King Midas and the Golden Touch

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a king whose name was Midas. He was neither stupid nor evil but, like most people, he occasionally did something foolish. Fortunately, as the saying goes, it's never too late to put things right. As we’re about to see in this story...

One evening, King Midas was about to go to sleep when he heard someone crying their eyes out below his window.

Who’s that? he thought. He opened the window and leaned out to see. But the night was already very dark and he couldn’t see anyone. “Who’s that crying down there?” he shouted into the darkness.

The sobbing stopped for a moment, and a voice replied out of the darkness:

“It is I, the unfortunate Silenus. I am a guide and tutor to Dionysus, the god of wine. But I am lost and can’t find my way back to him. Oh, woe is me.”

King Midas did not hesitate for an instant. He immediately ordered his guards to bring poor Silenus inside. He fed him, offered him clean clothes, and put him up in the best room in his palace. The next day at breakfast, he said to him:

“If you want, I will accompany you to Dionysus. I know where his entourage is now, and I enjoy walking.”

Silenus was beside himself with happiness. “Thank you, King Midas!” he exclaimed emotionally. “Dionysus will repay you for your good deed, you will see!”

Immediately after breakfast they both set out towards the home of the gods. The journey was long, but Midas and Silenus got along so well that the hours flew by. By evening, they had reached their destination and found themselves standing before the god Dionysus …