In ancient Greece under the rule of King Dionysius, there were two friends named Damon and Pythias. Like twins, Damon and Pythias were loyal and devoted to each other. The tyrant Dionysius was horrifying and rapacious. One day he accused Pythias of murder even though Pythias was innocent. Pythias was convicted and sentenced to death. Pythias, who was pessimistic, wanted to bid farewell to his family because they would be dispirited if they didn’t see him before he died.
     Dionysius agreed to let Pythias visit his family, but in his place he had to leave a captive. Immediately, Damon offered to take his place. At first, Pythias declined his friend’s offer but then accepted because he was desperate to see his family. Pythias then set off on a ship to visit his family one last time. Damon, who was uneasy, waited. He trusted Pythias because he was his best friend. After a few weeks Pythias still hadn’t returned, and Execution Day was approaching. Damon felt anxious, for his days were numbered. Meanwhile, King Dionysius ordered a thick rope for hanging. 
     Execution Day arrived, and the villagers who had gathered to watch were weeping silently because they knew in their hearts that Damon and Pythias were innocent. Seconds before Damon’s execution, Pythias arrived and burst into his friend’s arms. The king, who was emotional, excused them because he was touched. This is the story of how two loyal friends changed a tyrant’s heart. 

     There once lived a king named Midas, who was a greedy man. He was so greedy that his appearance boasted of it. King Midas normally wore the finest clothes and gold jewelry from head to toe. Even though Midas had an unlimited supply of gold, the king remained dissatisfied. Midas desired more and more gold.
     One warm afternoon a mysterious visitor came to offer the king one wish. Midas gratefully took her up on her offer. In a mighty voice he demanded, “May anything I touch turn to gold.” True to her word, she gave the king the power to turn anything and everything to gold upon his touch, which was exciting to Midas. To test his powers, the king started touching random household items. He touched his table, then his chairs, and his bed; he was so happy when they all turned to gold. His favorite foods, when touched, turned to gold, making them inedible. When Midas’s daughter saw how happy her father had become, she went to give him a hug.  Upon doing so the girl was turned to gold. When King Midas saw what he had done to his beloved girl, he cried uncontrollably.
     Still emotional and sobbing, the king was extremely regretful. He repented  of his greediness, which caused the whole mess he now found himself in. The mysterious visitor returned once again. Having pity on King Midas, she offered a solution: “Clean your hands in the River of Pactolus. The gold touch will be washed from your hands.” King Midas rushed over to the River of Pactolus, and he washed his hands. At that moment a thin stream of gold began to flow from his hands. Arriving home, he was happy to see everything was back to normal. It brought him joy to see his daughter running around and joyfully playing with the other children. Because of the dreadful events, the King of Gold, Midas, became the Grateful and Generous King, and his people served him for years to come.

     Genghis Khan was a mighty warrior who ruled during the early 1200s. When not at war, the khan loved to hunt. He would hold a swift hawk on his wrist as he rode on his horse. His bird adored the khan and loved hunting; he was the khan’s best friend. With the hawk’s keen eyes and the khan’s hunting skills, the fearsome twosome’s expeditions were incredibly undefeatable. One day the khan and his hawk were chasing down a red fox. As the fox led them to a steppe, the khan let the fox run away. The sun beat down on his head, and Genghis realized he was quite thirsty. He announced to himself and his hawk, “Never fear because I recall there was a stream back in the forest.” With that, he turned around, leading his hawk in the direction of the stream. 
    In the shadows of the dark forest, Genghis Khan heard the slow trickling sound of water. Following the soft noise, he found himself at the base of a large cluster of rocks which had a steady stream of water flowing from it. The khan reached into his pack for his cup and filled it to the brim with the crystal-clear water. Suddenly his hawk swooped down, knocking the cup out of his master’s hands. The khan was not pleased as he scolded, “Crazy bird! You spilled my water!” He refilled the cup, only to have it taken out of his hands a second time! The khan, thoroughly irritated by now, yelled at the top of his lungs, “Insolent bird! Because I am your master, you will not deprive me of a drink a third time!” Unsheathing his sword, Genghis sliced at the bird as it swooped down once more. With one last screech, the hawk, whose own friend had killed him, fell to the ground, dead. 
    While all this had taken place, the water’s swift flow had slowed to a single drop of water. The khan climbed up the rocks in search of the source of the stream. When he reached the top of the cluster, his eyes bulged at what sat in front of him. In a large pool of cool, still, priceless water lay a long, enormous dead viper, whose throat had been slit, its venom pouring out and poisoning the water. As the truth finally dawned on him, Genghis khan groaned, “Ahh, what have I done? My hawk was trying to help me, and how did I repay him? I killed my own best friend. Why? Because I was foolish enough not to trust my hawk.” With that, he climbed down the rocks, gravely picked up his dead bird, and journeyed back home, his head hung low, knowing he had lost a friend but learned a lesson. The mighty Genghis Khan felt not-so-mighty now. 

