The Bigger You Are, the Harder You Fall

King Jeffery had been in power for almost 12 years when it all came to an end.  The views in his country had changed and the people revolted against the Monarchy.  They stormed the castle and raced to find King Jeffery, who had known this time would come and was sitting calmly on his throne, waiting. 

King Jeffery was 6’5”, and his throne was raised off the ground by a three-foot stage.  The people grabbed King Jeffery and threw him from his elevated throne, causing a loud and painful crash.  King Jeffery hadn’t been the worst King, but he wasn’t a very effective ruler.  He was, however, very kind to all his staff and servants, especially his Best Friend, the Court Jester.

As he came crashing to the ground, he noticed the people rushing towards his Best Friend and closest confidant.  The Court Jester was a tiny man, only about 4’11” and very slight in build.  King Jeffery and the Court Jester could sit and talk for hours on end about anything at all.  The people grabbed the Court Jester and threw him to the ground, where he landed with a quiet thud. 

The two were shoved out onto the street together, where they shared a solemn look before heading their separate ways.

A few months later, the two ran into each other in a neighboring town.  They were both beggars, trying to make a living on street corners, sleeping in alleyways.  Ex-King Jeffery had lost a lot of weight and now closely resembled a skeleton, his skin sagging over his boney body and face.  He’d allowed his facial hair to grow out with the hope that his new look would make him unrecognizable to the public.

But the Former Court Jester would’ve recognized his best friend anywhere, in any state.  The Former Court Jester, who had the skills to entertain, was making a fairly decent living for himself and almost never went hungry. 

The two made eye contact and the Former Court Jester thought to himself, I guess it’s true what they say—the bigger you are, the harder you fall.

He then approached Ex-King Jeffery and offered him a piece of day-old bread.

Ex-King Jeffery looked up at his Former Best Friend with distant, teary eyes and said, “Thank you, kind sir.  You’ve no idea what troubles I’ve seen.”

The Former Court Jester gestured towards the ground, wordlessly asking permission to sit. 

“Care to talk about it?” the Former Court Jester inquired.