The Butterfly That Stamped

Long, long ago, there was a wise King named Solomon. He was so wise that he could understand what all the animals said — even the tiniest of insects. And he had a wife, Queen Balkis, who was nearly as wise as he was.

Solomon had a beautiful golden palace with gardens and fountains and orange trees. But the palace was also full of noisy royal cousins who argued from morning till night. They quarrelled about the food. They quarrelled about the dresses. They quarrelled about who sat where at dinner.

It made poor Solomon very tired.

One day, Solomon walked out into the garden to escape the noise. His wise Queen Balkis followed quietly, and hid behind a big camphor tree, just to keep an eye on him.

Two butterflies fluttered past, arguing.

'Silly wife!' said the he-butterfly. 'Do you not know that if I stamp my foot, the entire palace and all these gardens will vanish in a puff of smoke?'

Solomon nearly laughed out loud. He held out his finger. 'Little friend,' he said kindly, 'come here.'

The butterfly, rather nervous, flew over and landed on Solomon's finger.

'You know perfectly well,' whispered Solomon, 'that you could not knock down a blade of grass by stamping your foot. Why do you tell your wife such things?'

The butterfly hung his head. 'She is always cross with me,' he said. 'I said it to make her be quiet.'

Solomon smiled. 'Then fly back to your wife,' he said. 'Just do as I say. When she asks you to stamp your foot, stamp it.'

Behind the camphor tree, Queen Balkis had heard everything. She had an idea. She held out her own finger to the she-butterfly.

'Little friend,' she whispered, 'do you believe what your husband just said?'

'Of course not,' said the she-butterfly. 'But he never means half he says.'

'Then,' said Balkis, 'do this. Next time he boasts, dare him to prove it. Ask him to stamp his foot. And see what happens.'

The she-butterfly flew back to her husband. Within a moment they were arguing worse than ever.

'REMEMBER,' shouted the he-butterfly, 'I could stamp my foot and destroy this whole palace!'

'Then STAMP!' shouted the she-butterfly. 'STAMP! STAMP RIGHT NOW!'

'I promised King Solomon that I wouldn't.'

'Excuses,' said the she-butterfly.

Solomon, hearing all this from beneath the camphor tree, was doing his very best not to burst out laughing.

The he-butterfly flew back to Solomon. 'She wants me to stamp! I can't! I'll be laughed at forever!'

'Have no fear,' said Solomon kindly. He turned the magic ring on his finger. Four enormous Djinns rose up out of the earth, wings whirring.

'When this gentleman' — Solomon pointed at the butterfly — 'stamps his tiny foot, you will pick up the whole palace and gardens and lift them up into the sky, and there will be a great crack of thunder. When he stamps again, you will put it all back very carefully.'

The butterfly flew back to his wife. 'Watch this!' he said.

He stamped his little foot.

The Djinns lifted the whole palace and all the gardens into the sky. There was an enormous thunderclap. Everything went dark.

Inside the palace, the noisy cousins screamed and screamed. 'Oh! Oh! Oh! We are sorry we argued! Please, please, put us back!'

The he-butterfly, feeling very brave, stamped his foot again. The Djinns set the palace and gardens down as gently as anything, exactly where they had been.

The noisy cousins tiptoed out into the garden. They saw the tiny butterfly. They saw Solomon. They saw Queen Balkis smiling behind her tree. They realised they had been humbled by the smallest of insects.

They never argued so loudly again.

And the wise King Solomon and his wise Queen Balkis went in to a peaceful dinner, for the first time in years.