In fairyland there dwelt a fairy named Jargas who despite all the wonderful things around him always found something to complain about. The sun was too bright. The songs too joyful and the springs of water too delightful. Now how anyone can describe something to be too delightful is beyond me and probably beyond you as well, but Jargas complained about it anyway. If only, I were the king of the fairies, he thought. I would do so much better. And so Jargas criticized everybody and everything around about him.
One day, Jargas had occasion to appear before the King of fairyland. He thought about the King’s works but feared to say anything bad about any of these before his monarch’s face. The King, however, knew his thoughts and sought to test him. “What do you think of my reign?” he asked the discontented fairy.
Put in a tight position, Jargas thought quickly. “Well, your majesty, I agree you rule your kingdom well.”
“You say you do, do you?” replied the King. “Yet I sense something more.”
“There is, however, just one thing.” Jargas cocked his head giving a half-smile. “You give too much attention to the worthless race of men.”
The King raised his eyebrows. “How so?”
“You never give them what they deserve.”
“And what do they deserve?”
Jarvas grinned. “Curses for all the evil in their hearts. If I were king I’d dry up their lands and turn their crops to dust.”
The King shook his head. “But what about those with good hearts, should I dry up their lands too?”
The discontented fairy answered. “No. But I daresay there are none. They are all moved by greed.”
The King disagreed and said so. “As for drying up the land of men. I choose not to. I see there are good-hearted men among them, so I choose–to spare them and to give the greedy the chance to change, but I see you don’t agree.”
Jargas, seeking the chance to prove a point made a proposition. “O king, search the world of men and bring here one you deem to have a noble heart. I guarantee he will covet what he sees and seek it for his own to consume it on himself.”
“You know I have never permitted men in fairyland,” the King countered.
“Ah, is that not because you know I am right?” Jargas sensed the upper hand. “Bring one in and let him enjoy the delights of this country, but forbid him from carrying any of its treasures beyond our borders. I guarantee he will take something when he leaves.”
“And if he does?” The King leaned forward.
All fairyland became silent at Jargas’s answer. “If he does, I will have proven my judgment better than yours and that I am more fit than you to be king.”
“And if he doesn’t?” The Kings eyes bore into the eyes of the impertinent fairy.
Jargas broke away from his gaze. “If he doesn’t, I will have been proven wrong and will leave fairyland for good.”
“As it should be,” said the king. “I accept the challenge.”
The fairy king summoned Goodwin, a fairy with a noble heart. “Search high and low, find for me a man-child innocent of heart. Bring him to our land.”
Goodwin had never heard of such a request. “But sire,” she said, “isn’t this not allowed, by your own command? But nonetheless I will obey.”
With that, Goodwin went out and began her quest. She transformed herself into an old woman. Finding a schoolboy in the village of Dorn she asked him the question, “Who do you love the most?”
The schoolboy stared at the old woman. “I love my father and mother and all those that love me.”
“But who do you love the most?”
The boy answered, “To be truthful, I love myself the most, for my teacher tells me I must be true to myself.”
Goodwin gave the boy a coin for his troubles and continued her search. She encountered a shepherd boy attending sheep. She asked as she had the lad before, “Who do you love?”
The lad shook his head. “Everybody, I guess, if they do me no harm.”
“But who do you love the most?”
The shepherd boy scratched his head. “Myself, if it comes down to it. You know, you must look out for yourself because no one else will.”
Goodwin gave this boy a copper coin as well and again continued her search. Everywhere she went she received the same result. Each lad expressed fondness for those that treated him well, but ultimately preferred himself above all others.
The fairy began to fear failure in her quest to find a man-child with a pure heart. She shuddered. Perhaps Jargas is right, and the King will be forced to abdicate his throne.
She began her slow trek back to fairyland when she met a boy whistling as he strolled through a mountain meadow.
She showed herself to him as she had the others. “Excuse me, young man do you mind if I ask you a question?”
The boy stopped his whistling and smiled. “Go right ahead.”
“Who do you love the most?”
The boy thought for a moment. “I love the mountains, hills, and valleys, and all the wonderful things therein.”
