“The It”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “There it is!”

Whispered worries echoed around the courtyard as the townspeople gathered. They had been summoned by the king himself to witness a strange relic that had mysteriously appeared overnight.

This relic had been called ‘The It’ by the king, as his vocabulary was limited to simple orders such as ‘Attack’ and ‘Retreat’. And so, The It became the relic’s official name.

The king had called his people together to deal with The It. It should be clarified that the king’s capacity to lead and make decisions was also limited, and he relied heavily on the insights of his people when making decisions. Unless it came to war. Then the king was at the very front, leading with ‘Attack’ or ‘Retreat’.

The It sat in all its glory in the middle of the castle courtyard, which was now filled with all the townspeople who could cram themselves in. The king stood on his balcony, overlooking his people and prepared to listen to their opinions.

As they crowded around The It, the people whispered theories to each other.

Some claimed that The It came from another kingdom, that it was a threat and should be disposed of immediately.

Some claimed that The It was a gift sent from the gods and that it would bring them good luck throughout the following years.

Yet others claimed that The It was the work of some unknown artist, or a politician wanting to make a statement.

Nonetheless, at a loss for what to do, the king began to worship The It. The people quickly followed suit.

Only one knew the truth about The It. The one who put The It there.

A young boy, by the name of Tim. Tim had placed The It in the middle of the courtyard the day before because he had become distracted by a shiny rock. He had then taken the rock with him and had forgotten to pick The It back up.

Tim had not responded to the king’s summons because his mother had told him to stay home and tend to the cows. Only then did Tim realize that he had forgotten the sack of cow manure in the middle of the castle courtyard the day before.

Final Comments: Hehe…

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