By Eric B. Hare
A lazy hermit once lived in a shack high on a mountain overlooking a beautiful valley. Content to live as a recluse, he occasionally ventured to town to barter for food.
One day he heard the clippity-clop of an approaching horse. A noble stranger dismounted and stood admiring the view below.
“Oh, good friend,” said the stranger, “you have the most beautiful view in the kingdom! It makes me want to be a better man! Could I sit awhile to admire it?”
The hermit was speechless, for his only chair was broken. As he gathered his thoughts, the stranger mounted his horse, waved goodbye, and departed down the mountain.
The stranger seemed familiar. Where had the hermit seen him? Ah, yes—it was the king! Ashamed of his disheveled appearance and of how poorly he had treated his king, he vowed to be ready should the king return! On his next visit to town, he bartered wood for new clothes. Then he built a nice bench, bathed, and put on his new clothes.
A few days later, he heard a horse approaching. The king had returned! Soon the king was resting on the new bench admiring the beautiful view.
“Thank you, my friend. This view makes me want to be a better man. I’m so thirsty; may I have some water?”
The hermit hung his head. All he had was a dirty, cracked cup and he hadn’t cleaned his spring in years! He went inside to clean his cup, but when he stepped outside, the king was gone! But when he returns, I will be ready! the hermit determined. He bought new dishes and cups in town and then set to work cleaning his spring.
A few days later, the hermit heard a horse coming up the mountain. It was the king! The hermit had baked cornbread that very morning and had filled a large bucket with fresh water from his clean spring.
“Ahhh!” said the king, as he sat enjoying the beauty. “This view makes me want to be a better man. Your water is the sweetest water in my realm, and the court bakers couldn’t make better cornbread. Could I spend the night so I could see the sun rise?”
A flush of embarrassment crept up the poor hermit’s neck and spread all the way to his ears. He only had the straw floor of his dirty shack to offer. While he stood speechless, the king mounted his horse and rode off down the mountain. But he will return, thought the hermit; and when he comes, I will be ready! This time the hermit really got busy. He repaired the rotting timbers of his shack and put new straw on the floor. Then he built a sturdy table and a bed. He was ready for the king!
The king came again and again to visit his new friend and to enjoy the beautiful view. Eventually, no one remembered that a lazy hermit lived on the mountain, for he was known simply as “the friend of the king.”
Adapted from Eric B. Hare’s Stories for Children, “The Hermit and the King.”
