( Book 1 - Heir to the Throne )

Greetings from Little Harry; and from me, Big Harry, his adopted Dad!
After the enormous success of my series of books 'Born to be a King';
(please, buy the books, or read them again, by clicking on the link below),
I am now helping my 'adopted son' rewrite his own story of growing up...
Have fun; and, please, send us your email, if you appreciate our stories!

6. Mom's sharp kitchen knife; and I am dry for the first time.

    From now on, I always collected lots of fresh herbs near the end of every day, and I loved my self-allotted task!
I seemed to have a natural feeling for which herb tasted good, and what I could put together to refine its aroma even more.
It felt as if I remembered all the different kinds of plants, even the ones I was sure I had never seen before...
It was as if they talked to me in my mind, letting me know how they wanted to be used, and for what particular animal they were.
The poisonous ones immediately made me feel queasy or wary; while the usable ones always made me feel good!
This useful sense never betrayed me, even after I grew up and used many strange herbs from other countries.

    Soon, I started to experiment, mixing several different herbs together, trying to concoct even more refined tastes...
Now and then, my experiments failed, and we had to throw away a yucky tasting animal, but who cares?
It was mid-summer, and we always had plenty of other small animals as a replacement!
I learned from every new experience, and my cooking skills vastly improved.

    One day, my Mom called me into our kitchen, pointing to her wooden cutting board:

    "What did you do to my board? It smells rather particular, but I am sure your Dad or I have nothing to do with it..."

    "Sorry, Mom, for not cleaning your board well enough. I needed it, to slice my herbs for our roasted animals."

    "What? To slice your herbs? Then, you used my kitchen knife as well? Don't you know how sharp this special knife is...
"I am sure you are still way too young, to handle such a dangerous thing on your own!"

    "But, MOM... I NEED it! I am our Chief Cook now, and I have to use it tomorrow again! Please..."

    "Then, let me see all your fingers first! And your hands and arms..."

    Sensing I was winning my plead, I showed her both hands, and she looked them over carefully.
Of course, she couldn't find any nasty cut or scratch, or even some old scar...
    Still not looking totally convinced, she hesitantly asked me:

    "Could you show me what you are doing every day? I still think your hands are too small for such a big knife..."

    Feeling a bit affronted, I raced towards our surrounding bushes, to gather a couple of herbs.
I raced back to our caravan, washed my herbs in our sink, and dried them carefully.
Then, I took my Mom's cutting board and her sharp kitchen knife, and adeptly chopped my herbs into tiny pieces!
I had also gathered a few small pods; and I squashed them, by punching my fists against the side of the knife.
Finally, I took an empty cup, and expertly used the knife to shove my herbs mixture into it...

    My Mom looked at my lightning fast ministrations with bulging eyes!
Obviously, she never thought her little son could be that good at handling such a huge and dangerous knife.
Of course, I had also showed off a little bit, but she didn't need to know that...
    She swallowed a couple of times, and finally told me:

    "Okay, you really convinced me! Son, I never knew you could be such an adept cook, and sorry for doubting your skills...
"From now on, I will trust you; but, for heaven's sake, look out not to cut your fingers instead of your herbs!"

    I looked at her in disdain; but, at the same time, I also felt proud that she finally trusted me!

    That evening, my Dad took me onto his lap and held me close:

    "You are growing fast, my son! I can vividly remember when your mother told me she was pregnant, and how happy I felt...
"Now, you are sitting on my lap; but, too soon, you will leave us, be married, and have children of your own...
"Your Mom told me our kids promoted you to be our Chief Cook, even though you are not yet allowed to leave our camp.
"Please, son, be careful, and don't think you are allowed to do more than the other kids, just because you are our Prince...
"The others allow you to be their chief cook, only because you are good at cooking, and you have earned that place!
"Always do everything in a way that allows you to be proud of yourself, and you will be an excellent King in the future."

    I agreed with everything my wise Dad told me; although I wasn't convinced about the 'earning' part...
Nodding fiercely, I told him my approval, while I tried to melt into his broad chest and closed my eyes.
I would follow his advice, and always do only the things that would make me proud of myself!