Goodwin said, “I didn’t ask what you loved, but who.”
The boy smiled, “That’s easy. I love the One Who made all these things.”
Goodwin’s heart lept with joy. I found the one I was looking for.
She transformed herself back in to her normal appearance. As the boy turned to run, the fairy called out to him. “Young man. I mean you no harm. I’ve been looking for one such as you. Follow me, and I will take you to fairyland where you will see things more wonderful than you’ve ever seen.”
The boy, Jon, by name, stared at the fairy. “I’ve heard stories about your kind. You lead people into your country, and they never return.”
Goodwin smiled. “Just tales. Talk goes around to explain what people don’t understand. But I assure you we don’t lure people into fairyland. In fact, no outsiders can enter without the invitation of the King.”
“And he invites me?” Jon asked. “Why me?”
“Because you love the One Who made all things.”
“I don’t understand, but I’ve heard about the splendors of fairyland and would love to see it, but if I go, will I be free to return here?”
Goodwin smiled. “The King takes no man captive. He guarantees you can leave fairyland anytime you want.”
And so, Jon followed Goodwin through the secret paths that lead to fairyland. All the beauty of this world did not prepare the lad for what he saw in that fair country. The colors shone bright with an intensity of their own. The grass grew greener. The trees reached taller with no sign of rot or decay. Song birds filled the aromatic air with music. Precious jewels of all varieties and hues littered the ground. Gold and silver adorned the most humble edifices.
Jon’s guide led the lad to a marvelous palace. This process took some time because the lad stopped often to gaze at new wonders. As they passed through an entrance formed from a giant pearl they found the king sitting on his throne.
Fair Goodwin stepped forward. “Your majesty, I’ve searched for many days, and I found one such as you bade me to find–a lad with a noble heart.”
The King examined Jon intently before he spoke. “My faithful servant says you have a good heart. What do you say?”
Jon didn’t rightly know how to answer. “I don’t know sir. All she did was ask me who I loved most and then she brought me here.”
The king leaned forward. “And who did you say you love most?”
Jon answered without hesitation. “The maker of all good things, and now that I am here I have more to love Him for than I did before.”
The King of the fairies sat back on his throne and addressed all those present in court. “You heard it from the boy’s lips and out of his lips comes what’s in his heart. Truly he is a noble lad.”
Jargas stepped forward. “Your majesty. May I remind you that words are just words. The boy has yet to prove himself. I hold to the challenge.”
The King rubbed his chin. “Ah, yes the challenge.” He addressed the boy. “Descendent of men, I give you freedom to visit fairyland as you choose. You are free to enjoy all of its delights, but only for a day at a time, after which you must return to the dominion of men. I only give you this one restriction: each time you leave you must not take with you any treasures from this place. Do you accept my offer?”
Jon blinked. “I do not know why you have given me this honor among all people you could have chosen but I accept. Just to come here and to behold all this splendor is enough. I have no desire to remove anything from this place as it would not fit in my land.”
The King dismissed him, and his guide continued to show Jon the many delights of fairyland. The faithful fairy frowned when at day’s end and the boy’s departure loomed, Jargas approached the lad.
Placing himself between Goodwin and Jon, he grinned cunningly. “You must know, boy, that the King did not really mean you cannot carry anything of value in your world from this place.” He picked up a wedge of gold. “Here is enough gold to make you a wealthy man. Surely the King would not withhold this trifle from you when there is so plentiful a supply here in fairyland.”
Jon shook his head. “I will await the King’s own words on that. He is my gracious host, and I will not go against my benefactor.”
Seeing that his ploy failed, Jargas wished the boy well and embraced him while slipping pieces of gold secretively into Jon’s pocket.
“What have you done?” Demanded the King.
Jargas stood before him after Jon returned to the dominion of men.
“You know the boy passed the test. He refused to take anything with him.” The King leaned forward.
Jargas shielded his eyes. “Ah, but your majesty, I changed the game only a little bit. The boy did not choose to take the gold. True. But now that he has it will he return it?”
