- Harry AnderS -
Dutch psychotherapist and alternative writer

'Born to be a King'
- 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 rollercoaster hints at past lives, spirit helpers, karma, the Power of Love, and contains several practical psychological concepts.
The story is written by a retired Dutch psychotherapist, living in The Netherlands, and specialized in supporting troubled children.

Chapter 3 ended with:

     I lifted him onto my shoulders; and together we went downstairs, giggling and trying to tickle each other.
Eric seemed to have left the room; and Trudy was still sitting on the couch, with a sad face and teary eyes.
I put little Harry down, and he went to her and consolingly put his small arms around her neck.
She hugged him, and told him he was a very lucky boy.

    "Yes, I certainly am!" he answered, tenderly returning her hug,
    "But now I am sleepy, and I want to go home."

    I thanked Trudy for trusting me, and again lifted little Harry onto my shoulders.
With his feet dangling free, and his hands clamping around the top of my head, I took him to my house.
Oops, sorry, I took him to OUR house.

Chapter 4. Be like this little Gypsy child, for the Kingdom belongs to these.

    Little Harry continued to grip my head with his small hands, slowly swinging his dangling feet.
As we approached our house, the swinging became less and less; until, at last, he stopped.
Apparently, he had fallen asleep on my shoulders, but his hands were still gripping my hair...

    I lowered myself, lifted him off my shoulders, and carefully put him down onto the porch.
He yawned, opened his eyes, and squinted at me with his deep blue orbs...
    Now he was a vulnerable little boy, shivering, and swaying from sleepiness:

    "Why do you put me down? Are we home now?"

    "Yes, we are home now. Just wait until I can find my keys."

    "Okay. I'm still sleepy, and it’s cold here..."

    I searched my pockets, until I realized I didn't pick up my keys when John and I left my house...
What should I do now?
Should I try to call a locksmith, to open my front door in the middle of the night?
I prayed that I had forgotten to lock my backdoor as well... otherwise we might have a problem!
I took little Harry's hand, and started to walk towards the back of the house...

    Little Harry halted, and looked at me with a questioning face:

    "What are you doing? Aren't we going inside?"

    "Sorry, but I forgot to pick up my keys when I left the house. I hope I forgot to lock the backdoor as well, otherwise we will have to call a locksmith..."

    The little devil started to chuckle, grabbed my arm, and determinedly pulled me towards the backyard...

    "You seem to be just as dumb an ass as Jack was! Jack even hid a spare key in the bushes, on a nail in the wall, in case he forgot his keys again. Nobody else knows about it, so I think it's still there."

    He dragged me to the back of the house as if it were his own property, and headed for a thick bush against the wall.
Smiling from ear to ear, he returned carrying a spare key; and, with a proud face, he opened the backdoor.

    "Entrez, monsieur!" he told me in his best French, performing a deep bow.

    He put the spare key back onto the nail; and followed me into the house, carefully closing the door.
I ruffled his hair, and he threw his arms around my waist and let himself melt into me.
    Together, we entered the kitchen, where he climbed onto a folding chair at the kitchen table:

    "Could I have a glass of hot chocolate, before we're going to sleep?"

    "Of course you could. Do you want one or two helpings of powder?"

    "Two of course, silly!"

    "Okay. You get the milk from the refrigerator, while I'm looking for chocolate powder."

    He hopped of his chair and went to the refrigerator, while I found a package of chocolate powder in one of the cupboards.
I took a pan from the sink, and he carefully poured just enough milk into it to have two glasses of chocolate, without spilling a drop.
    I put the pan onto the cooker, and told him:

    "You're an excellent helper, having a good eye for just the right amount of milk."

    "Nah, that's because Jack and I always cooked together and tried out new things."

    "Well, I'm not very good at cooking. Maybe you could help me, or even teach me how to cook properly?"

    "Yes, of course I will teach you. Let's start tomorrow!"

    I grinned; presuming he was bragging, and supposing he was too young to be much of a cook...

    After drinking our hot chocolate, I put the empty glasses and the pan into the sink and washed them.
Little Harry dried them carefully, using the only kitchen towel I had been able to find so far.
In unison, we decided to go to bed, and climbed upstairs.

    Little Harry obviously knew the way, and went directly to my bedroom without hesitating.
He walked around the room, looking at my belongings with curious eyes.
Suddenly, I detected my packet of tissues, lying invitingly on my nightstand...
I had put it there myself, and totally forgotten where I had left it!
Obviously, I had started to be a forgetful old man...