    My Dad's powerful love radiated towards me and engulfed me; and I marveled in the feeling of being cared for and loved.
We cuddled for quite some time, until I finally nearly fell asleep and wanted to go to bed.
My Dad washed me, put my diaper on, and playfully tickled my belly button; making me squirm and giggle.
I always LOVED it when he pampered me and took his time for me!

    I kissed my Mom goodnight; and again thanked her for allowing me to use her cutting board and kitchen knife.
Then, my Dad put me to bed in my small den, kissed my nose, and carefully draped the blankets around my body.
I closed my eyes; and was sound asleep within a minute.
Soon, I started to dream of being a Big Boy, setting a trap along an animal track, and catching my first animal...

    I woke up early in the morning; and carefully rubbed the little sands out of my eyes.
Today, I would try to help my Mom with her cooking, for the first time, now that she allowed me to use her knife.
To please her, and also to convince her even more, I would collect some rare and very special herbs, to spice our own food and make it tastier.
So far, I had only used my herbs on roasting animals; but I was sure I could use them to spice our dinner as well!
After our breakfast, I would go into our surrounding bushes, and ask the various herbs for advice...

    Already being bright and shining, I stretched out as far as I could, to loosen my muscles.
Then, I jumped out of my small bed, to shuck my wet diaper and take a shower.
As I had done hundreds of times before, I untied the wet thing, and let it fall onto the floor.
Now being naked, I turned around; to go to our small shower stall and wash the nightly urine away...

    Suddenly, something strange started to dawn on my confused mind...
Why didn't my naked belly feel chilly from the nightly wetness, as it always did in the morning?
I also missed the strong acid smell of nightly urine that always evaporated from my wet diaper...
What had happened to my diaper, or to me?
A split second later, I snatched my diaper from the floor, and felt its inside with trembling hands...

    MY DIAPER WAS DRY!
Vaguely, I remembered waking up in the middle of the night, to have a leak.
Feeling very sleepy, I had loosened my diaper, emptied my bladder, and again fastened the still dry thing.
Then, I had crawled into my bed again, and fallen asleep almost immediately.

    Today, finally, my bladder had warned me in time, when I had to visit our small built-in toilet!
Finally, I was a Big Boy instead of a 'diaper kid', and I could join my friends into our woods!
    I stormed to my parents' bedroom, and enthusiastically jumped onto my Dad's stomach:

    "DAD! Wake up! My diaper is still dry! I don't need it any more! Finally, I am a Big Boy!"

    My Dad woke up, squinted at me, grinned at my eager face, and lazily tickled my dry belly:

    "What time is it? And, are you sure you will not wet your bed again tomorrow?"

    "I am absolutely sure! Tonight, I woke up, to have a normal leak. Finally, my body is growing up!"

    My Mom woke up to my loud voice, and stared at us with sleepy eyes...
Still feeling very enthusiastic, I told her she didn't need to buy any more diapers, from now on.
    She put her arms around me, and assured me with a proud voice:

    "From now on, you are our own Big Boy. You are growing fast, although your body is still a bit small!"

    I felt very happy; and smothered my parents with kisses, almost crying from enthusiasm.
Finally, I was allowed to join the other children into our woods, to catch and roast my own animals!
    My Dad took me into his strong arms, while he told me:

    "Harry, my precious son, you really are growing fast! Now, it is your time to discover a bit more of our beautiful world...
"Tonight, you will sleep without a diaper; and, when your bed is still dry in the morning, you are allowed to enter our woods.
"I can clearly remember my first time, when I was allowed to accompany the other kids into our woods, so I know how it feels.
"However, please, be very careful when leaving our camp, and always listen to the older and more experienced children!"

    "Yes, Dad, I will be very careful; and I will always listen to the others. I promise!"

    My Dad and I showered together, playfully sharing our a bit too small shower stall.
We washed each other, dried each other, tickled each other, and had lots of fun.
Then, after enjoying our breakfast, I went outside, to have my last longing look at my friends.

