King Midas and the Donkey Ears

You would think after his bout with the golden touch that perhaps King Midas would have acquired a little common sense.

All except one of the judges voted Apollo the winner after hearing the two melodies. Yet, one judge, King Midas, enjoyed Pan's song.

Apollo was enraged that anyone would prefer a reedy pipe over his musical lyre: "I see the issue. It's due to your ears. They can't hear well since they're too little. Let me take care of things for you."

King Midas' ears twitched. His ears sprang out and out until they became the big furry ears of an ass. King Midas was shocked. He snatched his ears. "Pan, please help me!" he pleaded. Pan turned his back on Apollo after a fleeting anxious glance.

King Midas tried to conceal his ears from his subjects by donning many enormous hats, hefty helmets, and cumbersome scarves. His barber was the only person who saw his ears. King Midas made his barber vow not to tell anyone.

His barber honoured his promise. Yet, keeping such a big secret to himself was driving him insane. The barber climbed a mountain and nearly reached the edge of a cliff. He dug a tunnel through some reeds. He looked around, making sure no one was nearby. Then he said into the hole, "King Midas has asses ears. King aaaass ears! King's aaaass ears!" He felt much better after getting his secret off his chest. He returned home, confident that he had kept his promise.

Sadly, the barber had dug right into a piece of Echo for King Midas. Echo's fragments were dispersed over the mountainous kingdom.

Although some people might assume it was merely the sound of the wind in the reeds, it was truly a bit of Echo, murmuring again and over, "King aaaass ears, king aaaass ears".

Even whispers travel well in the mountains. The entire kingdom didn't take long to learn the king's secret.