A fable that reveals a king's weakness.

This short story serves as a grim trajectory of a dictatorship, moving from the consolidation of power to imperialist expansion, and finally to desolation.

Politically, the narrative maps the process by which authoritarian regimes dismantle civil society to erect monuments to the state.

The King represents the Dictator; the Advisers represent the complicit political class; and the Trees represent the exploited natural world.

I try to be careful in my work so that those I have different views from find enough in those things I make to return. It is important to keep listening, and to be respectful. At the same time, I value honesty, integrity, and compassion, and when these qualities are absent or seriously undermined, personally or by those in power, it is important to act as a counterweight so that those who hold different opinions have the opportunity to pause and consider their own.

This work is also available at www.thebigbeautifulballroom.com

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