- Harry AnderS -
Dutch psychotherapist and alternative writer

'Born to be a King 1'
Book 1 - My little Gypsy Prince
- by Harry AnderS -

An inspirational fantasy

http://www.harryanders.com
harry@harryanders.com

     A retired psychotherapist meets a severely burnt little Gypsy boy, and takes him into his house. The boy turns out to be the Heir to the Throne.
This emotional roller coaster hints at past lives, spirit helpers, karma, the Power of Love, and contains several practical psychological concepts.
'Harry AnderS' is a retired Dutch psychotherapist and writer. He lives in The Netherlands; and is specialized in supporting troubled children.
    Please, also read his beautiful children's series of books, called 'Born as a Prince', written from the little Gypsy boy's own point of view!

Chapter 25 ended with:

    I had lots of time to work on my new book 'Born to be a King'.
A nice story unfolded, that sometimes brought even me to tears when I read it back!
I had put the first chapters onto the Internet, and received enthusiastic emails almost every day.
My readers were calling it an 'emotional rollercoaster', and I accepted that as being a huge compliment.

    Now and then, little Harry crawled onto my lap, to have a better look at what I was writing...
One time, he chuckled, and told me:

    "When I'm old enough, I want to write my OWN book, about my life as a Prince! Will you help me, Dad, to spell all those difficult words?"

    "Of course, I will help you! I think you will be an excellent writer. Maybe, you could even write a children's book?"

    "That's a good idea! Then, I want to write a series of books, each of them telling about another part of my life. Maybe we could call them 'Born as a Prince'..."

    We promised each other to start with his own book after he returned from the clinic and had his new face...

Chapter 26. A surprise box, the transplant clinic, and little Harry's surgery.

    Finally, the Big Day approached...
The 'face doctors' had stretched the peeled slices of little Harry's skin, and grown them under laboratory conditions.
Now, the surgeons would remove all of his burnt skin and wild flesh, and replace it with the cultivated pieces.
They would reconstruct his burnt away nose, and correct his wrinkled lips and the damaged ear.
After the surgery, he would be a newborn boy with a nice face and a smooth skin on his body!

    I would bring him to the clinic myself, and spend the first day and night there.
The next morning, I would accompany him to the operating theatre, and wait until he was under narcosis.
Then, I would go home; until, after a week, the surgeons would wake him up from his forced sleep.
The moment he woke up, I would be there for him; and, to him, it would be as if I hadn't been away at all...
Two weeks later, we would go home together and have a big feast.

    That evening, little Harry was a worried and nervous chatterbox.
He couldn't sit still for a moment, and continually roamed the house and the backyard.
We packed his belongings into a big trunk, and he checked them over and over.
He hopped onto my lap, hopped off my lap, and went outside to look after his herbs for the zillionth time.
He went upstairs, to check if he really hadn't forgotten anything important.
Again, he checked the trunk, rummaging through it to look for something he thought he could have forgotten...
    Finally, he hopped onto my lap again, where he sat down restless and fidgeting:

    "Sorry, Dad; but I am too nervous to sit still. I don't want to be a nuisance, but I can't help it..."

    "I know, son; and don't worry about it. Tomorrow is your big day, and in no time you will be back home with a new face and a smooth body."

    "I know, Dad, and I AM happy; but it's just the tension... I think I'm too young to control myself..."

    I laughed, ruffled his hair, and playfully lifted him onto my shoulders.
Together, we went upstairs to prepare for the night, giggling and trying to tickle each other.
We showered together, dried each other, went to our bedroom, and dived under our blankets.
Little Harry immediately wormed into my arms, trying to completely disappear into me.
I held him close, and tried to send him as much love and peace as I could muster.
After some time, both of us drifted into a fairly sound and peaceful sleep.

    Early in the morning, the irritating buzz sound from our alarm clock woke us up.
Little Harry yawned, hit the alarm knob to cut off the buzz, and crawled onto my stomach.
    He stared into my eyes, and grinned:

    "Today, you have to be my cab driver. Come on, on the double!"

