The Silver Birdcage

Once upon a time, there lived a Demon named Bok. Bok was a mischievous demon, and everywhere he went he caused trouble. Bok was also a very greedy demon, and one day he set out into the world to see what he may gain from it.
Bok came across a witch that lived in a magical forest. She possessed a great treasure, a golden birdcage. He did not know what the birdcage did, but he knew that it possessed great powers. He very much wanted it for his own.
He waited in the deep woods hidden by the dark trees that were as black as he, until the old witch fell asleep. Then he went into her house and sprinkled dust upon her so she would sleep even deeper and took the golden birdcage right from her very arms.
The next day Bok was making a fire and looking at the cage. He was wondering what made it so very powerful when along came a toad. Bok was very proud that he had stole the cage from the witch and told the toad what he had done.
"May I see the birdcage?" asked the frog.
"Certainly!” Bok replied.
The frog looked at the cage and played with it for awhile. Finally he did something Bok had not done before. He opened the cage door. A glistening mist of green came out from the frog and went into the cage. Then the door of the golden birdcage shut tight!
"My goodness, what was that?" asked the frog.
" I haven’t the slightest clue" said Bok.
"Well never-mind then, I best be on my way" said the frog and he put the cage down and begin to hop away. To his surprise, he could not hop at all!
"That’s very strange” said the Frog. “I cant seem to jump any longer. Why, I am the best jumper in the whole kingdom! yet somehow now I cannot even so much as hop!"
It was then Bok realized. The golden birdcage had stolen from the frog the best thing there was about a frog, his hop. “Aha” Bok said to himself “The cage is capable of stealing the greatest thing about anyone that dared opened its beautiful golden doors! How wondrous!”
Bok could see the mist of the frogs hop in between the bars of the cage and he quickly opened the doors again and out came the frogs hop and landed right on Bok’s chest! Bok was gifted the frogs hop, and Bok hopped away as fast as he could before the frog could catch him!
"Why" Bok thought, "with this cage I could steal the skills and talents of all the best of the townspeople! and then when my cage is full, open it myself. I shall be the best at everything and no one will catch or try to stop me then! look I am already the best jumper! I shall take this into the town and look for the very best of people and steal from them the best they have to offer!"
And Bok did just that. He entered the town under a disguise and one by one stole the very best of the townspeople. He stole the skill to shoot a bow and arrow from the best arch man, and the ability to write and speak beautifully from the poet. He even stole the town jesters juggling skills! He stole the bravery of a knight, The wisdom of a scholar and the strength of the towns strongest axmen.
His cage was becoming more full and he knew it was only a matter of time before it was filled and thought carefully as to what he may fill the rest of the cage with. Bok then thought this town had done him as much good as it possibly could. He had taken all the best from its people. Then he thought, what good were all these skills without the power to rule over a kingdom? why not steal the royalty and riches of a prince? or better yet, a king! and he set off to the kingdom to find the king.
Now, in the next kingdom over lived a Boy, strong in heart and pure love. The love he possessed was in its greatest form for the princess, the young daughter of the powerful and rich king. Lo, no peasant no matter how big his heart would ever be able to marry a princess. But, the boy remained strong and true in pure love for her. The princess of the kingdom was known as the "ICE PRINCESS" for she was mean and heartless and never returned the love of the boy or any of her subjects. Her father, the king, was equally heartless and they shared no love for each other or the people of their kingdom, who lived in sadness under their rule.
Night after night the peasant would profess his love for the princess and night after night she would demonstrate a terrible cruelness towards him.
The boy in his great sadness was walking through the forest one night and came across Bok, sleeping by the fire, the golden birdcage by his side. the sight of Bok frightened the boy, but the golden birdcage was beautiful. He went quietly over to it and picked up to get a closer look. Inside he could see the many different beautiful glowing colors, unaware they were the greatest attributes captured. He was very curious to see the colors closer and opened its doors. The cage glowed and took from the boy his love for the princess , as that was his greatest strength. Its doors snapped shut and to his surprise the cage now gleamed a remarkable shiny silver instead of gold. The cage was now filled.
"What have you done!" Bok shouted, the sound of the doors snapping had awoke him.
"I was saving the last of the cages power for the royalty of the king! Now it is filled with love! BAH!" Bok took the cage from the boy and ran deep into the woods away from the fire leaving the boy for the first time in his life, without love in his heart for the princess and alone in the darkness of the surrounding wood.
The boy sat, feeling nothing and though "OH! this is wonderful! so much better then my heartache before! Now I may think clearly" he sat there thinking logically and not in love for the first time in his life, and set out again to find the demon Bok. Having found him he asked "what do you want most in this world, the skills you have gathered in this cage or the power to rule over a mighty kingdom?" Bok thought about it and answered " The power to rule over a mighty kingdom", Then the boy whispered his plan to the angry demon so that even the trees could not hear them and inform the king of what awaited him at sunrise.
The very next day Bok and the boy entered the kingdom, with promise to show the king and his heartless daughter a very powerful treasure.
"Behold!" said the boy, here we have found amongst the forest a magical treasure, whoever shall open it shall be gifted the greatest of talents and skill, strength, wisdom and power!"
Knowing the king would be greedy but suspicious, he first suggested his daughter open the cage least any harm should come to him, and being heartless, did not mind if his daughter was sacrificed in the event that the cage bring harm to the one who opened it. She being as greedy as a demon snatched up the cage and opened it without a second thought and out rushed all the talents it had been holding. Wisdom, strength, and bravely all rushed out and the princess was granted all of them. Lastly, the love the boy had for the princess was cast upon her and she felt for the first time in her life what it was like to love. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she exclaimed "Oh father! it truly is magical!" the doors of the cage closed. Empty again, it turned to gold.
With no knowledge the cage was now empty and seeing the power it gifted his daughter the king took the cage from her arms and opened its door yet again. Then his royalty, riches and all the power he possessed left the king and entered into the cage. The king sat speechless not knowing what had happened and quicker then lightning Bok took the cage from his arms. "Wait! said the boy "let me hold the cage for you and point it toward you as I open it! you wouldn’t want any royalty to spill away in your hastiness!"
"You are right!" exclaimed Bok and he handed the cage to the boy. But instead of pointing it towards Bok he pointed it towards himself and opened the cage so that he instead of the demon would be granted the power to rule over all.
The boy then banished the Demon Bok, and the ruthless man who use to be king. The princess now with all gifts granted to her, including that of love, begged the new king to let her stay and love her as he had loved her all the years before, for now, she finally loved him.
"You may go as well princess. My love for the kingdom and its people is strong, as that love came second to the love I had for you. Alas now my love for you has gone."
All three then left the kingdom never to be heard from again, and the new good king reigned in prosperity.