    Now, what about tonight's sleeping arrangements...
Where should little Harry sleep?
Should I set up a bed for him in his own bedroom?
Maybe, he wanted to sleep next to me, in my double waterbed, as he was used to sleep in Jack's bed every night?

    "Do I set up a bed for you in your own room?" I asked him, not knowing what to do...

    "Of course not, silly! I'm sleeping in your bed, but we want to keep it a secret from everybody else...
    "Err... Yes? Can I? I mean, I'm sorry, but can... may I sleep with you in your bed tonight? Please, I don't want to sleep alone..."

    Suddenly, all his bravery had left him, and he had tears in his eyes.
Now he was a vulnerable little boy, realizing he was no longer with his Big Friend Jack, but with somebody else...
He looked at me, hesitantly; and I saw a longing in his eyes, but also some fear.
Would I welcome him, or reject him?

    I smiled, lifted him off the floor, and tossed him onto my double waterbed...
For a moment, he looked surprised, but then he felt the bed and started to bounce up and down.

    "Yippee, you have a WATER bed!" he shouted, and again he threw himself at the wobbling bed.

    "Look out before you punch a hole and it leaks!" I teased him.

    Suddenly, he was very quiet...

    "Really?" he asked in a small voice, carefully leaving the bed.

    "Of course not, silly! I'm teasing you. This bed can carry two elephants without trouble."

    "You're crazy!"

    He decided to test the waterbed again, by jumping up and down as high as he could.
After he was satisfied, he lifted his arms into the air, silently asking me to help with his undressing.
I helped him shuck his clothes, as I had done with my own daughters so many times before.
Soon, he was clad only in his colored snoopy briefs, but he was still waiting for me...

    "Do you want to have everything off?" I asked him, feeling a bit unsure...

    "Yes, please, because my underwear starts to itch after a while. Do you have some oil to rub into my scars?"

    "Perhaps I can find a small bottle of massage-oil. Will that do?"

    "I don't know. Will you wash it off, if it makes the itching worse?"

    I went to the kitchen, to look for the bottle.
When I returned, he was already in bed, sticking his small damaged nose just above the blankets:

    "I think I don't need the oil, because it's a very soft bed, and I'm too sleepy..."

    He yawned, closed his eyes, and was sound asleep.

    What should I do myself, now that I had a small and vulnerable child with me?
Normally, and being alone, I took a shower and just jumped under the blankets...
However, how would this little boy react to a naked grown-up next to him, when he woke up in the morning?
I decided to keep my underpants on, for safety reasons.
One could never know... and society keeps telling us that little children, confronted unexpectedly with the nakedness of a grown-up, will be damaged for the rest of their lives...

    The very moment I entered my bed, little Harry shifted towards me and wormed into my arms.
He heaved a deep sigh of content, and was sound asleep again.

    Nothing will be able to describe adequately the wonderful feelings I experienced...
For the first time in my life since my own youth, I felt ALIVE.
This little boy was stirring so many powerful parental feelings in my heart that I nearly started to cry.
Everything inside my chest tingled, and my heart danced around from pure joy.

    I closed my arms around my little soul mate, careful not to wake him up.
Now, I thought I could hear him purr in his sleep, like a little kitten...
I put my nose in his hair; and, for the first time, I smelled the scent of my boy.
He had a special aroma of very light musky, something indefinable but nicely sweet, and another scent I only could describe as pure boy...
I got tears in my eyes; and swore to myself that I would do everything to help this vulnerable child, who had so trustfully committed himself to me.

    Slowly, I drifted off into a slumber, holding my softly snoring boy in my arms.
Everything around me felt peaceful, as if I was going to heaven.
I saw a bright light, not coming from the sun but seemingly shining everywhere.
A strong flow of powerful love and compassion engulfed me and tenderly comforted me.
    When I looked up, I saw Jack, looking at me with a knowing smile on his face...

    "Thank you. You are doing the right thing," he told me with warmth and respect in his voice,
    "From now on you are his guardian. You know what to do, as you are listening to your heart. I will be with you, but he is your responsibility. Spend everything you have on him, and you will be royally rewarded."

    The bright light disappeared; and I woke up, still holding my softly snoring boy in my arms.

