King Midas and the Golden Touch

Once upon a time, there was a king who loved shiny, sparkly things more than anything. He loved gold so much. This is the story of King Midas and the Golden Touch.

King Midas had a big castle full of golden things, but he always wanted more. More shiny gold. More sparkly gold. One day, he helped a friend of a powerful god named Dionysus. To say thank you, Dionysus gave the king one special wish. King Midas smiled a big smile. He knew just what to wish for. “I wish for everything I touch to turn into beautiful, shiny gold.” he said. And just like that, his wish came true.

At first, King Midas was so happy. He ran around his big garden with a happy laugh. He touched a pretty red rose. Poof. It turned into a hard, golden flower. He touched a big green tree. Poof. It turned into a shiny, golden tree. He touched his big comfy chair. Poof. It became a sparkly golden throne. Wow. But soon, the king got hungry. He sat down to eat a yummy apple. As soon as he touched it, the apple turned to gold. He could not eat it. He picked up his soft bread. It turned to gold, too. He could not eat anything. Oh no.

The saddest thing happened next. His daughter, who he loved more than all the gold, ran to give him a big hug. When the king hugged her back, she turned into a cold, golden statue. She did not smile or move. King Midas started to cry. He did not want gold anymore. He just wanted his daughter back. He begged Dionysus to take the wish away. The god told him to wash his hands in a special river. King Midas ran as fast as he could. He splashed his hands in the cool water. Splash, splash, splash. The golden touch washed away. He ran back and hugged his daughter, and she was warm and smiling again. King Midas learned that the best treasures are not shiny things, but the people you love.