    Today, I stared at the other children for the very last time...
Tomorrow, I would accompany them into our woods, and set my own traps and catch my own animals!
I felt very nervous, now that my Big Day approached; and I almost couldn't wait to join the others...
Longingly, I stared along the winding paths that lead through the bushes into our woods.
Tomorrow, I was allowed to follow these mysterious paths too, for the first time!

    After our group had disappeared, I gathered our 'diaper kids' around me, and told them with a proud face:

    "Since yesterday, I no longer need my diaper at night; and, tomorrow, I am joining our older group into our woods!"

    One of the oldest girls almost started to cry, while she sobbed:

    "I am sure I will miss you terribly! Who will now teach us how to hide in the bushes without being seen? You are the best..."

    Many other kids nodded their agreement, assuring me they would really miss me!
Couldn't I wait until I was a bit older, before joining our other group of kids into our dangerous woods?
What if I got lost, didn't know my way back to our camp, and nobody else could find me?
    A much bigger boy looked angry, and almost shouted at me:

    "This is not fair! I am much older than you are, and I am still wetting my bed! Why are you so early? I am jealous of you!"

    What did this older boy tell me, about being 'early'?
I couldn't believe my own ears, and started to think about his words...
Up to now, I had always assumed that I was too tardy in my development, being the smallest little runt in our group...
However, this boy was almost six years old, he was much bigger than I was, and he still wetted his bed!
On the other hand, I was only four years and three months old, and I was already completely dry...
Could there be some truth in what this bigger boy told me in his jealousy?

    I looked around at all the other 'diaper kids'; estimating how old they were...
Suddenly, I saw that almost all of them were quite a lot older than I was!
This was something I had never seen before...
I had only thought they were smaller, because my too bright brain so easily outdid them.
Now, I saw that, in reality, I was one of the youngest kids in our group, and also the fastest...

    Gasping for breath, the sudden revelation almost knocked me down!
I sat down on one of our wooden benches, while slowly digesting this new information...
I was NOT physically retarded; but, on the contrary, I was extremely FAST in my development!
My too small body should only catch up a bit in its length, but it was NOT slow...

    Feeling a bit strange and nonplussed, I went into our bushes, to gather a couple of fresh herbs.
Slowly, I started to feel more and more proud of myself, as my wise Dad always told me to do...
I was not slow at all; but, on the contrary, I was one of the fastest developing kids in our community!
Wow... Why had I never realized this before?

    I went to our caravan, put some herbs aside for our own dinner, and prepared the remaining herbs to use them for our roasting animals.
Then, I went to Michail's caravan, to ask him for his honest advice.
Of course, I trusted my own Mom and Dad, but I was afraid they would love me too much to be really honest about me.
Besides, doesn't every parent always think his own kid is the most special creature in our universe?
My parents would certainly be too prejudiced, to tell me the truth and only the truth...

    My Big Friend was genuinely happy to see me; and he immediately pulled me into an enormous hug!
Then, I helped him wash and dry his little sons; and I even put clean diapers on Michi, while Michail helped Movi.
We laid them in between their pillows, to enjoy their morning nap.
Finally, we sat down, and I crawled onto Michail's enormous lap, to be held and feel safe.
    Now, I started to ask him my burning question:

    "Michail? I want to ask you something I really want to know, but I don't know how to put the right words to it...
"Am I really developing extremely fast? I always thought my still immature body betrayed me, because I am too small...
"Today, another kid suddenly told me I was very early in my development, and that he was jealous of me...
"What do you think of it? And, please, could you give me a real honest answer, without considering my feelings?"

    "Boy, what are you asking me now... A real honest answer... Well, okay, the best thing I may do is give it an honest try.
"Compared to all the other kids I have known in my life, you are the brightest and fastest developing boy I ever saw!
"You sat upright extremely early, crawled early, talked almost immediately, and understood everything we told you!
"Now, you are only four years old, and you already stopped wetting your bed. That is very fast too, compared to most other children.
"Plus, we have always been able to talk to you as if you were a grown-up; and, many times, you outdid even other grown-ups with your witty remarks!
"All of your developments have been extremely fast, with maybe one exception: your body is still a bit too small for your age.
"Besides, how many kids of around your age are able to read the mind of somebody else, or are promoted to be a Chief Cook?
"I sincerely hope this honest answer helps you forget your silly doubts; and, please, feel proud of yourself again!"

