGodDionysus. I’m positive he must be out searching for me. Why, here he comes now! Silenus! There you are, you foolish satyr! Why did you wander away? King,you must forgive my foolish servant! I apologize for his unacceptable behavior! There has been no harm done. I will release him to your care and custody again. Thank you,King! For your thought ful understanding,I would be honored to grant you a special wish. Anything you desire! Name it,and it will be yours! Well,that is easy! I wish to become the wealthiest in all the noble land. Please grant me the ability to transform anything I come into contact with into pure gold! For that will surely make me the wealthiest noble around! Ummmm, are you absolutely certain about that? Of course! Now grant me that wish immediately! Okay, your wish is my command! And with that, King Midas was granted his wish. He tried it out immediately. He touched a bush, a rock, and a leaf. They all turned to gold! He was so excited he requested a special banquet in his honor! SCENE2: Great banquet hall in the palace of King Midas As requested by the king, an enormous banquet was organized. King Midas couldn’t wait to show off his new gift. However, he quickly realized the curse that accompanied the gold touch. Welcome guests! Feast all you want! I now possess a way to always have an endless supply! Every one raise their glass for an exceptional toast! As soon as the king toasted and went to drink, his glass transformed to gold. The liquid changed to chunks of gold and he began to choke. The same thing occurred when he went to eat. Discouraged, the king went to locate his daughter to cheer him up. Oh, sweet Goldenrod! There you are! I’m afraid your father has made a terrible blunder. Hi, daddy! I’m sure it’s not as awful as it seems! Let me give you a hug and you’ll feel better! No! Don’t...... It was too late. As soon as Goldenrod leapt into her father’s arms, she turned to a gold statue. King Midas just stared at her in disbelief. As his tears turned to golden pebbles and fell to the floor, the God Dionysus took pity on him and returned to the palace. SCENE3: Back in the palace garden As he ran out of the banquet hall, King Midas was surprised to reunite with the God Dionysus, who was patiently waiting for him on a bench in the palace garden. Oh,Dionysus,I have made a horrible mistake! I used to think that having all the gold in the world would make me the happiest man ever! But, I am not! I’m miserable! All I want is my sweet daughter back! I don’t desire this wish anymore! It is a dreadful curse! I tried to warn you, King. However, it seems like you have learned a valuable lesson in the meantime. I will relinquish your wish and life will return to normal, with one small exception. I don’t want you to ever forget this extraordinary lesson! Oh, thank you! And I won’t forget, I promise! Just take this horrible curse away! And with that, the god Dionysus took the curse away. But, on the top of his royal head, the god placed two donkey ears in the place of his own ears. KingMidas returned to his palace and his old life with his daughter. He never did forget his mistake and they lived happily without the riches and wealth he had once fantasized about.