Characters:
Narrator
King
Wise Man 1
Wise Man 2
Servant
King Soldiers
Enemy Soldiers
Crowd
SCRIPT:
Narrator:Once upon a time there was a king who needed something special from the wise men of his kingdom.One day he told them.
King:Do you see this beautiful ring?
Wise Men 1 and 2:Yes, your majesty.
King:Well this ring was made specially for me.As you can see, it has beautiful diamonds, rubies, and saphires… I consider it a treasure.But I want to keep inside it, a message that will help me go through the most desperate and difficult moments of my life.
Wise Man 1:And you want us to give you that message?
King:Yes, but it has to be a short message.
Wise Man 2:I understand your majesty, it has to be short enough to fit inside the ring.
King:Yes, that´s what I want.
Wise Man 1:Very good.You will have your message tomorrow morning.
King:Thank you.When you have it, give it to me.
Wise Man 2:Yes, your majesty.
Narrator:The two wise men left the room, and quickly started thinking about the message.They thought and thought all night.
Wise Man 1:I can´t come up with something short.
Wise Man 2: Me neither.There are no wise words that can fit inside the ring.
Wise Man 1:We should rest…maybe in our sleep we can come up with a message.
Wise Man 2:I agree.
Wise Man 1:See you tomorrow.
Wise Man 2:Good night.
Narrator:The wise men went to sleep.Next morning they woke up early and kept thinking about the message.
Wise Man 1:I couldn´t sleep last night, so I went through some books, but I couldn´t find a short message that can fit inside the ring.
Wise Man 2:It´s a hard task we have in our hands.Let´s be honest and tell our king.
Wise Man 1:I think we shouldn´t.How can we tell our king that we have failed?
Wise Man 2:What do you suggest?
Wise Man 1:Let´s tell him that we need more time.
Wise Man 2:Very well, let´s go see him.Maybe he is already expecting us.
Narrator:When the wise men went to see the king, they said.
Wise Man 1:Your majesty, we need more time.
King:How much time do you need?
Wise Man 2:Honestly, we don´t know.
King:Very well.Take all the time you need, but as soon as you have it, come to me.
Wise Men:Thank you, your majesty, we will.
Narrator:As soon as the wise men left, the king talked to one of his old servants.
King:Those wise men aren´t of any help.
Servant:Your majesty, with all respect, I am not a wise man… but I have a message that can fit perfectly inside your ring.You know I served your father, and now I serve you, and through all these years I have met many people.
King:I know that, my father appreciated and respected you.
Servant:He was very considering… once I met a priest who was a guest here at the palace.When he left, he gave me this message.
Narrator:The servant wrote the message on a piece of paper.He folded it and gave it to the king.
King:Thank you.
Servant:Just remember this … open it when everything else has failed… when you can´t find a solution to a problem… when you think that everything is over… when there is no hope.
King:I will, and thank you once again.
Servant:Now, if you will excuse me, I have to continue with my duties.
King:Sure, you can go now.
Narrator: A few months later the country went to war.While his soldiers were engaged in a terrible fight, he escaped in one of his horses, but his enemies followed him.
King:I need to save my life… when will they stop chasing me!
Narrator:But his enemies were too many.Suddenly he reached a dead end, it was the end of the road.There was no way out.And there he stood on top of a high mountain, looking only at the rocky valley thousand feet deep.A valley impossible to cross.
King:Oh my!If I fall, I can die, and if I go back, they will capture me!
Narrator:The king could hear the horses approaching, the noise was coming closer and closer, then he remembered the ring.
King:The ring!The message inside the ring is my only hope.
Narrator:He took offthe ring, holded it in one of his hands, unfolded the paper, and read it aloud.
King:This too will pass.
Narrator:Then everything was in silence.His enemies that were chasing him got lost in the forest.The revelation of the message had a strong effect on him.Then he felt a deep gratitude for his servant, and a great peace inside of him.Those words had been magical.He folded the paper once again and put it again inside the ring.
King:I feel stronger!I have to go back and fight!My soldiers must be waiting for me!
Narrator:He went back, reorganized his army and fought back.Finally he won the war, and there was a great celebration at the palace.When he was sitting in his throne, he told his faithfull servant.
King:I am proud of myself!I am one of the bravest and greatest King!
Servant:This is the right moment, please, your majesty… read the message again.
King:What do you mean?Victory is in my hands!People is celebrating that I am back.I am not desperate. I am not in a dead end.
Servant:Listen… this message is not only for those hard situations, it´s also for pleasant situations.The message is not only for those moments when you feel desperate and miserable, it´s also for those moments when you feel triumphant.It´s not only for those occasions when you feel that you are the last one, it´s only for those times when you feel that you are the first one.
Narrator:Then the king opened the message and read it again out loud.
King:This will too pass.
Narrator:And once again he felt the same peace, the same silence, even surrounded by his people who were dancing and celebrating.But now his pride had disappeared.Then his servant said.
Servant:Just remember that everything will too pass.Nothing, not even an emotion is permanent.Like day and night, there are happy and sad moments in our life.You have to accept them, it´s part of human nature.Keep it always in your head and in your heart, nothing remains forever.
The End
Author:Budhist Short Story
Adapted by K I D S I N C O
Go to Complete List of Playscripts Page 1
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Tags: king, palace, ring, servant, Wiseman