    I started to think, wondering what had happened...
Had I been in heaven?
Had I been meeting the spirit of Jack, little Harry's former Big Friend and the late owner of my house?
I had never thought such a thing would be possible...
What did Jack mean, when he told me, 'spend everything you have on him'?
I wasn't really rich, but I did have some money to spend...

    "What do you mean, Jack?" I asked him in my mind.

    I waited, but nobody answered my question...
I tried to find that bright light again, by letting myself go, but nothing happened...
Had this been a dream? Or, had I really received a message 'from beyond'?

    'You know what to do...' Jack told me, but I didn't have the faintest idea what I had to do...

    'Listen to your heart...' he told me, but the only thing my heart tried to tell me, was 'bump, bump, bump'...

    After a while, I drifted off into a sound and peaceful sleep, still having my boy in my arms.

    The morning sun, shining through a crack in the curtains, woke me up.
I yawned, stretched out lazily... and stared into a pair of bright deep blue eyes.
Fascinating eyes, radiating intelligence, pride, fun, and love, all in one.
I could easily have drowned in those eyes!
    Little Harry had positioned himself on top of me, staring at me with a big grin on his face:

    "I thought you would never wake up!"

    "Why would you think such a stupid thing?"

    "I'm TEASING you, silly!"

    "Oh... well, I think I will get you for that!"

    I lifted him off my chest and started to tickle his ribs, carefully not to irritate his scars.
He squirmed and desperately tried to tickle me back, squealing with joy:

    "I will get you back for that, as soon as I'm on top of you again!"

    Of course, I let him win; and, with triumph in his eyes, he pinned my arms to the bed:

    "Gotcha! What are you going to do now?"

    "Yeah, I think you are right. You've got me. You've got my body, my heart, and my soul..."

    "Huh?... You're crazy! But, now wait for me, because I have to pee first."

    He jumped off my chest and disappeared downstairs, letting his little pecker point the way and his little butt full of scars wiggle at me.

    Within two minutes, he was back, and again he cheerfully jumped onto my chest.
He kicked the blankets away, and stared at my white underpants with a look of disbelief:

    "Why did you sleep in your underwear?"

    "Well... I didn't know how you would react upon seeing a naked adult next to you..."

    "You're crazy! I've seen naked people all my life, and I bet you're nothing special... Come on, lift your butt."

    He started to pull at my underpants; and I lifted my hips obediently, caught by his determination.
He pulled them off and threw them onto a chair next to his own clothes...

    "See? That's better! Now we are the same."

    He let himself fall down onto my chest, spread out as far as he could, and tried to melt into me.
His head rested on my shoulder, his little distorted nose disappeared in my left armpit, and his arms folded around my neck.
My own arms spontaneously went around his small body; and I started to caress him.
My hands tenderly roamed his back; tracing his scars, the wild flesh, and all those raw marks the fire had left.
Now I was sure he was purring!
He squirmed; and spread out even more, to deepen our bodily contact.

    I could clearly feel his little pecker, proudly poking into my belly button.
A moment later, I was severely shocked; and I couldn't believe myself...
Heaven knows I didn't want it, and I couldn't help it, but I started to get an erection...

    I was so ashamed of myself!
What would this little boy think of me, after he discovered my arousal?
Why, for heaven's sake, did my body react to this innocent intimacy?
Was I suddenly a secret pervert, lusting after little children?
Never before had my body reacted like this, as far as I could remember!
The only thing I sometimes had was a morning-erection, and that always subdued after a visit to the toilet...

    What would Jack think of me now?
Jack had told me he trusted me. Was I now betraying his trust?
I felt more and more uncomfortable, and didn't know what to do...
Shamefully, I tried to hold my breath and withdraw my abdomen as far as I could; hoping the poor little boy wouldn't feel my still growing member...

    Feeling more and more uneasy, I tried to push the innocent child off my stomach...
Little Harry immediately tilted his head and looked at me with a questioning face:

    "What are you doing?"

    "Nothing..." I lied, still feeling extremely ashamed of myself.

    Suddenly, he sat upright, staring at me with disbelief in his eyes:

    "Why are you lying to me? Don't you trust me?"

    I was shocked, feeling his surprised eyes burn into my soul...
A hot dagger cut right through my heart, and I started to tremble...
That little Gypsy boy was seeing right through me!

