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The Magic Ball

PART ONE

THE LAND OF RICHES

Many years ago, there lived a very great king who controlled the riches of this world. His kingdom was called the land of riches. He was very affluent and philanthropic.

This king had magic balls that had the ability to make peoples desires come to pass. He used these balls to help people who were impoverished. One magic ball was enough to change the destiny of anyone who was destitute.

One day, a poor man by name Odikro travelled from his village to the land of riches to see if this great king will give him one magic ball to change his destiny. He told his wife and children that he was going to see Odifo, the great king for a magic ball to become rich.

When the poor man got to Odifo’s kingdom, the kinsmen did not want to allow him to see the king. He cried uncontrollably and beseeched the kingsmen to allow him to see the king in his magnificent palace.

One of the kingsmen had mercy on the poor man and informed Odifo that someone from villagio wants to see him. The king allows the poor man into his palace and asked him, “My dear, what brings you into our kingdom today.”

Odikro answered the king, “Long live the king. My name is Odikro, I live in villagio and I have travelled all the way to your kingdom for a magic ball to change my destiny.

“I have lived all my life in poverty and I want my story to change. I owe so many people and they want to take my children captives as slaves. I cannot sleep at home because my debtors are always chasing me.”

“My Lord, I am here that you will have mercy on me to give me one magic ball, so that I can become rich and pay my debtors.” The king replied, “Yes I can give you a magic ball to become rich but the ball comes with so many conditions. Are you willing to go by these conditions?”

Odikro answered, “My Lord, I am willing to fulfill any condition that comes with the magic ball. I really want to become very rich in my village.”

The king answered, “Alright! This is what everyone says when they come to me. Once they get the magic ball and become rich, they forget about everything I told them. They eventually lose everything and become poor again because they forgot everything I told them.”

Odikro promised, “O king, as for me, I will do everything you tell me. I am tired of being poor. I am determined to become rich, so I promise to do everything you instruct me to do.” 

The king said, “The magic ball is meant to help others. The first condition is that, once you become rich, you are supposed to help other people who are poor.”

The king continued, “The second condition is that you must be kind and good to people. Do not use your riches to oppress and intimidate other people. Be nice to people and help them when they need help.”

“The third condition is that, you must give a tenth of what you earn to help orphans, widows, indigents, prisoners, and such life every month. The forth condition is that, you must be industrious and work very hard like an ant.”

“Do not sleep when you become rich. Continue to work very hard. Whatever work you do after receiving the magic ball will certainly flourish; so do as many work as you can.”

“Finally, always bear in mind that, you do not own the magic ball. The magic ball still belongs to this kingdom. We are only lending it to you to help you out of your predicaments.”

“If you do not fulfill these conditions I will know, and you will end up losing the magic ball. But if you fulfill all the conditions as I have mentioned, you will enjoy the riches to the end of your life.”

After the king finished speaking, he gave Odikro, one of the magic balls and wished him well. Odikro thanked the king and promised to go by all the conditions he had mentioned.

PART 2

CHANGE OF DESTINY

When Odikro got to Villagio, everything he touched prospered, just as the king told him. He had a big farm, with several crops, vegetables and fruits. He also had a lot of animals like, goats, cow, sheep and camels.

Besides, he had several houses and became the richest man in Villagio. He paid all his debtors and even lend to those who wanted loans.

Everyone in Villagio was amazed by Odikro’s prosperity. He began to live an opulent lifestyle. However, he kept the secret to himself and never told anyone about the magic ball.

When Odikro became very prosperous he forgot about the conditions the king instructed him to follow. He was very arrogant and stingy. He forgot to help the orphans, widows and all the people the king instructed him to help.

Odikro oppressed the poor and talked down on people because he was very rich. He was very wicked and used everything he earned on himself. He motto was, “Me, myself and I”

He said to himself, “I am now rich. I have paid all my debts. Why should I follow the conditions this king gave me? After all, he is not here to see what I am doing here.”

What Odikro did not know was that, the king had a screen like a television that he used to monitor everyone he gives a magic ball to. When people do not go by the conditions he gives, he had a way of making the magic ball disappear.

When the magic ball disappears, one begins to lose his or her riches. One day when Odikro went to sleep, the magic ball disappeared. From that day, Odikro began to lose his riches.

The crops and vegetables began to die and his animals started falling sick. Odikro did not understand why his possessions were depleting.

When things started becoming worse, he remembered that the king gave him some conditions to follow after giving him the magic ball. He remembered that he had not followed the conditions as he promised the king at the palace.

He decided to go and pick his magic ball which he hid in his room to see if things will change. To his surprise, the magic ball was nowhere to be found.

