The Three Sluggards
Grimm's Fairy Tales
In a sunny kingdom, filled with fluffy clouds and singing birds, lived a king. This king had a bit of a puzzle. He had three sons, and he loved them all. But, oh dear, they were a bit... well, they really, really liked to do nothing.
One day, the king thought, "I need to choose who will be king after me. Hmm, I have an idea! The laziest one will be the best king!" Why? Well, maybe he thought a lazy king wouldn't bother people too much!
So, he called his first son. "Son," said the king, "what's the laziest thing you've ever done?"
The first son yawned. "Well, Father, once I was lying under a tree. A tiny drop of water was about to fall on my eye. It would have been so much work to move my head, so I just let it drip. Splish!"
"Hmm," said the king, "that's pretty lazy."
Then came the second son. "And you, my boy?" asked the king.
The second son stretched. "Oh, one time, I was sitting by the fire. A spark flew out and landed on my shoe. It started to get warm, then hot. But getting up to find water? Or even to shake my foot? Too much effort. I just hoped it would go out by itself."
"My, my," said the king, "that's even lazier!"
Finally, the third son shuffled in. He looked like he hadn't moved in a week.
"And you, my dear?" the king asked, trying not to yawn himself.
The third son blinked slowly. "Father," he mumbled, "if I were lying down, and someone put a delicious piece of cake right next to my mouth, I wouldn't even bother to open my mouth to eat it. It's just too much effort to chew."
The king's eyes widened. "That," he declared, "is the laziest thing I have ever heard! You, my third son, you shall be the next king!"
And so, the laziest son became the king. We hope he didn't make everyone else too lazy, but one thing is for sure: he probably took a lot of naps on his throne!
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