Beauty Lies Within

Long-long ago, there was a small mountain kingdom. Gurgling streams, cascading waterfalls, and thick forests made the little kingdom look like a paradise on the Earth. The people worked hard and lead a prosperous life. However, there was one very strange thing about the little kingdom. Not a single flower bloomed in the entire land. The reason was a strange order by the king that said, "Any flower in sight should be immediately destroyed. Anyone found growing or tending flowers will be severely punished."

The king of the land happened to be a very ugly looking man. He disliked everything that appeared beautiful. Since everyone liked flowers, the king wanted all of them destroyed. Nobody in the little kingdom dared oppose his order.

Whenever the king found time, he used to go deep into the forests with his companions to hunt wild animals. On one of such hunting trips the king saw a beautiful spotted deer. The king set off on his horse after the fleeting deer. The king's soldiers tried to keep pace with the king but the king's horse was just too fast for them.

The king chased the deer through grass and brush, trees and streams. After several hours the king's horse was tired and shaky. Suddenly the horse's hoof fell on loose gravel and it slipped. Down fell the horse and the king tumbled to the ground. The deer disappear around a small hill. The king was hurt, tired, and very angry at missing the deer.

As the king sat taking stock of his injuries, the jungle breeze brought him a sweet fragrance. The king's nostrils twitched. He raised his head and tried to smell again. And again it came, a sweet fresh fragrance. The king was trying to figure out what it could be when the thought suddenly struck him. Of course...a flower!

The king was now very, very angry. There was a flower blooming in his kingdom and nobody had destroyed it yet. The king began walking in the direction from which the fragrance was coming. Soon he came upon a small clearing that had a small thatched hut. In the center of the clearing was a small plant bearing a bright red flower that was giving off the enchanting smell.

"Who in my kingdom has defied my special order," roared the king as he drew his sword. "Come before me and I will punish you before destroying this nasty flower." The king's soldiers also arrived and then the door of the hut slowly opened.

The door opened and out stepped the ugliest looking dwarf one could ever see. The dwarf was so ugly that even the king looked quite handsome in his presence. The king lowered his sword and asked, "Who are you? Are you new to my kingdom? Haven't you heard that nobody is supposed to grow flowers here?"

"I have heard the royal order my lord," said the dwarf, "But you see I am so good looking that every time I look at myself in the mirror I think of flowers, birds, butterflies and all the beautiful things in nature. So I couldn't help growing this flower."

The king was taken aback. The ugliest creature he had ever seen was calling himself handsome and beautiful! "Oh yeah!" sneered the king, "Someone, fetch a mirror and show this creature what he looks like." One soldier fetched a mirror from the dwarf's hut and handed it to the dwarf. The dwarf looked in the mirror and said, "See I told you I am so good-looking." The curious soldier looked at the dwarf's image in the mirror and cried out in disbelief, "It's true! He is the most beautiful child I have ever seen."

Unable to contain his curiosity, the king himself walked up to the dwarf, looked at his ugly face, and then looked at his image in the mirror. To his astonishment, the dwarf did look like an angel in the mirror.

The king's anger subsided and he asked, "Tell me, who you really are? I am sorry for getting so angry, but my ugliness makes me hate everything beautiful." "You are a good man at heart O' king," said the dwarf, "and you are as beautiful as I look in this mirror." "Me?" cried the king, "I wish I could look even a bit like this."

The dwarf dipped his hand in his tattered gown and said, "Take this. Look after this for a month. Do not kill or punish anyone just for your pleasure in these 30 days and you will get to look at a new you." Saying this, the dwarf placed on the kings' outstretched hand, a small black seed.

The king returned to the palace. He took a pot and planted the small black seed in it. Day after day the king watered the pot with great care. On the seventh day, a tiny shoot sprang from the soil. It began to grow fast, sprouting new leaves every day. On the twenty-first day a tiny bud emerged that grew bigger and bigger. The king got so involved in looking after the plant that he had no time to get angry or punish someone. He even started smiling.

On the morning of the thirtieth day the king woke up late. A servant brought him a silver bowl full of water to wash his face. The king splashed water on his face and when he opened his eyes he saw a handsome face looking up to him from the silver bowl. The king sprang from the bed and threw open the window. There, swaying gently in the wind was the same red flower he had seen outside the dwarf's hut. The bud had opened and a sweet fragrance filled the room. The king was very happy. All his courtiers also noticed that he looked different and complimented him on his appearance.

The king rode into the forest to meet the dwarf again. When he reached the place there was no hut, no dwarf, and no flower. Just then he heard a voice: "Dear king when you destroyed flowers and killed innocent animals your face reflected your hate, which is never beautiful. Now when you have started loving nature, your face reflects your love, which is always beautiful! You have found a way to look at your inner beauty."