King Midas and the Golden Wish

King Midas had more gold than he could ever count, but he always wanted more.

So when the god Dionysus offered him one wish, Midas didn't hesitate. "I wish for the golden touch," he said. "Let everything I lay my hands upon turn into gold!"

Dionysus looked at him for a long moment. "Are you certain?" he asked.

"Absolutely!" said Midas — and so it was granted.

At first it was wonderful. Midas touched the bedpost — gold. He touched a flower from the garden — gold. He touched the banister on the stairs — gold. He walked through his palace leaving a golden trail and felt enormously pleased with himself.

Then he sat down to dinner.

His soup turned to gold. His bread turned to gold. His fork turned to gold when he lifted it, which was extremely unhelpful. Midas sat there, hungry and surrounded by glittering useless things, beginning to understand that he had been rather foolish.

Then his daughter Marygold ran in to give him a goodnight kiss. He meant to hold her at arm's length — he remembered, really he did — but she was too quick, and flung her arms around him, and became a cold golden statue in his arms.

Midas wept all night.

In the morning he found Dionysus and said he was sorry, which took some courage.

"Go to the river Pactolus," said Dionysus. "Wash your hands and let the water carry the wish away."

Midas ran. He plunged his hands into the cold current. Gold streamed from his fingers into the river-bed (which is why, it is said, the sands of Pactolus shine like gold to this day).

He ran home. His daughter blinked, and sneezed, and said, "Papa, why are you wet?"

King Midas thought that was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.