    Didn't I TRUST him?...
I didn't even trust myself!
I was always lying and manipulating, trying to make a good impression on everybody else...
When was the last time I had REALLY trusted another human being, including myself?
I couldn't remember...

    Tears of frustration welled up in my eyes, and I started to sob uncontrollably.
Suddenly, I felt two small arms around my neck...

    "Come on, it's okay to cry..." a tender little voice whispered into my left ear,
    "Just let it go. Don't bottle it up. In a few minutes you will feel better."

    NOW I felt ashamed of myself!
I, being a trained psychotherapist, used to helping troubled children, had to be comforted by an eight-year-old vulnerable little boy...
My whole world was turning upside down.
Who was the therapist here?

    I felt totally crazy, but decided to trust my little soul mate.
I DID let myself go...

    I cried my heart out, while tears of frustration streamed down my face.
Why was I so egotistic, and so wary about really committing myself to other people?
Why was I always playing the therapist, hiding my own feelings and playing safe?
Maybe, it wouldn't be too late to change myself radically...

    Within a few minutes, I DID feel better, as my little soul mate had predicted.
That little boy was right, my whole life I had been bottling up everything.
I had never trusted others, or really listened to them...
I had always been playing the professional, playing safe and carefully hiding my true feelings...
What wisdom in such a vulnerable and damaged little child!

    I wept until I had no more tears; and, all the time, my little soul mate comforted me.
All the time, he had his small arms around my neck and softly stroked my hair.
All the time, his tender voice continued to whisper encouraging words into my ear.

   Never in my life had I felt so close to anybody else...
I could feel a very strong relationship building up between my little friend and me.
Being together, we would be able to withstand a lot more than only a little bit of crying!

    Finally, my sobs ceased, and I took a couple of tissues from my package on the nightstand.
I blew my nose a couple of times, and bashfully grinned at my little friend.
He grinned back, took a tissue himself, and resumed his place on my chest.
Again, he pushed his nose in my left armpit, squirmed, and spread out as far as he could.

    I recalled the wise words Trudy had spoken:

    'That boy needs you, and I think you will need that boy as well.'

    I also recalled the warm words of Jack:

    'Listen to your heart'...

    Well, Trudy had already proven to be right...
I DID need that boy, to free myself from my distrust, and have more insight in who I really wanted to be.
Now I decided to listen to my heart!

    Again, I put my arms around my little friend, and again he melted into me.
Again, I could clearly feel his little pecker, proudly poking into my belly button.
Again, my own member started to react, but this time I ignored it.
Suddenly, I felt Jack around, proudly smiling at us and nodding his approval.
Obviously, Jack didn't have any problems with us cuddling naked together and having stiffies...
So, why should I?

    We cuddled some more, until little Harry's stomach started to grumble aloud.
Both of us veered up, and chuckled at the same time...
    Little Harry sat upright, and declared:

    "I'm hungry! Come on, let's go downstairs..."

    I sat upright as well, but decided to have some small talk with him first:

    "What did you think, after I suddenly started to cry?"

    "Nah, during the first year after the fire, I've been crying quite a lot myself; and, most of the time, Jack was sad too. We always comforted each other..."

    "Thank you very much for comforting me now! It was a wonderful feeling. You are a very special boy with a big heart and a lot of love, and I'm very happy to have you here...
    "By the way, you were right. I WAS lying to you..."

    "I know. You had a stiffy, just like me. Only, YOU were ashamed of it, and I was not. I think you tried to hide it from me, but I could feel it anyway...
    "Jack always told me it's very important to be honest with each other, even if you feel ashamed of something. It's the basics of friendship, and you have to keep that in mind all the time...
    "He also taught me to be proud of myself and of my own body; but, sometimes, that's difficult, especially when people are laughing at me or calling me names. He also taught me to trust myself and my own feelings; but that's difficult too. Sometimes, I am too scared, and then I'm running away...

    He climbed onto my lap again, and rested his head onto my chest:

    "Jack and I always cuddled when we woke up in the morning. Nearly always, both of us got a stiffy. Sometimes, Jack's stiffy was a little wet at the top, and Jack told me his body was enjoying my company and helping his penis to get slippery, to prepare it for the possibility of sex. Bodies don't care about age or gender. Only the crazy beliefs of other people are doing that...
    "When I'm old enough, my body will start to do the same thing, and then I'm enjoying it in a different way, or maybe then I will have a nice girl to enjoy. Until that time, I will have to wait."