    "I can't, sir, because I am stuck with a little monkey on my stomach..."

    "That's because I have to control a big beard-ape!"

    He laughed, jumped off my chest, hopped out of bed, and went to his clothes.

    "Come on, lazy slacker! You need to feed your monkey."

    We dressed, I combed his hair, and we went downstairs together.
Beneath his joyful mood, I could sense his tension and nervousness...
Despite that, he succeeded to create one of his best breakfast specials ever.
    I praised him abundantly, and he beamed and smiled from ear to ear:

    "Thank you, Dad; and I hope Nicky will take good care of my herb garden while I am away."

    "I think you can leave that to Nicky. He promised to look after it at least twice a day."

    "I know. I think he's the best friend I've ever had, next to you and John and Davey."

    I helped him put on his mask, hopefully for the last time in his young life!
Now, we were ready to go to the clinic.

    We decided to leave early, and together we dragged his big trunk outside.
To our surprise, John greeted us at the door, to wish his little brother all the best. He helped us carry the heavy trunk.
Nicky and Davey waited in front of our golden van, both of them smiling from ear to ear.
They offered little Harry a surprise box, filled to the brim with small presents from everybody; including Jason, Carl, and BJ.
Little Harry hugged his friends, and thanked them with tears in his eyes.
He promised to write all of them as soon as he would be able to use his hands after the surgery.

    We put everything into our van, and I went back to get my traveling bag and to lock the door.
I started our van and we drove off; escorted to the end of our block by John, Davey, and Nicky.
Suddenly, Jason and Carl showed up, enthusiastically waving at us.
They waved until we rounded a corner and disappeared from their sight.
Now, we were on our way to our face doctors...

    Little Harry crawled into the rear, and put two seats together.
He folded them into a sleeping position, smiled at me, and curled up.
Within a minute, he was sound asleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts...
Now and then, I looked at my softly snoring little soul mate, and my heart jumped in my chest with joy.
I LOVED that boy with all my heart; and I really hoped that everything would work out for the best.
I prayed that the 'face doctors' would be able to give him a nice and natural looking face...

    I started to feel a bit drowsy, and sensed that Jack was around and tried to contact me.
I hoped he would realize that I was driving a car and had to keep my eyes on the road and at the surrounding traffic!
    I thought I vaguely heard his chuckling voice, coming from somewhere in my head:

    "Don't worry. I know you are driving your car, hence I will try not to drag you too far out of your body...
    "All of us will be with your son during his surgery and recuperation. His Ancestor is enveloping him in his powers of love, that's why he is asleep and gaining a lot of extra strength.
    "One of our friends was a cosmetic doctor during his life on earth. He will guide the surgeons, and help your son's body to heal in a very short time. I think they will tell you they are surprised...
    "God bless you, my precious brother; and all of us will guide you and help you wherever we can and are allowed."

    I thanked Jack in my mind, but he had already left.
Or, had this vague voice in my head been my own fantasy?
Again, I was in doubt. Did I make up that voice myself?
However, my drowsiness seemed to be gone...

    Two hours later, we entered the town and blended into the starting and stopping traffic.
Little Harry opened his eyes, yawned, and stretched out as far as he could:

    "Jack was in my dream, Dad, together with my Ancestors and some doctor. He told me not to worry, and he will be with me during my surgery and help my body to heal fast."

    I smiled at my little soul mate, and parked our van in the same place as before.
Together, we entered the clinic, where our 'face doctor' enthusiastically greeted us:

    "It's good to see you again. We have prepared everything for your son's surgery tomorrow early in the morning. Today, we will perform the last checkups.
    "You may use one of those carts over there, to bring your belongings inside. One of our nurses will wait for you at the entrance, and show you the room that will be his for the next few weeks.
    "I advise you to go to a restaurant now, and eat something substantial, because that's the last time our little friend is allowed to eat and drink before his surgery tomorrow."

