[all]
lose=Try again.
[level06]
tx0=The Queen is delighted at the sight of her mirror, grander than any in the land, and praises the Chief Jeweler's craftsmanship in front of the King.
tx1=The King rewards the Chief Jeweler generously for having so pleased his Queen.
tx2=Meanwhile, several years have passed. The Apprentice has grown from a simple boy to a respected man.
tx3=It is then that the King orders his Chief Jeweler to make an amulet out of the biggest emerald he can find in the King's treasury.
tx4=This amulet will not only adorn but will also guard the King from harm. The Chief Jeweler teaches his Apprentice to work with the largest gems, which further displays his talent in both cutting and setting.
[level01]
tx0=And so the Chief Jeweler found his Apprentice, although he knows that his Apprentice has much to learn a lot about gold and gemstones.
tx1="The sea is one thing\; the King's jewels are another," he instructs the boy.The first task laid out before the Apprentice is to sort the topazes in the workshop.
[level02]
tx0=So well has the Apprentice completed his task that the newly delivered gems fit perfectly into a bejeweled comb.
tx1=To help build up his skill, the Apprentice's next task was to find pea-size gems of each color to decorate new earrings for the Queen.
[level03]
tx0=The Queen is delighted by the beautifully inlaid gems in her glorious new earrings.
tx1=She praises the Chief Jeweler and commands him to create bracelets that will match her favorite silken dress. The Chief Jeweler gives his Apprentice this new task of cutting small gems for the bracelets.
[level05]
tx0=Months have passed in studies and work. The Apprentice has been unusually quick to learn, and his skill now far surpasses his simple beginning.
tx1=Confidently, the Chief Jeweler gives him simple objects to adorn. His next project: to decorate the Queen's mirror.
[prologue]
tx0=1963, somewhere in the Arabian Desert. During an archeological dig of an unknown Babylonian king's long-hidden burial place, an expedition came across a truly priceless find: enormous embossed chests of golden jewelry and precious gems.
tx1=The world was awestruck by the exquisite craftsmanship of the unknown ancient jeweler. Who, they wondered, was the artisan who had created such unique adornments?
tx2=The scientists were completely bewildered until a magnificent chest was found in the sands, beautifully adorned with all shapes and sizes of gems.
tx3=Lying inside were ancient scrolls that recounted the story of an ancient master. . .
tx4=2587 B.C. Persia, the Euphrates' riverbank. The King's Chief Jeweler has been standing at the seaside for an hour, amazed by a boy engaged in creating an astounding ornament of pebbles and sea shells on the sand.
tx5=So astounded is the Chief Jeweler that he has completely lost track of time. No longer is he aware of the King's command to make a gift for his beloved wife or of the overflowing chests of gems already delivered to his workshop. . .
tx6=The Chief Jeweler stared in wonder at the boy's creation until the ornament was finished. Then he summoned the boy and asked him,
tx7="Humble child, who has taught you to see stones and their beauty?"  "The sun, the wind and the river are my teachers," the boy replied.
tx8=A fisherman's son, the boy has spent long hours and days at the seaside, and the stones have become his friends, revealing their beauty and soul to him…
[level04]
tx0=The Chief Jeweler is very pleased with his Apprentice's cutting of small gems crafted so elegantly for the Queen's glorious new bracelets.
tx1=The Chief Jeweler orders the Apprentice to choose a large topaz for a medallion fit for their King. This time he must cut the gem to display its great beauty.
[level07]
tx0=At the next court, the King wears a mantle decorated with an amazing amulet inlaid with a giant green gemstone.
tx1=It shimmers and glitters in the light, causing genuine delight (and envy) in all of the courtiers and foreign guests.
tx2=Thus it is that the Chief Jeweler knows his Apprentice to be a skillful artisan able to craft any gemstone. He gives the Apprentice a task that will allow him to show his full talent.
tx3="The King's birthday is coming, and you will create a present for him that will be the envy of all. You will create a staff that is worthy of the King of Kings," he told the Apprentice.
[level08]
tx0=At the birthday celebration an ovation rings out for the staff presented to the King. The Chief Jeweler realizes his Apprentice can now undertake any task.
tx1=Word has spread of the Chief Jeweler's young gifted Apprentice, and the King's First Counselor has decided to order a dagger for his own festive attire.
tx2=This dagger should be decorated with pearls and golden threads.
[level09]
tx0=So it was that the Counselor invited the Apprentice for dinner to reward him for his brilliant work on the magnificent dagger. It was there that the Apprentice saw the lovely Counselor's Daughter.
tx1=It was love at first sight for the both of them. Yet, the difference in their social position was so great that their love could never be.
tx2=Upon the Chief Jeweler's death, the Apprentice was hailed as a Master of such stature that his work would always be praised, and the King made the Master his new Chief Jeweler at once.
tx3=In spite of his joy, the Master continued to daydream about the beloved Daughter of the Counselor and decided to secretly make a present for her. He would craft a beautiful ring and somehow slip it to his beloved.