    He left my lap, jumped off the bed, grabbed my hand, and impatiently started to pull me towards the door:

    "Come on, I'm hungry. What do you have for breakfast?"

    My head was in turmoil, and I felt a bit giddy.
This was too much information at once...
In my youth, my parents never spoke about sex. Your body was something you always should hide from everybody else.
The only time I could remember anybody else saw me naked, was when my little brother Joshie and I showered together...
From his sixth year on, he could wash and dry himself, and then I never saw his naked body again, nor he mine, until he couldn't wash himself any more and I had to help him again...
I discovered sex on my own, and was always ashamed of my stiffies that seemed to occur at random and much too often.
I learned masturbation from a friend, in a barn behind the school, both giggling and afraid of discovery.
The first time the top of my penis got wet, I thought I had a sexual disease from playing with my friend...
I was terrified for weeks, until I discovered a book in a corner of the library about growing up, and secretly read it with red ears in the relative safety of my bed beneath the blankets...

    In my marriage, my wife taught me to sleep in my birthday suit, and soon I started to enjoy the freedom of it.
After the birth of my first daughter, we used to undress only when we were sure the children weren't around.
They never saw our naked bodies, and were rather shy about being naked in front of us...
After we divorced, and I was living on my own again, I started to jump straight from the shower into bed.
I was enjoying the freedom of it; but, deep inside, I was still ashamed of being naked, even when there were no others around who might see me...

    Now, I found myself completely naked on my bed; talking about sex with a naked little boy I was not related to, and who was telling me a couple of things I had never thought about before...
What would the world think of me now?
What would Jack think of me now?
What would I think of myself now?
Was I now a pervert, belonging to the lowest scum on earth?
Had I now damaged that little boy for the rest of his life, as society so eagerly tries to tell us in all its wisdom?
Or, was this little boy right, about never being ashamed of your body's natural functions...

    I wasn't sure yet, and again started to feel very uncomfortable...
I pulled my hand back, stumbled to the chair, and started to gather my clothes.
    Little Harry gawked at me, open-mouthed:

    "What are you doing? Aren't we going downstairs? I'm hungry..."

    At first, I opened my mouth to mutter something that would satisfy his inquisitiveness...
However, his question 'what are you doing' irresistibly brought into my mind his next question:

    'Don't you trust me?'

    and the impact that question had on me...
I had a difficult moment, but decided to try to be honest with my little soul mate:

    "This is rather difficult for me. I am not used to moving along naked in the house, even when it is my own property. My parents always taught me to hide my naked body to anybody else..."

    "Yeah, I know. It's the same nonsense John's parents were teaching John, and they also tried to teach it to me...
    "Jack taught me that I should always be proud of my body and of everything else, including pooping, peeing, and getting stiffies. Nothing is bad until you are FEELING it is bad, inside your own heart. You always have to listen to your own feelings, and not to the crazy beliefs other people are imposing onto you...
    "The only important thing is, that you have to reckon with other people thinking different things. When other people are around, you have to be careful. You can never speak of those private things to anybody else, including your best friends.
    "Only John and I know everything about each other, and I am sure I can trust him. Now, YOU know everything as well, and I am sure I can trust you too..."

    Suddenly, I started to laugh.
Tears were streaming down my face, and I couldn't stop.
This was too comical...
Such a small boy, having 'THE TALK' with me, a grown-up, both naked as the day we were born, and sitting on a corner of my bed...
Never in my life had I learned so much about sex, as in those few minutes!

    I took my boy in my arms, and nearly squashed him.
I ruffled his hair, kissed his face, cuddled him, and he laughed with me and clearly enjoyed all the attention he got.
Never before had I felt so FREE.
A heavy burden was lifted from my shoulders.
For the first time in my life, I could really be myself...

    I couldn't stop laughing, while we frolicked downstairs, both of us naked as the day we were born.
Together, we descended the stairs, hand in hand, skipping the last step, and pushing each other like little children...

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

Thank you for reading the next chapter of my emotional rollercoaster 'Born to be a King'.
Enjoy the reading, and help us make our world to be a better place!

Have a look at my OTHER story, 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 story is on Nifty in young-friends, and is callled: 'Born as a Prince'...

All my stories are on my own homepage as well: http://www.harryanders.com

I would LOVE to receive your comments.
Please, write me an email now and then...
Harry AnderS, Dutch psychotherapist and alternative writer.

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