The detective king

SARA BUBBER shares a folktale about a king who turned detective and solved a case, then offers us some fun facts about trees, and some detective work of our own to solve!

The Detective King

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, the royal garden was a spectacular sight. Flower gardens, medicinal plants, and orchards were inviting places for birds, small animals, and weary workers. The maintenance was overseen by the head gardener. He had a green thumb and was dedicated to making his garden state of the art.

One day, he went to a spot he frequented under an arka shrub. As he dug around the roots, he grew frantic. He couldn’t see the pot he had buried and looked after so well. It contained all his life savings. After digging at multiple spots and worrying for a few days, he went to the king who was known to be very wise and just.

He told the king that he had lost his life savings. The king asked for details so he said he had buried his gold under an arka plant and seen it a few days before it disappeared. He was sure it had been stolen. The king admonished him for burying his life savings in such an unsafe place. He told the gardener to go home and he would look into the investigation personally.

The king called his physician and asked him the about the arka plant. The physician told him that he had not used any part of it to make medicinal potions. The king summoned all the physicians in the kingdom and asked them about the arka. None of the physicians had any information to share.

Finally, an old physician came forth and said the roots of the arka are valued in curing a rare disease. The king asked if he had referred it to a patient recently. The physician told the king that a merchant had contracted a rare disease and he asked him to make a juice from the roots of the arka.

The king knew he had a lead. He called the merchant and asked him about his health. The merchant told him about the rare disease and how his physician had saved him. He told the king that the juice from the arka root saved his life. The king asked where he got the roots from. The merchant did not know and said that his servant had brought the roots for him. The king asked for the servant to be presented in court.

The servant was led inside and the king asked him whether he procured arka roots for his master. The servant told him that he had. The king asked where he got them from, and stammering the servant told him about the arka shrub in the palace garden. The king finally asked whether there was anything around the tree. The servant froze, so the king said that if he told the truth he would be forgiven. The servant confessed that he had taken the pot of gold that was buried under the tree.

The king asked the servant to bring the gold. He gave him three gold coins for confessing and returned the rest to his head gardener with a warning never to bury his life savings in the garden. The king was widely praised for handling a complex case so well. All were happy and prosperous in his kingdom once more.

Fun facts from Dr. Tree

Did you know? Trees are natural doctors and have many benefits. Their roots, stems, leaves, fruits, and flowers can be used to prevent or treat many conditions.

The banyan tree has anti-inflammatory properties and its bark can be used to treat ulcers, burning sensations, and skin infections.

Moringa protects the liver from damage, oxidation, and toxicity. It can also heal wounds and is packed with many vitamins and minerals.

Papaya leaf has been used in traditional medicines to cure diabetes and high blood sugar levels. It can also increase platelet count in the blood.

Neem is effective against many skin diseases, sores, and burns. Its detox properties promote oral health.

Riddles

Just like the detective king solved his mystery. Here are some riddles for you to solve:

• Which house can fly?
• What has 88 keys?
• A man who was outside in the rain without an umbrella or hat didn’t get a single hair on his head wet. Why?
• What can be touched but never seen?
• There’s a one-story house in which everything is yellow. Yellow walls, yellow doors, yellow furniture. What color are the stairs?

Answers:

1. Housefly. 
2. Piano.
3.  He was bald. 
4. A heart. 
5. None, it’s a one story house.