The 1960s were a time of counter culture revolution, freedom, groovy times, and an open expression of the mind that did not exist in earlier generations. Back then there existed two cultural icons named Bob Dylan and Steve McQueen. Today we have a fable that merges the spirit of the two. So take off your Birkenstocks, lay back in you bean bag chair, light an incense, put on some groovy beats and enjoy the following story.

A long time ago, there was a young heroic man named Khun-Phan. He spent the better part of his life learning and playing his guitar. He would go around in his kingdom playing music for the villagers but most importantly for his true love. Nang Wanthong was a beautiful woman with big blue eyes that would uplift everyone around her. Her long flowing hair would swish from one side to the other like the tides of the ocean. Nang’s hands were soft like the grass below her feet and when she would place her hands around Khun’s face, a warm glow would rise from his belly to his heart.

All was well in this kingdom. Khun would strum his groovy guitar while the villagers would work the land. The old king who ruled the land was kind to his people and in return they loved and supported him. Things were groovy and in their correct place like the sun and the moon.

Then one day, the old king died. He had fought a long battle with cancer and eventually submitted to his disease. Unfortunately his predecessor was not benevolent. He was not hip and he hated music. He warned Khun to stop playing and to stop loving Nang. He decided that the music was against his regime and that Nang was too beautiful to be with a hipster and should instead be with him. In response, Khun did the one thing he knew how to do well. He played his guitar even more beautiful then he had before. He tried to stick it to the man. To ring out freedom with his strings and scare away the King.

The King heard this beautiful music and got even madder and he took Khun’s father and murdered him. When Khun got back from Nang that day to find his father dead, he also found the King’s guards there waiting to arrest him. He was put into a tall tower. The King’s guards told him that death would be too easy a punishment and that he must spend his whole life in a tower. They also told him that Nang was going to be married soon to the King.

Khun sat in the cold dark tower alone trying to think what to do. He thought and thought and thought and thought. He knew not only his but also Nang’s life depended on him. Then finally he remembered! Khun was such a good guitar player and strummed so hard that his strings were always breaking. To avoid always having to go to a repair shop, he kept a lot of extra strings in his pocket.

Quickly, he took out the strings and tied them together in strong knots. The tower had no bars on the windows. The King secretly wanted Khun to jump to his death. Therefore Khun was able to tie one end to the window and let the string fly on down. He hurried down the string until he got to the ground and ran all the way home where his guitar was waiting for him. Khun knew that if he could get to Nang, he would play her the sweetest song he knew and that it would seal her love for him and then they could escape together

So Khun went to the King’s castle with his guitar in his hand. Khun was now prepared with the tough guy mindset of Steve McQueen and filled with the love found in many of the songs Bob Dylan once wrote. Would he be able to get into the castle, grab Nang and escape? Well that is up to all of you.

Take hold of Khun’s and Nang’s fate. Navigate them through the castle and get them out so they can live together in pure harmony and love. Help them to have groovy times again man! Their fate in your hands begin here!