As the dance faded, people stood, supporting each other. They looked at the empty food mountain, then at Joy Boy, who sat exhausted but smiling.
They knelt. "Stay! Be our king!"
Rhett watched. He had given a country a second chance before. He wondered what Joy Boy would do.
Joy Boy shook his head. "A king? No! I'm going to be a pirate!"
They begged. "Our king was corrupt! The minister poisoned us! You're our only hope!"
An old man spoke. "We were a good country. Then the minister brought the poison. The king knew and did nothing. He wanted control."
Joy Boy frowned. This was more complicated than he thought.
Rhett appeared on a roof. "You all knew, didn't you? You knew it was poison. You knew the king was corrupt. Why didn't you stop?"
They were silent.
"Don't pretend to be innocent. You chose to keep using it."
They hung their heads in shame.
Joy Boy smiled. "But I can help! I'll find you a new leader. Or a way to live without one. Don't worry!"
They looked at him. Maybe they could trust this strange giant.