[level10]
tx0=Marveling at the exquisite symbol of love the new Master had created, the Counselor's Daughter wore it not on her finger, but on a chain, close to her heart, so that none would discover the truth.
tx1=It was at that time that the King ordered the Master to create a jeweled box to serve as a present to the Chieftain of one of the Barbarian tribes as a symbol of the new peace between them.
tx2=The box should be decorated with intricate engraving and skillfully cut gemstones. Tablets and scrolls with peace treaties would be placed within.
[level11]
tx0=The joy of the King was beyond measure as he enjoyed the praises of his new ally.
tx1=So, once again, the First Counselor summoned the young Master to his house to assign him to a work on a new crown worthy of the greatness of the King of Babylon.
tx2=This crown must bring him due praise with its golden working and brilliantly cut gemstones.
[level12]
tx0=At the court the Barbarian chieftains bowed, stricken by the King's beautiful and majestic image.
tx1=As the kingdom grew in greatness, so too did the tasks of the young Master. Next he was asked to skillfully carve a seal on a huge sapphire that would justly honor the great kingdom.
tx2=The Master delicately carved Babylonian scriptures glorifying the King and his kingdom on the gem's surface .
[level13]
tx0=Meanwhile, the Barbarian chieftain, delighted by the box he had received and envious of the crown of the Babylon King, wished to share in such glory.
tx1=The Chieftain ordered his nomads to kidnap the marvelous jeweler. Covered by the darkness of the night, his people besieged the Master's house and stole him away into the steppe.
tx2=The Chieftain was, at that time, seeking marriage to renew his harem. He ordered the Master to create a chest decorated with gemstones, meant to be bride money for the daughter of the Chieftain's old brother-in-arms.
[level14]
tx0=It was while the Chieftain was celebrating the grand chest made by the Master that the jeweler asked to be set free, but only after he created three additional treasures for the Chieftain.
tx1=The Chieftain, enchanted by the beauty of the Master's work, swore to let him go. The first of the three tasks was to create a shield covered with engraved faces of awful demons and severe gods.
[level15]
tx0=The difficult task of the engraved shield once again displayed the great skill of the Master and honored the Chieftain in the eyes of all.
tx1=The Master began the second task: to make a quiver to glorify any hunt or battle.
[level16]
tx0=The delighted Chieftain did his best to lure the Master into staying. He offered the young Master gold, racehorses, herds of livestock, and beautiful women.
tx1=Yet the Master felt homesick, aching for the Counselor's Daughter back in Babylon, and refused all temptation.
tx2=With determination he undertook the last order: a harness for the Chieftain's favorite swift-footed stallion.
[level17]
tx0=The Master produced a worthy harness that glittered with rubies and sparkled with diamonds in the sun.
tx1=The Chieftain, true to his word, yet not willing to let him go, begged him to stay, offering to give him the most beautiful of his daughters as a wife and to make him his heir. Yet the Master was adamant, for his soul was back at Babylon.
tx2=The Chieftain gave the Master an escort of well-armed men and presented him a gemstone of outstanding beauty: an amethyst as big as an apple.
tx3=From all the longing of his heart, the Master made a present for his beloved Counselor's Daughter: a belt of gold and silver links.
tx4=When the walls of Babylon, covered with blue glazed tiles, appeared at the skyline, the belt was complete.
[level18]
tx0=Having returned home, the Master knelt before the King and explained everything. His words were witnessed by the escort sent by the Chieftain.
tx1=The amethyst given by the Chieftain to the Master will be placed on top of a Scepter and given in tribute to the King.
[level19]
tx0=As his next task the King ordered the young Master to make a parchment holder for the First Counselor. With his heart in his throat, the Master proceeded to the Counselor's house.
tx1=There he found a wedding being prepared. While he was away, the Counselor decided to marry his daughter against her will.
tx2=Seeing his gloom, the Counselor asked him if anything was wrong. The Master admitted to the Counselor that he was in love with the Counselor's Daughter, and that she returned his love.
tx3=Seeing the advantages of having the Master as his son-in-law (the King's benevolence, respect, and wealth), the Counselor agreed to allow his daughter to marry the Master.
tx4=Having found quickly a new bride for the previous aspirant to his daughter's hand (who was really after money, and not the girl herself), the Counselor told the Master to prepare for the wedding ceremony, but he mustn't forget to create the parchment holder, of course.
[level20]
tx0=When the King next pronounced an order concerning the state control of irrigation, the First Counselor prepared the document, decorating it with the parchment holder made by the Master.
tx1=Having pleased his father-to-be, the Master set to work to make his future kinsman a marriage present. For this, he encrusted with gems an ancient figurine of the deity of health and welfare.
[level21]
tx0=The present was a welcome surprise for the First Counselor, who appreciated all the benefits of having the Master among his family members.
tx1=The final days before the wedding, free of the Court's order, the Master dedicated himself to creating a wedding gift for his beloved, a set of jewels for the ceremony.
[happyend]
tx0=The wedding ceremony was sumptuous. The newlyweds received gifts from the King and the Chieftain. The Master presented his wife with an astonishing set of jewelry that he had carefully crafted in secret to display the love for his wife forever.
tx1=So, the fisherman's son succeeded in life, thanks to his talent of seeing the beauty and the soul of stones, and lived happily ever after in peace, love, and luxury.