Jon, on his part discovered the gold a day later on his way to the market. Oh, no, he thought. How did this get there? I must return it at once.
And so, the lad set out along the secret paths to fairyland, but along the way he met a beggar in tatters, gaunt and thin from hunger. “Please honorable lad. Will you help me? A plague of locusts destroyed my farm leaving me and my family penniless with nothing to eat.”
Jon took pity on the man. He felt the gold in his pocket. If I give this to the man, I’m doing good, but then I can never return to fairyland. Well so be it. One day in that wonderful place will have to suffice. This man is in need. He gave the beggar the pieces of gold, to the poor man’s delight.
Days passed. Jon made no return to fairyland. The King sent Goodwin to find him. “My King wants to know why you have not returned,” she informed the lad. “You know you are invited. Come, his majesty requests your presence.”
Jon hung his head, reluctant to tell the faithful fairy about the gold. However, he went with her. Surely the King knows about the gold by now and is calling me to account for it, he thought.
Back at the King’s court no mention was made of the gold. “I’m happy to see you,” said the monarch of fairyland. “Enjoy your day with us.”
Jon forgot about the gold and frolicked with joyful fairies until time came for him to leave. Once again Jargas met him. “You know, it was I that gave you the gold. See? The King doesn’t even care that you took it.”
“But I didn’t take it,” the boy protested.
“Tisk, tisk. You didn’t return it either. Same thing. Here, take some silver.”
Jon refused and left.
The next day when he awoke he found the silver under his bed pillow. His thoughts ran wild. I know I did not take this, as I did not take the gold, but will the King believe me? I must return at once. Immediately Jon dressed for travel and set out for fairyland with the silver.
Not long into his venture, he heard a commotion from a cottage at the side of the road. Three men dragged a woman out of her home. She fell at Jon’s feet. “I am a poor widow. My children have all gone, and now the taxman is taking my cottage for I have nothing to pay him.”
Jon felt the silver in his bag. Well, he thought. This poor woman’s needs are greater than my need to visit fairyland. He gave her the silver with which she paid her fee.
He again returned home saddened he could not return to the blessed dominion. However, once again a day later, Goodwin came to summon him to the King of fairies.
And once again the King made no reference to treasure removed from his realm. And once again Jargas met him as he left that fair land. “Twice now you have left with treasure and twice you have not returned it” Jargas grinned. “Here take some jewels.”
Jon waved Jargas off as he had both times before and returned home. The next morning, he discovered a large emerald on a table next to his bed. He set out to return this as well, but instead gave it to a cripple boy in desperate need.
The next day Goodwin called Jon to return to her beautiful country to stand before the King of fairies. This time Jargas accused him before his monarch. “Your Highness, my point has been three times proven. This boy you say that has a noble heart, but while he did not take anything from our land he has failed to return what he knew to rightfully belong here. I win the challenge and claim the right to rule fairyland.”
The king raised his hand. “Hold on there.” He turned to the boy. “What do you have to say, lad?”
Jon fidgeted. “I did not take anything from this place save the joy of having been here. As to what I found on my person or in my quarters, I know not how these things got there. I set out to return these treasures when I came upon those in great need. I thought of you O, King and your kindness. I thought that if these riches came to me despite my doing, what better use of them than to relieve someone in distress? I gave them to a beggar, a widow, and a cripple.”
Jargas pointed a crooked finger at the boy. “A likely story. He undoubtedly has the treasures hidden away somewhere.” The usurper raised both hands. “I claim my right. I have won the challenge.”
The King signaled to two of his servants to hold the impertinent fairy at bay. “Jargas, you are wrong. I was that beggar, that widow, and that cripple. The boy’s story is true. When he gave the treasures to those in need, he returned them to me.” His majesty leaned back on his throne. “Jargas, you tested the boy beyond our original agreement. I tested him further. His willingness to give up the privilege of coming here to help others proves his heart is like my own. He is welcome here, but you are not. By your own words you must leave fairyland to never return.”
And so it was. Jargas left fairyland and the boy of noble heart gained permission to come and go as he pleased.