A retelling of the story THE BUTTERFLY THAT STAMPED fromย Just So Stories Rudyard Kipling.
This is a magical tale about one of the wisest kings who ever lived!
Now, what made King Solomon so special? Well, get this โ he could talk to animals! That’s right, he understood every animal language you can think of. Dogs, cats, elephants, even tiny ants โ Solomon could chat with each one!
But that’s not all. He could also understand the murmurs of trees when the wind blew through their leaves and even the slow rumbles of rocks deep underground. Imagine hearing the secrets of the whole world!
Solomon had a super cool magical ring. It was like the most powerful remote control ever! When he turned it once, poof, magical genies called Djinns would pop out of the ground.

“What would happen if he turned it twice?” you might ask. Well, if he did that, a shower of sparkling fairies would come swooping down from the sky!
And if he was brave and turned it three times, let’s just say something really, really big would happen. That’s a story for another day!
You might wonder, “Did Solomon ever use his ring to do naughty things or show off?” Well, that’s a great question! Solomon was not just powerful but also very kind. He only used his magical powers when it was truly important.
Oh, and I almost forgot! Solomon had a special friend โ Queen Balkis. She was wise too and was always there to help the king when he needed it most.

Even though King Solomon had all these powers, he wasn’t a show-off. He knew that being kind was way more important than being powerful. But once, just once, he made a tiny mistake.
One day, Solomon had a big idea. “I know!” he thought, “I’ll make a huge feast and invite every single animal in the whole wide world!” He wanted everyone to see how generous he was.
So, he prepared mountains of food – more than you could ever imagine! There were hills of hay for the horses, oceans of seeds for the birds, and piles of fruits for the monkeys. Solomon was feeling pretty proud of himself.

But then, just as he was about to send out the invitations, something incredible happened.
SPLASH!
Out of the sea came the biggest, bluest, hungriest sea creature you’ve ever seen! It gobbled up all the food in just three gulps!
“Yum yum yum!” it said, patting its tummy.
Solomon’s jaw dropped. “Wh-who are you?” he stammered.
The sea creature gave a big, toothy grin. “Oh, hello there! I’m Bobby, the smallest of my 30,000 brothers who live at the bottom of the sea. We heard you were having a party, and they sent me to ask when dinner would be ready!”
Solomon’s eyes grew wide. “B-but… you just ate all the food I prepared for every animal in the world!”
Bobby looked confused. “Oh, was that the dinner? Where I come from, that’s just a little snack between meals!”
Solomon felt his cheeks turn red. He realized how silly he’d been, trying to show off. He looked at Bobby and said, “You know what? I made a mistake. I wanted to show everyone how great I was instead of just being kind. I’m really sorry.”
Bobby gave Solomon a friendly pat on the back with his big flipper. “That’s okay, King Solomon. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. The important thing is that you learned from it!”
From that day on, Solomon never tried to show off again. He used his powers to help others and be kind, not to make himself look important.
And that, my young friends, is where our real adventure begins! Are you ready to find out what happens next in the magical world of King Solomon?
Alright, let’s continue our story about King Solomon! He lived in a big palaceโhuge and goldenโright in the middle of the most beautiful garden you could imagine. There were sparkling fountains, colorful flowers, and trees full of singing birds.

But here’s the thing – the palace wasn’t always peaceful. You see, Solomon was very kind and generous. He opened his palace to lots and lots of people who needed a place to stay. There were visitors from far-off lands, local people who needed help, and all sorts of interesting characters.
Now, with so many people around, things could get pretty noisy! Some of the guests were super nice, but others… well, they could be a bit grumpy. And you know how it is – when one person starts complaining, sometimes others join in. Soon, the whole palace could be filled with arguments and shouting!
Poor King Solomon! Even though he was so wise and powerful, all this quarreling gave him a big headache. He often wished for peace and quiet.

But one person never joined in the arguments – Queen Balkis. Balkis loved Solomon very much and always tried to help him. When things got too noisy, she would sit quietly in her room or take a peaceful walk in the garden. She felt sorry for Solomon and tried to think of ways to make things better.
Now, you might be wondering, “Why didn’t Solomon just use his magic ring to make all the noisy people disappear?” Well, he could have! With just a turn of his ring, he could have changed all the quarrelsome folks into desert donkeys, fluffy dogs, or even tiny seeds! But Solomon remembered what happened with Bobby, the sea creature. He didn’t want to show off or misuse his powers.
One day, after three weeks of non-stop arguments in the palace, Solomon went to the garden. As he walked among the orange trees, he met Queen Balkis. She looked sad because she knew how worried Solomon was.

