The Kingdom of Ning

THE BEGINNING Would you like to hear about a really cool place? There is a world beyond our world that is older than Mother Earth where you and I live. Shall I tell you more? Tonight, when the lights are turned low as you climb into bed, close your eyes tightly. Then open them just a teeny bit. Look directly through the ceiling to a space beyond the roof. Beyond the clouds. Even farther than Moon. At first, this object will seem very small and far away. But watch it closely until your imagination catches up. Yes! There it is! The World of Wonder, spinning, spinning spinning, forever spinning. Do you see its eight continents? Look even closer. Find the continent called Athena with its seven countries, each different from the other. Athena is a land of wisdom where you and I will visit. The country farthest south on Athena is The Kingdom of Tung which is separated by mountains from The Kingdom of Pong. Tungans live in the warmest of the kingdoms, so they wear very few clothes, mostly large pieces of purple cloth called toogas. Tungans tie toogas loosely around themselves to protect their beautiful brown bodies from Sun’s rays. And for modesty, of course. North of Tung is the delicious Kingdom of Pong that is really a huge orchard. You have never before seen so many fruit trees. Apples. Apricots. Bananas. Pears. Peaches. Pecans. Even pineapples. Whatever delicious piece you might want is right there, waiting for you to reach out your arms to pick your favorite fruit of the day. Yummmm. Tasty good! For years, The Kingdom of Snag, on Orange Ocean, has had very little rain, so crops are not ripening. Jobs are hard to come by, thus Snaguns are moving east to neighboring Tung and Pong until rains return and crops grow tall and green again. North of Snag, also on Orange Ocean, is The Kingdom of Toot. Here the food supply is mostly beans. Lima beans. Green beans. Navy beans. String beans. Little white beans. Bigger yellow beans. But... no jelly beans. They might rot your teeth. Tooters are happy people who laugh a lot. Even in their sleep. Rounding the northern corner of Athena is The Queendom of Boop. Imagine, there is no king of Boop, but rather a queen who loves her Boopers so much that she gives them everything they need. Therefore, nobody has to bother poking holes in their pockets by carrying coins. Mother and father Boopers take their children to grocery stores, shoe stores, clothing stores, even hardware stores. They fill their bags with whatever makes their lives more fun. The Queendom of Boop is the most generous country in the entire Universe. Boopers love to share whatever they have with anyone in need. In all of the countries of Athena, no one has ever heard the word “war.” Continuing in an easterly direction, we enter The Kingdom of Jang. Here the people are quite tall with very large feet for balance,. When visiting, you must be careful not to get in the way of a Jangun, as they may not see you far below, and step right on your head. Ouch! Rounding the corner and returning toward the south, we find the largest country of all. This luscious land has a long coastline on the Chocolate Sea and a lush lake in its middle. This is where we find The Kingdom of Ning, where our stories unfold. So....take my hand....our adventure begins!