He looked for it everywhere but he could not find it. The box in which he hid the magic ball was still locked but nothing was in it. He summoned all his children, servants and wife but everyone said he or she had not seen it.

PART 3

THE FALL OF ODIKRO

Few years later after the mysterious disappearance of the magic ball, Odikro lost everything he had. He lost all his animals, farm and sold the mansions he had.

He became very poor again as he used to be. He decided to go to the land of riches to tell Odifo that the magic ball was missing. He travelled to the land of riches to meet the king.

When he went, he said to him, “Long live the king. Your majesty, I came here some years back and you gave me the magic ball and told me that everything I do will prosper after receiving the ball.”

“Indeed, when I went, everything I did prospered. In fact, I became the richest man in the whole of Villagio. I also followed the instructions you gave me to the letter.”

“I did good to people. I helped orphans and widows as you instructed me. I don’t know what happened, I have lost all the things I used to have including the magic ball you gave me.”

“I know an enemy did this to me. My Lord, I have come here to ask for another magic ball because I want to be rich again.” After this, the king looked at him laughed.

He said to him, “My son, I remembered how humble you were the very first day you came here. I told you the magic ball comes with conditions. I gave you the conditions and you promised to follow them to the letter.”

“I remembered I told you that if you do not follow the conditions, I will know. Yes, I was not in Villagio but I saw everything that happened after you became rich.”

You were very arrogant and imperious when you became rich. You never helped any orphan or widow as you are claiming to you have done. Indeed, you were insolent and pompous. These were the very things I cautioned you about.

“You see the screen there. It has a satellite which was linked to the magic ball I gave you. I was watching everything that was going on in Villagio. I never told you about this screen. All I said was that I will know if you did not follow the instructions I have given you.”

Everything Adikro did when he became rich was replayed to him. The could not deny it because the evidence was very obvious. He could not believe his eyes. He kept wondering, “How did this king get all this video. Adikro was very astonished.”

The king opined, “The magic ball disappeared because you disobeyed the instruction I gave you. I am sorry I cannot give you another magic ball. No one gets the magic ball twice. It is forbidden. I am sorry you have to spend the rest of your life in poverty.”

“I gave you a great opportunity to become rich but you abused it. Now you want to come and deceive me that you followed the instructions I gave you to the letter. You want to swindle the king with lies. Why were you lying? You can deceive yourself but you cannot deceive me.”

“You said, an enemy came to steal the magic ball. Yes, an enemy came to steal it. You were your own enemy. If you had followed the instructions I gave you, you would not have ended up like this.”

“Leave my palace immediately before I call my warders to incarcerate you for trying to deceive the king. Lying is an abomination in this kingdom.”

Odikro left the palace as fast as his feet could carry him because he was nervous that the king might throw him into prison as he had threatened. He started wailing and said to himself, “Had I known is always at last. I thought I was deceiving the king; not knowing I was deceiving myself. I have learnt my lesson.”

LESSONS FROM THE STORY

1. Learn to follow instructions

The magic ball came with its own conditions. Odikro should have followed the instructions of the king to keep enjoying the riches he had. He lost everything he had because of disobedience.

We must learn to take instructions from a higher authority very serious. The instructions our parents, guardians, or teachers give us are very key to our personal development.

If we want to go very far and become rich in future, then we must learn to follow instructions to the letter. Do not be tempted to do your own thing because the one who gave the instructions may not be present.

I believe Odikro did not follow the king’s instructions because he thought the king was not there to monitor him. Never think you can circumvent the rules and get away with it.

Odikro thought he was deceiving the king. He did not know that he was deceiving himself. If we will learn to obey simple instructions from higher authorities, we will go very far in life.

2. Learn to be kind

The king gave a specific instruction that Odikro should help others when he became rich. Each one of us can be kind to other people. Learn to show kindness to people and other people will also be kind to you.

Kindness works like the principle of sowing and reaping. If you sow kindness to people, you will reap kindness. As you help to open doors for other people, other people will open doors for you. It is as simple as that.

Odikro was arrogant and wicked when he became rich but lost everything because instead of opening doors for people with his riches, he was rather oppressing them. Show an art of kindness to someone today and you will certainly receive an art of kindness in return.

3. Do not become your own enemy

It is easy to identify and point fingers to an external enemy but it is difficult to accept when we are our own enemies. What happened for Odikro to lose everything he had was not caused by an external enemy. He was his own enemy.

His inability to follow the king’s instructions is what led to his downfall. When you are doing something, do it whole heartedly with all your strength and might. Do not try to deceive people. Do not deceive yourself. Make sure that in everything you do, you do not become your own enemy.

Thank you for reading. My email is: erickwamesackey@gmail.com