     Regally tall, Jadis’s height mirrored the majestic mountains in her kingdom. Powerful and charming, she towered over her empire with fortitude and resilience. She desired to continue her rule over the captivating city of Charn. Her long white hair streamed down her back in waves like the rushing river that gracefully flowed throughout the town. Charn, which was adorned with radiant villages and twisting cobblestone streets, modeled stability and grandeur to all the nearby provinces. Since war and discontent did not inhabit Jadis’s land, the citizens of Charn lived their lives peacefully under her rule. On the other hand, Jadis’s horrid sister Celestia was a cruel, stubborn, and villainous fool. Her eyes blazing with hatred, she looked upon her sister Jadis with contempt. Even as a young child, Celestia was opposed to and jealous of her sister’s right to the crown. Once, as a teen she disguised herself in Jadis’s vibrant robes and masqueraded as her sister, hoping to fool her father into rightfully handing her the crown. Who was to sit upon the golden throne of Charn was a source of constant disagreement and hostility between the sisters. 
     By the time the two sisters had grown into adults, the animosity between them had simmered to the point that action was imminent. Celestia had waited long enough. Filled with fury, she passionately declared war on Jadis. As the battle cries of confident soldiers echoed through the crimson-stained streets of Charn, a brutal war broke out between Jadis and Celestia. Gathering rebels under promises of future riches and power, Celestia amassed a defiant infantry. Meanwhile, the steadfast soldiers of the village, who wore their exhaustion around their necks like a heavy chain, trudged on in allegiance to their valiant queen. As the war raged on, Queen Jadis urged and encouraged her soldiers to persevere in this relentless crusade. Though the two sisters had previously forbidden the powerful spells of magic in all areas of war, Celestia, being wicked and wretched, used her powers to wrestle throughout this gruesome battle. Knowing that grit and tenacity alone would not bring victory, Jadis devised a diabolical weapon known only to her as the Deplorable Word. Cries of anguish and agony filled the battlefield as she patiently waited for the last of her wounded soldiers to fall to the ground.
     With her eyes full of confidence, Queen Jadis stood face to face in a standoff with her sister. Silence, which suddenly spilled into the arena like a prowling thief, shocked even the queen. She could see the beads of sweat dripping down Celestia’s face and feel the beat of her sister’s heart. Celestia evilly grinned as Jadis rushed up the steps to the terrace of her dear palace. 
     “Victory!” Celestia sinisterly growled as her dress, covered in dried blood, blew in the wind. 
     “Yes, of course, but not for you,” Jadis triumphantly declared.Taking one final glimpse over her cherished city of Charn and glancing down upon her sister, she calmly spoke The Deplorable Word. In an instant, the terrace, the bodies of the brave and fallen soldiers, Celestia, and the bloodstained city of Charn itself perished as if their existence was just a tale in a story. Weeping bitterly for her beloved city, Queen Jadis stood alone in the now dark and chilling world.

     The isles of Asia Minor were filled with nooks and crannies, bays, and hidden beaches that were perfect for the pirates who ravaged the surrounding area. These pirates were rich in gold, jewels, and supplies, stealthy as leopards in the rainforest, and nimble enough to catch even the most warlike Roman ship. As it happened, a special bounty, which the pirates would soon regret retrieving, tantalizingly awaited a pirate captain one day. Young and arrogant Julius Caesar, who was twenty-four years of age, set out on a grand adventure, wanting to reach Rhodes in order to learn a new and fascinating subject. It was the art of oratory, the method of speaking which would enable him to persuade masses to respect him. A person he admired learned from this very teacher, leading him to believe that this professor of oratory was indeed the greatest in the world. While thinking those thoughts, Caesar failed to notice that a nearby innocent-appearing ship crept up and proceeded to raid their craft.  
     Although this occurrence was common in this part of the world, Caesar never believed that the pirates would have the audacity to take over his ship and to only ask for twenty talents of silver in ransom! Laughing heartily yet craftily, Caesar demanded that they ask for more money for his ransom, resulting in the price of fifty talents of silver. Sending his servants off to retrieve the fortune, Caesar remained on the pirates’ vessel. For six weeks Caesar patiently waited aboard the hostile ship, necessitating that the uncivilized barbarians, who did not revel in his poetry, listen properly. He took part in the pirates’ merriment, joining their games and threatening to crucify them when he had the chance, which the pirates drunkenly guffawed at. His sleep was essential to his health, so when the pirates disturbed his slumber, he sent messages insisting that they be silent.  
     Not a day too soon did the ransom prize arrive, and Caesar was imminently disenthralled onto the ship which had come to retrieve him. Smirking slyly to his worried crew, Caesar immediately ordered them to sail away but not in the direction of his prior goal. He remembered a stunningly agile fleet of Milesian warships which he had passed on his way to Rhodes. So quick was Caesar’s turnaround that when he arrived the pirates were still in the process of divvying up their spoils. The reversing of Caesar’s fate was cruel to his captors because he transported them to Pergamus to be sentenced to crucifixion. After his brief delay on his quest for knowledge, Caesar continued his voyage to Rhodes, ending his venture with a two-year study of oratory. If the pirates had not become greedy and had realized that Caesar would exact retribution for their actions, they would have been able to avoid his vengeful heart.  

