If you read Colleen Hoover’s book, Without Merit, I’m pretty sure you would have come across this story, The King’s perspective. This story narrates:
“There is a story of a King, and this story is very true. Some say it’s just a rumor; some say it’s just a ruse. They called the man King Flip, but that wasn’t really his name. His name was Filipileetus, but that’s too hard to say.
King Flip had a penchant for a really expensive things. He liked anything shiny, and anything with bling. He had this nicest castle out of all the lands. But that didn’t stop him from wanting one even more grand.
So he bought a town called Perspective. And made the people build him a castle at the top of their highest mountain. He didn’t care if it was hassle.
When the work was finally done, he decided to go inspect it. But when he arrived in the town of Perspective, it was exactly as he’d left it. He couldn’t find a castle; it wasn’t on the mountain; it wasn’t on the beach; it wasn’t on the mainland.
He immediately grew angry, and sought his just revenge on all those who had fooled him. On the town, his army did descend. When the people were all dead, a red cardinal then appeared. “King Flip, what have you done? You killed good people, I do fear.”
King Flip tried to explain that the town deserved to die, for his castle was never built, or he would see it with his own eyes. The bird said, “But king, you merely assumed. You didn’t even try to look from a different perspective. Don’t just look from your own two eyes.”
The bird then led him over to where the castle should surely be. He then moved aside a boulder, and King Flip fell to his knees. For inside the mountain was the castle. The most magnificent one ever built. King Flip couldn’t believe his eyes. He quickly became wrecked with guilt. He had killed so many people. People he should have protected. Simply because he couldn’t see the castle from their perspective.
“Hide their bodies!” King Flip yelled. “Hide every last one! Put them inside the mountain. And then close those doors for good!” The king’s army hid the bodies, and King Flip fled the land. He went back to his old castle and never spoke of Perspective again.
Some say this story isn’t true; some say the town never existed. But look at any map and you’ll see there is no longer a town called Perspective.”