    We took a cart; and loaded little Harry's trunk, my traveling bag, and the surprise box with the many presents from our friends.
A nurse accompanied us to a cozy room with two beds, a table, two chairs, a shower enclosure, and a beautiful view of the park.
I helped my nervous son unpack his belongings into his closet. He put them away carefully and methodically.
I grinned, because he certainly was a whole lot more tidily than I was...
I put my traveling bag under one of the beds, and we left his room to look at the surroundings.

    Both of us were a bit hungry, so we decided to visit a restaurant first.
We went outside, and soon found a nice looking one across the park.
    Little Harry took a seat, and studied the menu for a long time, frowning:

    "Don't they have Gypsy food here? I can't find any..."

    "I don't think so. Gypsies are not really common in this country."

    "That's a shame. I wanted to taste home today. I always try to realize the taste of home with my herbs, but something is lacking and I don't know what. The nearest taste was that Chinese green snot. That's why I liked it so much..."

    Suddenly, he got tears in his eyes and started to shiver:

    "I'm scared, Dad. I know there's nothing to be afraid of, but I can't help it. It's like I am going to die tomorrow, and I don't want to die...
    "Can't we go home, please? I don't want surgery. I want to be a normal boy and play outside with my friends. I'm just too scared..."

    "Come here, son. Sit on my lap, and listen."

    Slowly, my scared little boy slid off his chair and approached me.
I took him onto my lap, and folded my arms around his tiny frame.
    I caressed his back, and offered him my handkerchief:

    "I know I can talk to you as if you were a grown-up, and that's exactly what I am going to do now. In case you can't follow me, you only have to ask...
    "All of us are experiencing many things in our lives we don't like... However, there are two sorts of things. There are things we can change, and there are things we can NOT change.
    "The things we can change in our lives are the things we can choose. The things we cannot change are the things we just have to accept...
    "I know it's difficult, but we have to accept the fact that we are how we are. That makes us unique beings. You cannot change who you are, but you can always try to BETTER yourself...
    "That's exactly what you are going to do. The best thing you can do for now, is do something about your appearance. That's why we are here today. Does this make any sense?"

    Little Harry nodded, and blew his nose in my handkerchief.
He sat in deep thought for a long time, while the approaching waiter understandingly nodded at me and left us alone.
    Finally, my precious son looked up into my eyes, and his sun inside started to shine again:

    "You are always making me feel good, Dad. Thank you; and I know you are right. I have to undergo this surgery, because I want to return to my own people with a normal looking face.
    "Now and then, I'm forgetting who I am, and then I am just a scared little boy. Now, I would like to taste the roast beef with those mixed vegetables."

    Both of us started to laugh, and I beckoned the waiter and ordered the roast beef, coffee, and cola.
Soon, we were sipping our coffee and cola and having some small talk, until an enormous platter arrived.
My brave little boy beamed and hopped off my lap to his own chair, where he started to scoop a lot of everything onto his plate.
We pretended the beef was the Gypsy food little Harry loved most: wild pig, roasted over an open fire...
It WAS delicious, even without pretending.

    I wiped a bit of sauce from little Harry's face, looking into his beautiful blue eyes.
I could sense our love radiating in between and around us.
    He smiled from ear to ear, and told me:

    "Thank you, Dad; and I don't want to change who I am. I want to better myself, and that's what I am going to do! After my surgery, I want to go to school. I want to be a lawyer, to be able to help my people in the best way. Will you help me with my studies?"

    I looked at him with pride, and just ruffled his hair.
He looked back at me with love and trust in his eyes.
Again, we understood each other without words...

    We ordered ice sorbets, followed by hot chocolate for my boy and another coffee for me.
I offered little Harry my credit card; and, with a proud face, he handed it to the waiter.
The waiter smiled, took the card to the cash register, and returned within two minutes.
He bowed, handed the credit card back to little Harry, and told me where to sign...
I offered the waiter a generous tip; and we left the restaurant, again walking hand in hand.

