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Literature Text
“Thief! A thief! A perilous thief!” cried a castle guard frantically. He ran through the halls of the palace attempting to catch the ever weak attention span of the royalty. Finally, he reached the king, who looked quite irritated, said, “Sire! A terrible thief is robbing the castle!”
Next to the king, sat the queen. A frail looking woman she was, and gasped at the words, “A thief? How terrible! Someone catch him!”
“Relax mother.” Chimed a voice. It was the prince, a fine young man. He was only a teen, but was educated to the max. He was talented in academics, and was rather strong too. He raised a sword into the air and happily declared, “I will catch the vile thief!”
Before they could say a word, the prince rose into the air. He ran through the halls without any care. For the thief, he searched with desperate eyes. He wouldn’t let that rat slip past his eyes.
In a dark hallway he heard noises behind the corner. He peeked to see the silhouette of his enemy. In a single leap, he sprung and grabbed the thief pulling him into the light. However, the thief was thin with a feminine body. Long hair and and a round face topped off with girlish eyes. The thief even squeaked out the word, “Gah!” causing the prince to realize the thief was a girl!
“A girl? A girl? A beautiful girl?” The prince stared at her mesmerized. “I’m being robbed by a girl?”
The thief broke free of his grip. She stumbled at her feet and looked away too shy for words. She then broke the timid facade and gave him a glare. “So what of my gender? I’m here for your gold!”
The prince was lost in her words and watched her get away. Standing there, he realized the thief was gone. He failed to catch her. “Oh such a failure I am!”
Later that night, the prince decided to track the thief down. He dressed like a peasant and set off into town. He blended in finely all around, but definitely stood out on common grounds. The streets were cold and unfamiliar, but he didn’t give up. He’d get his gold back no matter what.
After hours of searching, the prince found himself lost. Lost in the streets of his own kingdom he was! He took refuge in an alley and cried to himself. He was lonely and hunger and cold all about. He missed the castle and wanted to shout.
“Mister, hey mister!” A familiar voice sang. The prince turned to see the thief from before. “Oh you poor mister. You look so sad!”
Did she not recognize him? The prince sat there and cried. “I am hungry and cold, and even worse! All alone!”
“Don’t worry at all.” The young thief smiled. “I have plenty of food and I’m willing to share!”
Much to the prince’s surprise, the thief told the truth. She had just about everything in her bag: cheese, bread, apples, and fish. She could make just about any dish!
“Oh thank you so much!” Cried the ever thankful prince. “How kind of you to feed a sad stranger!”
“It’s no problem.” Said the thief. “It’s just what I do!”
The prince soon asked, “What do you mean?”
The thief smiled. “I help feed the hungry. I help out the sick. I look after the kingdom like a motherly maid.”
“But where do you get the money?” Asked the prince, although he already knew.
“It’s kind of a secret, but I’ll tell you.” The thief explained. “I borrow from the rich and give to the poor.”
“Borrow from the rich?” Asked the prince. “How do you repay them?”
“With the smiles of their people.” The thief happily reported.
The prince was spectacle. “But just what is a smile worth?”
“A smile is worth more than bronze, silver, or gold!” The thief explained.
“But you cannot buy riches with smiles and happiness!” The prince argued. “So in the end it’s worth nothing!”
The thief smiled. “You’re wrong, your highness.” She winked causing the prince to realize she had known it was him. “A smile is worth everything. It’s the symbol of happiness among our people. It’s such a great feel that’s impossible to steal.”
“Stolen or not, how can you be sure?” The prince still wasn’t convinced. “Such a thing is no different from a cat’s purr!”
The thief stood before the prince with simple words to say, “Just see for yourself, and you’ll know. I promise it won’t affect your wealth.”
Through reluctance, the prince returned to his castle without the thief. Her words left his mind boggled. “Give to the poor, is that what she wants?” His thoughts rained on throughout the day. “But peasants are peasants and I am a prince. I have better things to do than think of this!”
Despite his words, the prince still felt stuck. The thief’s words left him feeling like a schmuck. He didn’t say a word to anyone, leaving the queen in worry.
“Oh my son.” She asked. “What is troubling you?”
The prince sighed. He had to tell someone. “Listen mother, this is not easy to tell. A peasant girl told me to give to the poor. She claims a smile is worth more than gold!”
“Maybe she’s right.” The queen surprisingly agreed.
“What do you mean?” Asked the prince. “What could that mean?”
“It’s simple.” Said the queen. “A smile means the world to people who care. So what if it leaves part of your wallet bare! A smile means you’ve done well, and that you’ve done right. Knowing this will help you sleep well at night.”
The prince was confused. “So what should I do? I don’t have a simple clue!”
“Well you are the throne’s heir.” The queen pointed out. “Go to your people and show them you care!”
The prince took the advice and gave gold to the kingdom, and much to his surprise, the peasants he gave to smiled in his eyes!
“Oh thank you kind prince!” They cried. “I can feed my children! It’s been so long since!”
The smiles kept coming and the prince was surprised. To think these kind people he once despised! He now knew better and cherished their smiles.
The prince was now generous and willing to give. He was so glad he was helping his people live. It was all thanks to a thief, whose name he never knew. Despite this, he was thankful she had given him a clue. The kingdom was better and more lively too! All thanks to the thief who just wanted some stew.
I copied and pasted this from Chrome and for some reason the text is bold.