Once, there was a mighty prince, notorious for his cruelty and ambition. His heart was filled with dreams of conquest and power.
“I will conquer all the lands and even challenge God Himself,” he declared boldly to his subjects.
The prince began his conquest, and his armies were unstoppable. After subduing the lands, he looked up to the sky and said arrogantly, “Now, I shall conquer God and become the master of Heaven.”
He built a magnificent ship, armed with powerful cannons and weapons. As the ship ascended towards Heaven, the prince stood proudly on the deck.
“See, the angels retreat! Even God will bow to my might,” he boasted.
But God, in His wisdom, did not fight the prince with thunder or brimstone. Instead, He sent a single, small gnat.
The gnat flew towards the prince and said in a voice only he could hear, “Mighty prince, your power is but a speck in the vastness of God’s creation.”
The gnat stung the prince on the forehead. Enraged and in pain, the prince tried to grab it, but it was too swift.
The sting grew fiercer, and the prince was driven mad with agony.
“This tiny creature is defeating me? Impossible!” he cried out, his voice laced with pain and disbelief.
His hands now swatting the air aimlessly, his eyes wild with torment, the prince lost control of his ship. It plummeted down to Earth, crashing amidst the ruins of his conquered lands.
As he lay dying, the prince realized the futility of his arrogance. With his last breath, he whispered,
“I sought to conquer the world, yet I was defeated by the smallest of God’s creatures.”
In the end, the once-mighty prince was remembered not for his power or conquests but as a cautionary tale of the danger of hubris and the ultimate triumph of divine will over human arrogance.
Discover more Bedtime Stories: 5 Min Bedtime Stories – The Swan Princess
Follow Up Questions
Why did the prince want to fight against God? This question helps children think about the motivations of the prince and his ambition.
How did a tiny gnat defeat the powerful prince? This question encourages children to reflect on how something small can make a big difference, a key point in the story.
What did the prince learn at the end of the story? This question invites children to consider the moral of the story and what the prince might have understood about pride and humility.