    We went to the park and walked around, looking at the strolling people and playing children.
We filled the time by talking about nothing special, until we had to go back to the clinic.
This time, little Harry proudly lead our way inside.

    The nurse greeted us, and guided us to little Harry's room.
She told him he had to undress completely, to undergo his last checkup.
He shucked his clothes, I helped him peel his mask off, and the nurse offered him a bright blue gown.
She drew some blood from a vein in his arm, and measured his blood pressure.
Now, she left the room, and told us to wait for the doctor...

    After a moment, our 'face doctor' entered the room and smiled.
He asked little Harry to remove his gown, so that he could look at the scars for the last time.
He looked them over carefully, probed them here and there, and finally sat down onto of one of the beds.
    He looked contented, and nodded his head:

    "Everything looks fine, and I think we will be able to transform you into a fine young man!
    "You know what we are going to do tomorrow? Do you have any questions about anything?"

    "Yes. Will my Dad stay with me during the surgery? I want him to be here, because I feel too scared to be left alone..."

    "I will tell you exactly what we are going to do. Tomorrow morning, your Dad will accompany you to the operating room, and he will stay with you until you are sound asleep.
    "I am sure he doesn't want to look while we are giving you your new skin, and that's why he will go home. However, he will be back before you are waking up!
    "To you, it will feel as if he has been near you all the time. You might even be surprised, and think you woke up too soon and the surgery hasn't been done yet..."
    "We will keep you asleep for about a week, to let your new skin heal properly without any disturbances. At first, your face and body will look puffy and bruised, but that will be only temporary. Within two weeks, the bruises will be gone, and your Dad will take you home as a new boy. It is even possible that your friends will not recognize you at first sight..."

    "I know how my face is after a surgery, because I have seen it many times before. Everything will be swollen and colored, but that will go away within a couple of days."

    "That is correct. You are a clever boy! Now, I want our photographer to take a couple of pictures of the old you, for our documentation. Then, the nurse will scrub you thoroughly from top to toe, smear you with a disinfecting ointment, and give you a sedative to keep you calm and help you to sleep well. And, please, don't eat or drink anything from now on, except for the sedative."

    We couldn't think of any more questions, and our face doctor left us after smiling and ruffling little Harry's hair.
Our nurse entered the room, and we followed her to a photographer.
Little Harry had to shuck his gown again, and the photographer took a couple of pictures of every part of his burnt body.
Another doctor listened to his heart and lungs, and told us his little ticker sounded like music...
Finally, the nurse took us back to little Harry's room, and offered him a pill and a glass with only one swig of water.
With a sour face, little Harry swallowed the pill.

    Working together, the nurse and I put him under the shower.
We washed him thoroughly and everywhere; and then the nurse looked him over carefully to be sure we didn't forget anything.
In the meantime, little Harry started to yawn and feel groggy.
The nurse rubbed a brown disinfectant all over his body, and together we put him to bed.
He smiled, put his arms around my neck, and was gone before he could say another word.
We tiptoed out of the room, and I thanked the nurse for her help.

    I was surprised to see it was already six o'clock!
I left the clinic, and sauntered across the park to the same restaurant.
I wasn't really hungry, but forced myself to eat something and drink a cup of coffee.
Then, I went outside and walked for a long time through the park, contemplating my life.
At last, it was too dark and the air became too chilly.
I went back to the clinic, and entered our room.

    I looked at my softly snoring son's distorted face for a long time.
Today was the last day I was able to see his old face with all the scars.
He was sleeping so peacefully, softly snoring, and with a happy smile on his crippled face...
I undressed slowly; and entered the other bed, afraid to wake him up.
Ten minutes later, I was soundly asleep as well.