     Tom Sawyer needed to paint a giant fence. He was discouraged by the massive job because he desired to play instead of work. Tom pondered exchanging some of his treasures with the other boys for their work but finally discarded that idea. At last he chanced upon a magnificent idea. Ben Rogers hove into sight. Ben was impersonating the riverboat Big Missouri, which was a steamboat drawing nine feet of water, and thus made appropriate boat noises as he approached Tom.
     When Ben spotted Tom, Ben immediately began to tease Tom about painting the fence. Ben claimed that Tom would rather work than play. Tom simply stated that saturating the fence was not work at all and that Aunt Polly probably would not care for anyone else whitewashing her fence. Now Ben, who was intrigued, offered Tom the core of the apple he was eating in the hopes of getting a chance to paint. Tom wangled the whole apple from Ben because Tom was skilled at negotiating. After the trade was concluded, Ben toiled away on the fence as Tom planned to deceive more hapless boys until the supply of either boys or whitewash petered out.
     After Ben fagged out, Tom tried his tactic on Billy Fisher and Johnny Miller. It worked every time. By the afternoon Tom was wealthy with all the knickknacks the other boys had given him for the seemingly unique job of whitewashing a fence. The job was done—the fence had three coats of whitewash on it—and Tom was left free to ponder human thought as he examined his treasures. If work, which nobody liked, was whatever needed to be done, then play must be whatever one wished to do. To make somebody covet something, all that was needed to do was make it hard to obtain because this, Tom mused, was exactly the reason people climbed Mont Blanc—for the challenging fun of it.

     Tiana scanned the room. Mounds of clothes lay sprawled about on the twin bed and faded blue carpet so that one could hardly identify where it was anymore, and mullock hung about everywhere like hideous décor. Sighing as she tossed a sock into the laundry bin, it occurred to her that she had only cleaned her room two days prior and wondered with amazement how it could be so disheveled if she hardly spent any time there besides sleeping. She could foresee her friends having an amazing time at the theater watching the Sound of Music production without her because her mom had warned her that she couldn’t leave with such a mess. As she seized a discarded felt basket that contained sticky aged Halloween candy, her astute mind devised a strategy. Without warning as siblings do, her seven-year-old sister Amy, who was grandly singing “My Favorite Things,” burst into the room. 
     Amy had breezed into Tiana’s room to taunt her and was blabbering about how cleaning was tiresome and not one of her “favorite things” while her sister, who paid no heed, pretended she was a basketball star, shooting fetid laundry into the basket. Suddenly, the chatter ceased because Amy stood wide eyed and utterly absorbed, and in the blink of an eye she impatiently demanded to have a turn. With a poker face to disguise her true feelings, Tiana explained that only professionals could participate because the laundry bin was in the bathroom beside the toilet. Desperately Amy surrendered her prized silver shiny charm bracelet, which she bought with the money she had earned shoveling her neighbors’ sidewalks last winter. As soon as the exchange was made and as soon as her sister was blissfully shooting hoops, Tiana turned on some of her brothers’ favorite music to allure them just as meat attracts wasps.
     As predicted, Johnny and Luke poked their heads in to discover what the commotion was about, and soon one offered to do chores for a week, and the other gave up his allowance to join the fun. Before long, the room was cleaned, and she smiled slyly because she was more than generously reimbursed for her cleverness. Tiana, who finished cleaning in time and was permitted to attend the theater, realized that she had unlocked a dangerous secret of manipulation to solve her problems by simply making tedious work into something desirable, like playing dirty laundry basketball.