Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Matchless (10/24/24)
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TITLE: Nothing Can Compare | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
10/30/24 -
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He added a limp for his shuffled journey toward the throne room. The only one to stop him was a kitchen staff member, wondering if he was hungry. “Would you like some bread? I’ve made it fresh. It’s still warm out of the oven.” Were these people naïve or simply too trusting?
The bodyguards, stiff as the pillars holding up the portico outside, unfolded long enough to run hands over his thighs, shins, and underarms. One of them tilted his face, staring into eyes he left dull and unresponsive. He groaned, as if in pain, and heaved a sigh when released.
“What’s your business with the king?” the secretary asked, posing his quill and leather parchment. The man’s poise fit well with the rich blue and yellow garments declaring his position.
“Personal,” he gasped, wheezing for effect.
“Be quick,” the secretary said, turning to the next person in line.
The young monarch leaned with interest toward his current inquirer. His advisors, officials, and courtiers laughed and shared in the abundance displayed in embroidered cushions, overflowing trays of delicacies, and in rich ornamentations and trinkets. The report given was astounding. “Our daily provisions for each day are as follows: five tons of flour; eleven tons of meal, ten head of stall-fed cattle and twenty head of pasture-fed cattle; a hundred sheep and goats; numerous deer, gazelles, roebucks, fowl.”
The king nodded, leaning back, unsuspecting, vulnerable.
Another reporter stepped forward. “Your borders are secure from the Euphrates to the Great Sea and all the way to Egypt. There are twelve thousand horses and four thousand stalls for chariot horses. The district governors continue to provide all the feed needed for your table and for the horses.”
He watched the protocols closely and bowed down as he had seen. As he rose, the monarch motioned to a bodyguard. The soldier stepped alongside him.
The king smiled at the new inquirer. “You sir, are not who you seem to be. Your eyes betray your quest for knowledge. You have an intelligence disguised by your wardrobe. Your limp is not consistent as you shuffle, bow, and rise. Your movement is awkward as if you are hiding something.” He waved to the guard. “Check inside his thigh for a dagger.”
Two bodyguards threw him down and in a moment the dagger was revealed. They rolled him face down to the floor. “Do you want him executed?” the guard asked.
A brief headshake gave the answer. “Who are you? Who do you represent? This was a test, wasn’t it?”
He removed his shawl, straightened to his full height, and looked the king in the eye. “Everyone has heard of the wisdom of Solomon. The queen of Sheba wanted to know if it is true. Are you wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol? But more than that, she wanted to know if she was safe when she came to visit you. It appears that nothing escapes your eye.”
“Is that all she wishes to know?”
“She has come to test you with great questions and to explore the wealth you offer and the riches she can exchange. She is intrigued by the great faith you display and is curious about the deity who lives in your land. Even now, outside the gates, she has come with a great caravan of camels with spices, gold, and precious stones.”
Solomon rose from his throne. “We will meet her. How did she come all this way if she sent you to test me about her safety?”
He smiled. “She believed in you. She knew you would pass any test I put to you. Your wisdom is matchless and I can see that the wealth of your kingdom and the happiness of your people are also without equal. Nothing I have seen can compare.”
“Go in peace. She is safe with me. Send her in.”
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