This is a make-believe fairy tale of a land not so far away for which nothing is what you would expect. In fact, things happen just the opposite way it would in the other normal surrounding kingdoms. It’s “Contrary Kingdom.” Where the land considered the most sacred is treated with the most disrespect. The Ministry of Health is located in the area where the youngest and healthiest villagers are and furthest away from the older villages who need these services most. Upon the flood plain of the Big Red River, economic activity is much more prominent than it is on higher ground where there is protection from the monsoons and where it is closer to the castle. The Ministry of Agriculture sponsors an annual festival to celebrate the harvest of the once abundant melon crop which the kingdom had been historically known for. Unfortunately, all the celebrations are conducted in the melon patch and they end up destroying most of their harvest each year. The Kingdom is actually becoming less known for the harvest of melons and more so for the huge festival that ends up driving the good farmers out to other more thriving kingdoms. The king and his court routinely issue proclamations stating that “All is well in the Land of the Melon” while melon production continues to fall. And the villagers lived despondently ever after. Good thing Contrary Kingdom is just a fairy tale!
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