“Oh, my dear Solomon,” Balkis said, “why don’t you use your magic ring? You could show everyone your power and make them stop arguing!”
But Solomon shook his head. “Remember the big sea creature, Balkis? I learned that showing off isn’t the right thing to do. I don’t want to make the same mistake again.”
“But what will you do?” Balkis asked, concerned.
Solomon sighed. I’ll have to be patient and hope things get better.
So Solomon kept walking through the garden, past the lilies, roses, and sweet-smelling ginger plants. He came to a huge tree called the Camphor Tree. Balkis, wanting to stay close to Solomon, quietly hid behind tall flowers near the tree.
Just then, two little butterflies flew under the tree. They were arguing too!

Solomon overheard one butterfly boasting to the other, “Don’t you know who I am? If I stamped my foot, I could make this whole palace and garden disappear in a big BOOM of thunder!”
When Solomon heard this, he couldn’t help it – he burst out laughing! The little butterfly’s big words made him forget all about his problems for a moment. His laugh was so loud that it shook the leaves on the Camphor Tree!
Still chuckling, Solomon held out his finger and said gently, “Come here little one.”
The little butterfly was scared when he realized it was the great King Solomon talking to him! His tiny wings shook as he flew over to Solomon’s outstretched hand.
Solomon spoke very softly, trying not to frighten the butterfly even more. “Little friend,” he said with a kind smile, “we both know that your foot-stamping couldn’t even bend a blade of grass. So why are you showing off?”
The butterfly looked up into the eyes of the wise king. This made the butterfly feel a bit braver. He tilted his tiny head and said, “Well, Your Majesty… well… you know how it is sometimes.”
Solomon chuckled and nodded. “Oh yes, I understand.”
The butterfly continued, โMy friend has been arguing with me all morning! I hoped boasting would stop it.”
Solomon thought for a moment, then said, “I see. Why don’t you fly back and let me listen to what happens next?”
So the butterfly flew back to his friend, hiding behind a leaf, with wings fluttering nervously.
“Oh my!” his friend exclaimed. “King Solomon heard you! What did he say?”
The butterfly puffed out his chest, trying to look important. “Of course, he heard me,” he said. “I meant for him to hear me!”
“And?” his friend asked eagerly. “What did he say?”
The butterfly fanned his wings and said in a very serious voice, “Well, just between you and me… He asked me very politely not to stamp my foot. He seemed quite worried about his palace and his orange trees. So, being the kind butterfly I am, I promised I wouldn’t.”
“Wow!” said his friend, suddenly very quiet and impressed.
Now, remember Queen Balkis? She was hiding near the Camphor Tree, listening to everything. As she watched the butterflies, a clever idea began to form in her mind. “Maybe,” she thought, “I can use this to help Solomon!โ
Quietly, Balkis stepped out from behind the tree and whispered to the butterfly’s friend, “Psst! Little butterfly, come here for a second.”
The butterfly was a bit scared, as he flew over to Balkis.

Balkis smiled kindly and softly asked, “Do you believe what your friend just said about being able to make the palace disappear?”
The butterfly looked up at Balkis. “Oh, Your Majesty,” he said with a tiny sigh, “you know how it is sometimes. Friends like to feel important and say big things.”
Balkis nodded, trying not to giggle. “Oh yes, I understand completely.”
The butterfly continued, “They get all puffy and proud over silly things. But we have to go along with it sometimes to keep the peace. I don’t really think he can make the palace disappear, but if it makes him happy to think I believe it, why not?”
Balkis leaned closer and whispered, “You’re very wise, little butterfly. But I have an idea. Next time he starts boasting, why don’t you challenge him to prove it? Ask him to stamp his foot and see what happens. I bet he’ll learn an important lesson about telling the truth.”
The butterfly friend thought this was a brilliant idea. He quickly flew back to his friend, and wouldn’t you know it, they almost immediately started arguing again!
“Remember,” puffed the boastful butterfly, “I can make this whole palace disappear with one stomp of my foot!”
Instead of sighing this time, his friend said, “Oh really? I don’t believe you. Why don’t you prove it? Go on, stamp your foot!”
The boastful butterfly suddenly looked very uncomfortable. “Well… um… I promised King Solomon I wouldn’t,” he stammered.
“Oh, come on,” said his friend. “We both know you can’t do it. I dare you to try!”
The boastful butterfly zoomed back to Solomon. He looked very worried and out of breath.
“Oh, King Solomon!” he cried. “My friend wants me to stamp my foot! He wants to see the palace disappear! But you know I can’t actually do that. Now, he’ll never believe anything I say again. He’ll laugh at me forever!”
Solomon smiled kindly at the little butterfly. “Don’t worry, little friend,” he said. “he won’t laugh at you. In fact, I have an idea that will solve this problem!”
Then Solomon did something he hadn’t done in a long time – he turned his magic ring.
Suddenly, four enormous, magical Djinns appeared! They were so tall their heads almost touched the clouds.

