Just a Little Kindness: Laura E. Richards’s Short Children’s Story, ‘The Coming of the King’

Just a Little Kindness: Laura E. Richards’s Short Children’s Story, ‘The Coming of the King’
"Game of Handball With Country Palace in Background," 1614, by Adrean van der Venne. Getty Museum. Public Domain
Kate Vidimos
Updated:

No matter what evil or wrong we do, kindness rekindles and fans the flames of goodness and virtue in us. Kindness highlights the true worth of our beautiful humanity.

In her short story, “The Coming of the King,” Laura E. Richards shows how the kindness that the children at a playground show a tired stranger makes him as valued as a king. When the children treat the stranger with kindness, they highlight not only his value and specialness as an individual, but also their own value as humans capable of kindness.

A Herald Comes

As the children play within the walls of their playground, a herald rides by and announces that the king will pass by later that day. The children are so excited! But they instantly realize that their playground is extremely messy and by no means fit for the presence of a king.
Kate Vidimos
Kate Vidimos
Author
Kate Vidimos is a 2020 graduate from the liberal arts college at the University of Dallas, where she received her bachelor’s degree in English. She plans on pursuing all forms of storytelling (specifically film) and is currently working on finishing and illustrating a children’s book.
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