Children's book - Story for Ugly Kids

There once was a land called the Kingdom of Kanui. Kanui was a small prosperous country. The quality of life for the people was good. They had everything they could want to eat, comfortable homes, and no crime. Kanui had good relations with all of its neighbors. The people of Kanui had various personalities and characteristics. Some were very tall, some were very short. Some were big, some were small. Some spoke loudly, some spoke softly. A great many smiled a lot and there were very few people who were sad for too long. Most importantly, the people of Kanui could not see because they did not have eyes.

Kanui was ruled by a kind and wise king. The King had long white hair with three golden strands on the right side. The three strands represented his three sons: Hiram, Angelos, Zenos. Long ago, the King awoke and found the three golden strands amongst his shiny dark hair. The kingdom's sage told the King the three golden strands meant he would have three sons. And, because they were golden, the sons would all become great rulers like himself and do great things. Upon hearing this, the King never cut his golden strands. Just as the golden strands stood out when he had black hair, so too did they stand out when his hair slowly became all white. The King ruled Kanui for a very long time and under his rule, Kanui prospered.

The day came when the King grew too old to rule and he had to select a successor to the throne. He loved all three of his sons equally and believed each was as capable as the other to rule. Before the King passed away, he asked his three sons to rule Kanui together. The King's sons did not have a problem ruling side by side because they were wise and kind like their father, and got along with each other. Just as the sage had foretold, each of the King's sons turned out to be great rulers in their own regard.

Hiram was the first son of the King. He was a good negotiator and had a sweet voice which made anyone instantly like him. Neighboring countries all worked well with him. The kingdom prospered because of Hiram's ability to open trade routes and foster relations with countries. There was no animosity or warfare between the countries because of Hiram. Hiram taught the people of Kanui to remain calm when having disagreements and to communicate with each other. Through Hiram's lead, the uniquely different people of Kanui worked together to solve problems and build their society into a great nation.

Angelos was the second son of the King. He was gifted with creativity. He could create anything that he thought of. Angelos created beautiful artworks and magnificent buildings. Even though the people of Kanui could not see, they could feel Angelos' creations. Angelos' creations taught people that some things are the most beautiful when you cannot see them. They learned to appreciate inner beauty and not judge based on appearance. Angelos taught people to feel with their heart.

Zenos was the third son of the King. He was a philosopher. He taught people to deeply think about things. One of this teachings was that suffering was based upon our own decisions. Therefore, we must learn and experience different things in order to make good decisions to suffer less or at least minimize suffering. The people of Kanui took Zenos' teaching to heart and thus there was little to no suffering in the country.

One day, God passed by Kanui. He saw how Kanui lived peacefully with its neighbors. He saw how the people of Kanui treated each other with kindness no matter what the person looked like or believed in. He saw how people quickly worked out disagreements. He saw how open-minded the people were at trying new things and not afraid of failure. And, he saw the people truly appreciate the creations of Angelos despite not being able to see.

"Incredible!" exclaimed God. "This place is so interesting. "Even though the people cannot see, they live happily and peacefully." God thought to himself, "It is exactly what I envisioned to create for people when their time here is done." "I must reward these wonderful people."

And so, God gave the people of Kanui eyes.

Once the people got eyes, they were in amazement and wonderment. They could finally see the people in their daily lives. Families could see each other. Lovers could see their loves. The people of Kanui could finally see what the world around them looked like: the beaming sunlight, the lush green of the trees, the blue ocean. Seeing the marvelous works of art and architecture gave the people new appreciation for them. Since they were already a prosperous and great society before given their sight, what further accomplishments could be achieved now that they could see?

For a short while, everything was just as expected. The ability to see only enhanced Kanui's stature amongst its neighbors. However, problems they never encountered soon arose. Once they got eyes, the people started to judge others based on outward appearance. The heavy and unattractive were discriminated against. Thin and pretty were worshipped because they were aesthetically pleasing to the eye. People loved a little less as personality was second to a pleasing outward appearance. When negotiating with less attractive neighboring countries, the people of Kanui became arrogant thinking they were better than them. Negotiations fell apart along with trade.

The people also became superficial because they worried about what others thought about them in every aspect of their lives. They obsessed over name brand items to impress others. Fake personalities were created by people so they could fit in and be liked. People became selfish and inconsiderate. Their needs and desires were prized over the greater good for the society. Even individual family members thought of themselves before their own family. The less fortunate suffered.

A few years later, God passed Kanui again.

"My goodness!" exclaimed God. "What has happened here?" "This was once a great society, but now it has become corrupt."

God regretted his gift. He got angry and took back his gift of sight.

Unable to see again, the people of Kanui tried to go back to how things used to be. Unfortunately, they could not because the memory of what they saw left a lasting impression on them. Kanui slowly broke apart and vanished from the world.