No. 144 October 2006
The King & the Fake Shoemaker
By Mariko Ando Spencer
Upon the old king's death, the throne was bequeathed to his much-loved dog. This made the king's only living heir - a nephew - furious. Having in his possession a pair of enchanted shoes, he pretended to be a shoemaker with a present for the new king. The dog king loved the shoes and put them on immediately.
At sunset, however, he started running and jumping, and could not stop! At sunrise the next day he collapsed, exhausted, and tried to take the shoes off but discovered he could not. In the afternoon the pretending shoemaker returned to court and laid his scheme bare: "The shoes come off when the kingdom is mine!"
Story & original etching by Mariko Ando Spencer. See www.marikogallery.com.