Solomon told the Djinns, “When this little butterfly stamps his foot, I want you to make my palace and gardens disappear with a loud clap of thunder. When he stamps again, bring everything back carefully.”
Then he turned to the butterfly and said, “Now, go back to your friend and stamp your foot all you want!”
The butterfly couldn’t believe it! He flew back as fast as his wings could carry him.
His friend was still shouting, “I dare you to do it! Stamp your foot! Stamp it now!”
Queen Balkis watched as the four huge Djinns moved to the four corners of the garden. She clapped her hands softly and thought, “Finally! Solomon will solve his problem, all thanks to a tiny butterfly!”
The butterfly took a deep breath and… STAMP! He brought his tiny foot down as hard as he could.
Suddenly, there was a colossal BOOM of thunder! The whole world went dark, and whoosh! The entire palace and gardens shot up into the sky, way higher than the clouds!
The butterfly’s friend was so scared! He flew around in the darkness, crying out, “Oh no! I’m so sorry! Please, bring everything back! I promise I’ll never doubt you again!”
The boastful butterfly was scared, too, but he tried to act bravely.
After a few minutes, Solomon said to the butterfly, “Okay, great magician, you can stamp again now. Please bring back my palace.”
“Yes, yes!” cried the butterfly’s friend. “Bring it all back! No more magic, please!”
The butterfly puffed out his chest and said in his bravest voice, “Well, of course, this is no big deal for a powerful butterfly like me, but as a favor to you and King Solomon, I suppose I can return everything.”
So, the butterfly raised his foot and… STAMP!
In an instant, the Djinns gently lowered the palace and gardens back to the ground. The sun came out again, shining on the green leaves of the orange trees. The fountains started splashing, the birds began singing, and everything was back to normal.
Suddenly, there was a lot of noise coming from the palace. All the people who had been arguing came running out into the garden. They looked scared and confused.
Queen Balkis met them and asked, “What’s wrong?”
One of them said, “Oh, it was terrible! The palace disappeared, and everything went dark. We heard thunder and strange noises. What happened?”
Balkis smiled and said calmly, “Don’t worry. King Solomon was just helping a butterfly solve an argument with his friend. He used a little magic to teach them a lesson about being kind and not boasting.”
The people looked surprised. One of them said, “But that’s impossible! A whole palace can’t disappear because of a tiny butterfly.”
“Come and see for yourselves,” Balkis said, leading them to the camphor tree.
There, they saw King Solomon with the two butterflies perched on his hands. They heard him tell the butterflies, “Now, remember to be kind to each other and not boast about things you canโt really do. Off you go now, and be happy!”

He gently kissed the butterflies on their wings, and they flew away together.
All the people who had been arguing fell to their knees. They realized that if Solomon could do such amazing things because a butterfly was upset, what might he do if he got angry with them? They felt very sorry for all their arguing.
They covered their faces and tiptoed back to the palace, agreeing to think before speaking and to choose their words more carefully.
They began to listen more and argue less. They became considerate and peaceful in their daily lives.
Balkis went to Solomon and put her hand on his shoulder. “My dear Solomon,” she said, “we’ve taught everyone a great lesson today.”
Solomon looked surprised. “We have? I was just playing with some butterflies!”
Balkis told him how she had planned it all. She hoped that if Solomon did some magic for the butterflies, it would inspire the arguing people to behave better.
Solomon stood up and hugged Balkis. “Oh, my clever Balkis!” he said. “If I had used magic because I was angry, it would have been wrong. But because of your wise plan, we solved the problem by being kind and having a bit of fun.
From that day on, the palace was peaceful and happy. Solomon and Balkis lived happily ever after and never forgot their little butterfly friends.

People still tell this story today and end it with a little poem.
Would you like to hear it?
There was never a Queen like Balkis,
From here to the world's far end;
But Balkis talked to a butterfly
As you would talk to a friend.
There was never a King like Solomon,
His wisdom known far and wide;
And he spoke to a tiny butterfly
As if it were human inside.
She was Queen of a faraway land,
And he ruled over a mighty place,
But they both talked to butterflies
With kindness, wisdom, and grace!
And that’s the end of our story! Remember, sometimes, the smallest creatures can teach us important lessons!
Click here for more Just So Stories Rudyard Kipling.
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