A Ruby Folktale

"Well, this definitely was a rare occasion," Mao Mao remarked.

The Sheriff's Department had come to Pure Heart Valley's royal palace on request to the king. Naturally, they thought there was an emergency after hearing the king's alarm, but upon entering, they were greeted with perhaps the most mundane of surprises.

"Are we done yet?" Badgerclops complained while playing a game on his phone. "I wanna go home already."

"Almost there," Mao Mao replied. "You're lucky the king doesn't declutter as much as we do."

"I didn't know he had things that don't bring him joy," Adorabat commented, "I thought he was joyful about everything."

The items that King Snugglemagne chose to throw away left the palace in quick order, piled upon cart after cart. Ignoring the king's jovial words about finally having more space in his palace for...whatever vanity projects he had in mind, Mao Mao happened across a particular item on one of the passing junk carts.

"Wait, what's that?" he said out loud, prompting the guard pushing the cart to stop and allowing the sheriff to walk over and pick up the thing.

It was a small and thin storybook, one that seemed worn and dusty from spending an amount of time sitting on a shelf and going unread.

The king was right next to Mao Mao as he saw what was being held in the sheriff's hand. "Oh, that's just an old children's book written from the time of my ancestors. I remember it being read to me in my earliest youth."

"Don't you still want it?" Adorabat asked innocently.

"Goodness, no!" Snugglemagne objected with a repulsed flick of his wrist. "It is old, barely of much use, and a rather ghastly thing, frankly!" With a swish of his cape, he turned around and walked back into his palace without sparing another glance to his employed guests. "If it is of interest to you, then by all means, you may have it."

The trio looked back at the book held in Mao Mao's hands.

"Let's read it!" Adorabat squealed. "I wanna see what it's about!"

"Dude, same!" Badgerclops joined in. "You know how weird old stuff usually is!"

Mao Mao took another glance over the book's delicate hardcover. "Alright then, but let's save it for tonight. Need to get in the mood…"

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Later at night, when it was almost time to hit the hay, the three were comfortably nestled on their triple-decker bunk bed.

Mao Mao sat on the bottom bunk with his legs crossed and the book on his lap. Adorabat sat next to Mao Mao so that she could have a good close look at what was in the book, once Mao Mao opened it anyway. Badgerclops was content to just look down from his top bunk, lying on his belly with his head and hands hanging down from the edge.

"Okay then, ready for what may possibly be content meant for minors but proven unsuitable by today's standards?" Mao Mao asked with anticipation in his voice.

"Yay!" Adorabat cheered. "That's how I sleep at night!"

"Let's get this bedtime story started," Badgerclops concurred from above.

Mao Mao nodded in response to the confident affirmation. He opened the book and began to read: