[Dear parents or caretakers please make changes in the tone while you read out this section, wherever need be, to your children. For example, instead of big say biiigggg.]
Beneath that mighty mountain, inside the darkness of a deep cave lived a demon who was cursed to live a life of eternity.
One day the King of the land came to know about him. He sent his troops to the cave, to get the demon in chains to his palace. It was enormous, mighty and extremely powerful.
The King was astonished to witness how only a few of his troops were able to get this immortal demon chained to a palace.
Capturing the immortal demon was a proud moment for the king and his kingdom. He approached the demon and said O Demon, I’m the wealthiest and most powerful King of this world. I possess everything except a life of eternity”.
The demon listened motionlessly. “Will you not tell me the secret of your immortality?” asked the King. After listening to the king, the demon finally moved his lips, smiled, lifted his eyes and said: “If you want to live the life of eternity, you must trade your life with me”.
“I shall give you my immortality but you have to promise me your mortality and the crown,” thr demon exclaimed. The King was mesmerized. “What good is this crown for six or seven decades of a mortal life, the life of immortality even as a common man is worth a thousand crowns,” he thought to himself.
The King at once agreed to the demons offer. A bright light struck the palace. The demon smiled and was turned into a mortal man and the King was blessed with the life of immortality but lost his Kingdom and crown. However, he was happy for achieving an everlasting life. He left his Kingdom and went to live in some far off place.
Hundreds of summers and winters elapsed. The demon-turned-mortal-King died and even the kingdom and all the people who lived in it perished with time. But the immortal King was still alive.
He traveled and lived in every corner of the world. He saw empire after empire perishing with time. He saw civilizations after civilization; of cultures and traditions being buried in the soil. He saw the soil turn into stones and the stones into soil. He witnessed the water reducing stones into flat pieces.
However, after some time he started struggling with a strange feeling. Everyone he knew as a King had died. His family, sons and daughters for whom he would wake up happily in the morning were all gone. All those people for whom he would wear lavish clothes to impress had left the earth for long.
All the reasons that he cherished in his mortal life had been fulfilled. Now he was just like a thirsty man, who wanted to quench his thirst, wished to drink oceans of water but whose appetite a few glasses of water could fill.
Centuries passed. The King started to become weary towards his immortal life. He didn’t trim his hair nor shave his beard, and neither did he cut his nails. He didn’t bathe nor wear new clothes.
He stopped meeting people, for all those he would meet and got used to, would seem to grow old and die in just a little time. It made him sick of the world. He started to become intolerable towards his immortal life. Year after year passed.
The King went to live in the forests but didn’t find solace anywhere.
Finally, after wandering around the world he came across the same cave beneath that mighty mountain where the demon lived once in his beautiful Kingdom. He looked at his body- he had turned into the same demon, cursed to the life of eternity, He screamed in grief.
Time passed and he never left the cave for he was grief stricken.
One day a King of the land heard of him. He sent his troops to bring him chained to his palace. When the troops entered into the cave, they found the demon motionless and weeping in grief. He offered no resistance while they chained him.
The king turned demon was brought into the palace. The King of the land was surprised to see how only a few of his troops were able to bring such a big demon to palace. “Will you not tell me the secret of your immortality?” the King of the land said to the King turned demon. The demon smiled…
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