Now the curse that this great King sent upon the rebellious residents became known as the Curse of the Unseen Darkness. To be certain, the darkness of this curse was not the kind that kept the citizens who lived in it from seeing each other or from seeing the world in which they lived. Rather, it was a darkness that filled their heart and mind, a darkness that kept them from seeing anything good and beautiful. In particular, this darkness would keep them from seeing (and finding) the King and the King’s palace, which had been the most beautiful structure in all the Kingdom.
This palace, if you remember, sat right in the middle of the Kingdom. To all living under the curse, however, it disappeared—and so did any memory of it. When the residents looked at the palace following the curse, they saw nothing more than a mountain, a great big, immovable mountain.
This was the intended effect of the curse. The unseen darkness affected not only one’s ability to see the King and his castle; it affected one’s memory and attitude toward the King.
Fortunately for the residents’ sake, the story does end with the curse. On the same day the curse took effect, the King made a promise to all the citizens of the New Realm. They did not hear this promise at the time, but they would read about it over time, for the King would soon begin sending occasional reminders to those living in the New Realm. Notes written in odd places appeared. Each served to remind the residents of their King and the curse that now separated them.
But that was not all. These messages served to tell them the good news of the promise that the King would one day make a way for the citizens to return to the King’s castle, a way for them to once again be in the King’s presence, a way for them to once again drink from the King’s magic chalice.
Sadly, most denied that these messages came from any king. Having forgotten about the king, they denied that the messages were authentic. Some remained curious about them but remained skeptical. A few believed and they waited for the King to provide the Way as he promised.
What none of them knew was that these proclamations were magical themselves, and that their magic was already at work to undo the curse in the minds of those who yet believed in the King.
The King, of course, had acted graciously by simply sending these notices. He could have just left them all in darkness for good. And yet, the real kindness was not in the sending of the messages, it was found in the content of each message. Each one identified an explanation of the curse that had been cast, and then it offered a great promise, a special vow of a wonderful gift that would soon arrive in the Kingdom’s square.
According to the message, the gift would come from the King himself and by recognizing it, the gift would provide entry into the unseen palace. All one needed to do was to bring evidence of this gift to the King. This would show the King one’s allegiance. It would be a sign that a resident no longer wanted to be in rebellion against the King.
But how? They could not even see the King’s castle. How could they enter it. How could they bring something to the King whom they could not meet with or see, for that matter. And what evidence? What could one bring to show his confidence and his loyalty in the King?