Once there was a good king who ruled wisely and who ruled well. He was
loved by all people of his kingdom. One day the king called his four
daughters together and told them that he was leaving on a long journey. "I
wish to learn about God. I will spend a long time in prayer. In my absence
I will leave the four of you in charge."
"Oh, father," they cried, "don’t leave us. We will never be able to
rule the kingdom without you."
The king smiled. "You will do well in my absence. Now, before I leave I
wish to give each of you a gift. It is my prayer that this gift will help
you learn the meaning of rule." The king placed a single grain of rain in
each daughter’s palm. Then he left.
The oldest daughter immediately went to her room. She tied a long
golden thread around the grain of rice and placed it in a beautiful
crystal box. Every day she picked up the box and looked at it.
The second daughter also went to her room, where she placed the grain
of rice in a wooden box and put it in a secure spot under her bed.
The third daughter, a very pragmatic young woman, looked at the grain
of rice and thought, "This grain of rice is no different from any other
grain of rice." She simply threw the grain of rice away.
The youngest daughter took the grain of rice to her room and wondered
about the significance of the gift. She wondered for a week, then a
month. When nearly a year had passed, she understood the meaning of the
gift.
Months turned into years, and the four daughters ruled in the absence
of their father. Then, one day, the king returned. His beard was full and
his eyes sparkled with illumination gained through years of prayer. The
king greeted each of his daughters, and then asked to see the gifts he
had left them.
The oldest daughter rushed to her room and brought the crystal box.
"Father," she began, "I carefully tied a golden thread around the grain
of rice and have kept it near my bed where I have looked at it every day
since you left."
Bowing to his daughter, the king accepted the box and said, "Thank
you."
Next, the second daughter presented her father with a grain of rice.
"All these years I have kept the rice secure under my bed," she said.
"Here it is."
Again the father bowed, accepted the box, and said, "Thank you."
The third daughter rushed to the kitchen, found a grain of rice, ran
back and said, "Father, here is a grain of rice."
Smiling, the king accepted the grain of rice, bowed, and said, "Thank
you."
Finally the youngest daughter stepped before her father and spoke. "I
do not have the grain of rice that you gave me," she said.
"Whatever did you do with it?" the king inquired.
"Father, I thought about that grain of rice for nearly a year before I
discovered the meaning of the gift. I realized that the grain of rice was
a seed, so I planted it in the ground. Soon it grew, and from it I
harvested other seeds. I then planted all of those seeds, and again I
harvested the crop. Father, I have continued to do this. Come, look at
the results."
The king followed his daughter to the window where he looked out at an
enormous crop of rice stretching as far as the eye could see. There was
enough rice to feed their entire small nation.
Stepping before his daughter, the king took off his golden crown and
placed it on her head. "You have learned the meaning of rule," he said
softly.
From that day the youngest daughter ruled the kingdom. She ruled long,
and she ruled wisely, and she ruled well.
