story janne toriseva illustrations marec fritzinger my kingdom for a kite king pig wasn’t himself he had been sleeping poorly for weeks and was too weak to boss his subjects around Although the king’s name was Smooth Cheeks his face was wrinkled and his skin had turned gray and flabby You look horrible Your Snoutiness Professor Pig a pig from the stars and other stories 5
my kingdom for a kite said in dismay My royal duties have been weighing on me the king groaned quietly Ordering subjects around is a difficult chore Could you help me the king asked meekly I mean if it wouldn’t be too much trouble Oh Your Hogness truly does not sound like himself the professor exclaimed My friends just call me Smooth Cheeks the king said modestly I think you have too many worries the professor said I’m prescribing you a full dose of kite flying The king was excited about such an easy-sounding form of treatment Flying a kite would be much more fun than bossing pigs around Soon he was sitting in his royal recliner in a meadow admiring a kite flapping against the blue blue sky Why haven’t I been taking care of myself It’s so nice out here King Pig said to himself 6 a pig from the stars and other stories
my kingdom for a kite Then a strong wind snapped the string of the kite Oh no Can someone save my kite the king croaked frantically but the wind drowned out his cry for help At the last second he managed to catch the kite string in his teeth but the kite didn’t come down Dragging the king along it floated over the sea Oh no what will become of me the king thought to himself Best to close my eyes and hope for the best Much later he felt the wind dying down I’m so glad the wind is going away he managed to think before he plunged screaming to the ground There was a loud squelch and King Pig felt something wet and soft warming his plump behind Opening his eyes he found himself lying in a pool of mud surrounded by sand as far as the eye could see The king realized he had fallen on Desert Island in the Limestone Lagoon He had heard of its wonderful mud Now that the king had fallen in it he might as well a pig from the stars and other stories 7
