Tales of Ferdinand Fedasort, for Short

His Most Bountiful Majesty Ferdinand Fedasort the Fifth – Ferdinand Fedasort for short – is treasured by his appreciative subjects and they queue to bring him better and greater gifts. His popularity causes jealousy and one envious peer challenges Ferdinand to see how far he can push his people’s devotion: unwelcome decrees usually make kings unpopular.

So, to test his people’s love for him Ferdinand instructs them to hop on one foot. The decree is posted and the people are aghast. Delegations of wise elders hop to the palace to beg Ferdinand to repeal the senseless order, but they also confirm their loyalty and the power goes to the king’s head. In his next order, five letters are wiped out of the alphabet. Unintelligible supplications are sent to Ferdinand, but nobody understands anybody else. Enough is enough and a mob hauls the king out of the palace, shuts him in a trunk and sends him to sea. Yossi Abolafia’s pictures illustrate Ferdinand’s predicament expertly.