Zeus, the king of all the gods, was a little bit grumpy. You see, a clever fellow named Prometheus had given fire to people on Earth, and Zeus wasn't too pleased about that. So, Zeus thought, "Hmm, I need a special plan."

He asked Hephaestus, the god of making things, to create the very first woman out of clay. Her name was Pandora. All the gods and goddesses gave Pandora wonderful gifts. Aphrodite gave her beauty, Athena gave her cleverness, and Hermes gave her... well, a very, very curious mind.

Zeus then sent Pandora down to Earth as a gift for Prometheus's brother, Epimetheus. Prometheus had told his brother, "Be careful! Don't take any gifts from Zeus!" But Epimetheus saw how lovely and charming Pandora was, and he forgot all about his brother's warning.

Along with Pandora, Zeus sent a beautiful, mysterious box. It was locked tight. Zeus told Pandora, "This box is very special. You must NEVER, EVER open it."

Pandora tried her best. She really did. She put the box in a corner. She tried not to look at it. But that curious mind Hermes gave her just wouldn't rest. "What could be inside?" she wondered. "Maybe shiny jewels? Or sweet cakes? Or perhaps a tiny, singing bird?" The more she thought, the more she just HAD to know.

One day, when Epimetheus was out, Pandora tiptoed over to the box. Her heart went thump-thump-thump. "Just a tiny peek," she whispered to herself. She slowly, carefully, lifted the lid just a little bit.

WHOOSH! Out flew all sorts of nasty, buzzy things! Not jewels or cakes, oh no! Out flew Sickness, and Sadness, and Anger, and all the troubles you can imagine. They spread all over the world like little grey clouds.

Pandora was so scared! She slammed the lid shut as fast as she could. But it was too late for most of them.

Then, she heard a tiny, gentle voice from inside the box. "Let me out, please!"
Pandora hesitated. But the voice was so soft and kind. She opened the lid again, just a crack.
Out fluttered a beautiful, glowing creature. It was Hope.

Even though all those troubles were now in the world, Hope stayed with people. It was a little light to help them when things got tough. And that, my dears, is how Hope came into the world, all because of a curious girl and a mysterious box.

1670 Views