There once was a king, and his name was Midas. Now, King Midas was a pretty good king, but he had one HUGE love: gold! He loved gold coins, gold statues, gold cups – anything gold made him smile. He thought gold was the best, most wonderful thing in the whole wide world.

One day, a friendly satyr (that’s a playful creature, half-man, half-goat!) who was a helper to the god Dionysus, got a bit lost and ended up in King Midas's beautiful rose garden. King Midas was very kind to the satyr, giving him food and a comfy place to rest.

When Dionysus found out how well Midas had treated his friend, he was very pleased. "King Midas," said Dionysus, "because you were so kind, I will grant you one wish. Anything you want!"

Midas's eyes lit up. He didn't even have to think for a second. "Oh, great Dionysus!" he exclaimed. "I wish that everything I touch turns into beautiful, shiny gold!"

Dionysus raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Midas? That's a very big wish."
"Yes, yes! I'm absolutely sure!" Midas cheered.

So, Dionysus granted his wish. The next morning, Midas woke up feeling very excited. He reached out and touched his bedside table. ZAP! It turned into solid gold! He touched a flower in a vase. ZAP! Gold! He ran through his palace, touching chairs, curtains, and even the statues in his garden. ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! Everything turned to glittering gold. Midas danced around, laughing. "I'm the richest king ever!" he sang.

But then, it was breakfast time. He picked up a juicy red apple. ZAP! It turned into a hard, cold, gold apple. He couldn't take a bite! He tried to pick up a piece of bread. ZAP! Gold bread. He reached for his cup of water. ZAP! The water turned into solid, undrinkable gold.
"Hmm," Midas thought, his tummy starting to rumble. "This isn't quite as fun as I imagined."

Just then, his little daughter, the person he loved most in all the world, ran into the room to give him a morning hug. "Papa!" she cried happily, running towards him.
Midas, forgetting his strange new power for a moment, reached out to hug her.
ZAP!
His sweet, giggling daughter turned into a cold, silent, golden statue.

King Midas gasped. His heart felt like it had turned to heavy stone. Tears welled up in his eyes. "No! No! What have I done?" he cried. All the gold in the world meant nothing to him now. He just wanted his daughter back, warm and smiling.

He rushed to find Dionysus. "Please, please take this awful gift away!" Midas begged, tears streaming down his face. "I was foolish! Gold isn't the most important thing. My daughter is!"

Dionysus looked at Midas with a kind, understanding smile. "You have learned your lesson, Midas," he said. "Go to the river Pactolus and wash your hands in its waters. The golden touch will be washed away."

Midas ran as fast as he could to the river. He plunged his hands into the cool water and scrubbed and scrubbed. He felt the strange power leave him. He hurried back to the palace, his heart pounding. He gently touched the golden statue of his daughter.
Slowly, the gold faded, and his daughter blinked. She was warm and alive again! "Papa?" she said, giving him a big hug.

King Midas hugged her tighter than he ever had before. He learned that day that some things, like love and family, are much more precious than all the gold in the world. And from that day on, it's said that the sands of the river Pactolus shimmer with tiny flecks of gold, a reminder of King Midas's golden touch.

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