    I woke up, looking into two very sleepy deep blue eyes, hovering in front of me.
Little Harry had left his own bed, and clambered onto my stomach.
    He yawned, and told me with a sleepy voice:

    "Hi, Dad. I couldn't sleep and climbed into your bed, but I'm still groggy..."

    He smelled of brown disinfectant, shampoo, and anti allergic soap...
I smiled, took him into my arms, and together we drifted off again.

    A loud knock on the door woke us up:

    "May I come in, please?"

    "Just a moment, until at least I am decent..."

    I dressed in a hurry, and our nurse entered the room.
She smiled at little Harry, who prudishly covered himself with the blankets.

    "Hi, sleepyhead! Today, we are going to model you into a new boy."

    Little Harry had to shower again, and again the nurse applied the brown disinfectant all over his body.
She wrapped him into a green gown, and told me to be careful not to touch his disinfected skin.
I lifted him off the floor, and carefully carried him to the operating theatre.
A couple of surgeons and assistants were already waiting for us, clad in green gowns and mouthpieces.

    Our 'face doctor' waited until little Harry recognized him, and greeted him with a big smile:

    "Hello, my friend. Today is your big day! Now we're going to model you into a newborn boy."

    I put little Harry onto a stretcher, and he smiled at me with a sleepy face.
A nurse put a cap around his mouth and nose, and told him to blow into it.
He nodded, took a couple of deep breaths, and within a minute he was asleep.
I looked at his old face for the very last time; and left the room, hoping everything would go well.
Now, it was up to our 'face doctors'... and, maybe, our spirit friends...

    I returned to our temporary room, to get my traveling bag.
First, I fished a piece of paper out of my bag, and drew a big smiley face around the words 'I LOVE YOU'.
I pinned it onto the opposite wall, where he could easily see it in case he should wake up early...
I felt depressed, as if I left a part of myself behind.
Did I really make the right decision?
What if everything went awfully wrong?
Would I ever forgive myself?

    Suddenly, I felt Jack around; and I heard his voice in my head, sounding loud and clear:

    "Why don't you trust us? Do you really think we would permit you to make a wrong decision? Go home, and stop worrying!"

    Wiping the tears out of my eyes, I went to our golden van, started the engine, and drove home.

    Two hours later, I parked our van in our own driveway.
I opened the front door, and went straight to our answering machine...
Fortunately, nobody had phoned, so everything seemed to be well with my boy.
I phoned the clinic, where the receptionist asked me to wait...
After two minutes, she was back.
She told me that little Harry's surgery went extremely well, and there were no complications.
One surgeon was busy modeling his new nose, while another surgeon was still freeing his chest from all the wild flesh.
She would call me as soon as she had any more news...

    The doorbell rang, and I went to the front door and opened it.
John, Davey, and Nicky crowded around me with worried faces:

    "How is Harry? Did they already give him his new face?"

    I told them to calm down, and beckoned them to the living room.
Nicky crawled onto my lap, and John and Davey leaned onto me on our couch.
I told them everything that had happened since we left them yesterday.
    Nicky looked up at me, and asked a bit nervously:

    "Did Harry look in our surprise box?"

    "Not yet. We would keep it a surprise until he will be awake again, after a week."

    Suddenly, my stomach started to rumble, and I laughed:

    "I forgot to eat this morning, and now I'm hungry! Who will get me something to eat?"

    John and Davey disappeared into the kitchen; and Nicky threw his arms around my neck:

    "I hope Harry will be home soon, because I miss him! He is my best friend, and I've made a special package for him in our present box. I hope he likes it."

    I ruffled his hair, and he offered me a wet kiss:

    "I love you, Pop! You are the best Pop in the world."

    John and Davey returned; carrying a huge pile of sandwiches, a cup of coffee, and three glasses of orange juice.
We took four folding chairs to the porch, and enjoyed our meal outside in the bright sun.
John had even fetched some herbs from little Harry's garden to spice the sandwiches; and they tasted good!