    Huh? Was I really able to 'read the mind of somebody else', as Michail told me?
Why would my Big Friend think such a strange thing about me?
Or, could he be right? Was I really reading minds, without knowing it?
I had never before thought about possibly having such a strange 'gift'...

    Then, I remembered how I, as a baby, always knew what other people told me, by feeling the energy of their words.
I also sensed when people planned to pay us a visit; at least ten seconds before they reached our caravan.
Many times, I knew in advance what my parents or Michail were going to tell me.
Only, to me, it had always been one of my 'normal' abilities!
I never thought it could be some special form of 'mind-reading'...
Maybe, after all, Michail could be right about what he told me.
Next time, I would try to read his mind deliberately!
Thank you, my Big Friend, for bringing this to my attention.

    Of course, I didn't tell Michail about my decision of trying to read his mind on purpose!
I thanked him abundantly for being honest to me, and we cuddled some more.
Then, he had to feed his wakening boys; and I went outside, to play for the last time with our 'diaper kids'...

    Near the end of the day, we heard lots of joyful laughter coming from our woods.
Our older kids showed up, again carrying several marmots and other small beasts.
Marmots were the most common animals in our woods, and our kids were always catching plenty of them.
Now and then, they caught some bigger beast, like a fat porcupine or a stray hare.
On rare occasions, they even caught a small pig, which contained enough meat to feed everybody in our camp.

    They started to skin and clean their caught animals; while I told them with a proud face:

    "Listen to me ... Tomorrow, I am allowed to join you into our woods!"

    "Really? Are you sure? You are still such a little cookie..."

    "Really! Since yesterday, I am a Big Boy; and my parents already allowed me to join you!"

    All my friends crowded around me, enthusiastically congratulating me with my important milestone!
They told me they were proud of their little chief cookie, and thought I would be a valuable part of our group.
    Then, Misha took me onto his shoulders and horsed me around our campfire, grinning:

    "Tomorrow, our Chief Cook is with us, to sample our animals in advance..."

    Soon, they left me and went on preparing their animals, while I gathered my herbs mixture from our caravan.
Feeling happy, I smeared the first staked animal with my nicely smelling herbs mixture.
Tomorrow, I would prove them that I could be more than only a little chief cookie!

    A delicious aroma filled the air, while all the kids roasted their animals over our campfire.
When they were ready, everybody offered me a slice of meat to munch on; so that I had my own share, as usual.
After we were stuffed to the brim, we burped loudly, to thank the animals for offering us their tasty meat.
I went home; feeling proud of myself, as my Dad had told me to be.
Tomorrow, in our woods, I hoped to be even more proud...

    My Mom chuckled when she saw me, and immediately started to wash the fat and smear off my face!
Then, she teasingly asked me to count my fingers...
Were there still ten of them, or had I accidentally cut one off?
I stared her down in disdain, and angrily stamped towards my Dad, to be held and comforted.
How did she DARE tease me with my so praised cooking skills!
My Dad chuckled at my indignant face, but he didn't say a word...

    That night, I slept without a diaper, for the first time since I was a baby.
It was a nice feeling; as if, somehow, I was more alive and more aware of my own body...
From now on, I would sleep just like everybody else always did, in my 'birthday suit'.
I belonged to the grown-ups now!

    Marveling in the idea of finally being a Big Boy, I closed my eyes and drifted into a sound sleep...

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I am desperately looking for somebody special who could help me better my stories!
Please, provide me with as many useful comments and suggestions as possible...
Of course, my 'proofreaders' will have all my books for free, once they are printed.

I am still looking for a competent proofreader!

Please, send me your emails ONLY from my site, to avoid all the spam.

And, have a look at this address, to read ALL my stories:

http://www.harryanders.com

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I wish you lots of Love in your life, and Profound Peace in your heart.

 Harry AnderS, Dutch psychotherapist and writer of 'books with a message'