It was many, many years when Jasper, the marble king, first entered a competition. He was a mere five-light-years old. Jasper's fantasy with marbles came about when he discovered a beautiful blue, white, brown and green specimen. Never before had he seen such a unique marble. He felt as though, with this marble, he couldn't lose a marble show. So at the tender age of five, Jasper began to pursue his dream.

Competitions came and went, all crowning Jasper victorious. As Jasper climbed the ladder of life, he became more and more well known with each rung. By 18, he was known by his admirers as "the marble king."

Jasper easily won all the competitions he had entered. It was time now for the true test! The Galaxy Championship. If Jasper's prize marble was really as unique as it seemed, then this would be his best opportunity to make it known that he was the one and only king. The judge of this competition was Zeus, the god of all gods. Zeus, inconsistent in his judgments, was labeled as being one of the most controversial judges in the circuit. Therefore, the outcome of this competition could not be easily predicted.

Tension in the arena was at its climax. Zeus had been pacing back and forth for about two hours trying to make a decision. Finally Zeus broke the tension and motioned a few times with his finger. The field had been narrowed to three contestants.

Jasper displayed his marble which was named Earth. The two other contestant displayed their marbles named Sun and Moon.

Entering the final event Jasper was in first place. All that stood between himself and being named Champion of the Galaxy was a correct answer to Zeus's final question. "Jasper, what inspired you to name your marble Earth?" asked Zeus. After some thought, dumbfounded Jasper replied, "Why your almightiness, I don't know. The name just popped into my head!" Zeus, not happy with the answer, ruled it unacceptable, catapulting Jasper into third place, finishing behind Sun and Moon.

Distraught at the contest's results, Jasper fled from the arena in a rage. As he approached his chariot in the parking lot, Jasper, deciding that he was done with marbles, wound up and heaved his marble into the sky as far as he could. Earth has yet to come crashing down! 1