    After our meal, John and Davey went inside, to do the dishes and play a game on my computer.
Nicky fidgeted with his clothes, and hesitantly looked at me:

    "Pop? How do you know when you are in love with somebody?"

    "Well... that's not an easy question. Why do you want to know?"

    "Well... I have thought about that a lot. It's clear that Jason and Carl are in love with each other, because they want to be together for the rest of their lives...
    "John and Davey want to be together all the time, but I don't think they are in love. They are just good friends...
    "I do love you a lot, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, but I don't think I am in love with you...
    "I do love my best friend Harry as well, but now I'm confused. Do I love Harry as my best friend, or am I IN love with Harry?"

    "I see what you mean... but why is that important to you?"

    "Well... when I just love Harry, I am normal. But, when I am IN love with Harry, I am a homo. I don't want to be a homo, but I DO love my best friend..."

    "I do love Harry too, quite a lot, and in a certain way I am even 'in love' with my son... Does that make me a 'homo', or am I a 'normal' person?"

    Nicky frowned, and thought for a long time.
Finally, his face lit up and he looked at me:

    "Now that I've asked you my question, I think it doesn't really matter."

    "I think you are right. It doesn't matter what other people are thinking. Just be yourself, and be happy with yourself."

    "Thank you, Pop. Now that I've talked to you, I'm feeling much better about myself!"

    The phone rang; and I hurried inside, followed by a worried Nicky.
I took the receiver, and listened:

    "We are having some unbelievable news about your son! Everything is going so much better than we expected! We don't understand why, but there's nearly no bleeding at all...
    "Normally, wild flesh is very difficult to remove, because of so many veins that could cause severe bleeding; but your son seems to instruct his own body to close the veins during the surgery...
    "I've never seen such a thing before. It's wonderful! We had planned the surgery over the whole day, but now I think we will be ready within the next hour. I just had to tell you...
    "Now, I'm going back to the operating theatre, but I will phone you again as soon as we are ready."

    For a moment, I was totally speechless...
Then, I thought I heard Jack's voice in my head, grinning:

    "I told you we would be there to help him, and they would be surprised!"

    Or, did I make up that voice in my mind?

    I told the boys the good news; and they cheered and danced around the room, hugging each other and me.

    Fifty minutes later, the phone rang again.
A nurse told me that the doctors had finished the surgery, and taken little Harry to his room.
Everything had gone very well, and they would phone me again soon...

    I slumped down onto our couch, and started to cry from the built-up tension.
Immediately, my three friends surrounded me and tried to comfort me.
    I could clearly feel Jack, pushing me to let myself go:

    "Don't bottle it up! In a few minutes, you will feel better..."

    I cried until I was exhausted; but now I felt happier than ever.
I hugged my helpful friends, and gratefully thanked Jack in my mind.
A heavy burden was lifted off my shoulders, and I felt like new.
Suddenly, I started to laugh about the comical situation.
I, a grown-up psychotherapist, had to be comforted by three small children, who tried to bury me under a wagonload of tissues...

************************************************************************************************************

Thank you for reading the next chapter of this story 'Born to be a King 1 - My little Gypsy Prince.
This is the FIRST book of the adult series. Many more books will follow, just be patient...
Enjoy the reading, and help us make our world a better place. We need you!

Please, have a look at my children's series, about the same little Gypsy boy growing up in a secluded place in the Rumanian mountains; this time seen from his own point of view.
The children's story is on Nifty in 'young-friends', and it's callled: 'Born as a Prince'...

Just click this link to go to Nifty, or go to my homepage to read the latest versions.

I would LOVE to receive your comments or appreciations...
Please, send me an email now and then, to let me know the story has some impact on you.

I wish you lots of Love in your Life, and Profound Peace in your Heart.
Harry AnderS, Dutch psychotherapist and alternative writer.

harry@harryanders.com
http://www.harryanders.com