Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 12:08:23 +0100 From: Harry Anders Subject: Little-Harrys-youth-1 LITTLE HARRY IS FOR SALE! The emotional rollercoaster book 'Little Harry' is out, and please have a look at it and maybe even buy it. It costs only $ 19.95. Visit my homepage by copying this link into your webbrowser: http://www.harryanders.com -------------- Sorry for the delays! Lately I've been very busy, preparing my book 'Little Harry' to be printed... Now I'm writing again, and I've also changed my point of view a bit. The title of book two will be 'Little Harry's youth', and the story describes little Harry's youth in the Rumanian mountains from his birth until he finally meets Big Harry. Maybe the first few chapters will look a bit familiar, but be assured this will be a totally different story, containing many new adventures! Please bear with me, and start reading right from this first chapter, so as not to miss out a single thing. ============================ LITTLE HARRY'S YOUTH Chapter 1. Those first four years of the rest of my life. I floated around, safely submerged in seawater of a nice temperature, in a cosy place that totally embraced me, with murmuring sounds in the background and a reassuring rhythmical 'bump, bump, bump' sounding outside my shelter. In this place I felt totally safe and welcomed. I vaguely remembered being there knowing something was going to happen soon, but my brain had already taken over and carefully wiped out all the memories of my soul. Within a few days I would be totally blank, and ready to learn how to behave as a human being again. Nine months ago I had been aware of everything. I remembered several of my past lives; especially my last life, where an enormous grizzly bear attacked me and tore me to pieces. My Dad desperately tried to rescue me with only a small knife in his hands, but the bear killed him too. Our best friend, who lived a few miles away, was devastated; and he killed that bear with his bare hands. But the bear wounded him too, and a few months later he also died and joined us in 'heaven'; where we impatiently longed to go back and fulfil our tasks on earth. Now all of us were back on earth, and within a few years we would meet again. The Cosmic Intelligence would bring us together, and this time the three of us would join our efforts to try to change the world and make it a better place. Slowly my memories faded away. The last thing I knew was that I was extremely intelligent and had to fulfil an important task on earth, but first I had to make up for the things I did in my past lives. In the middle ages I had been the leader of a witch-hunt, and had sent many suspects to a stake to be burnt. Now I had to know how the burning feels; not as a punishment, but to be able to better myself and develop more compassion for my victims. That's called 'the law of Karma' or 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'. The two people who then assisted me, were in this life brought together to give me birth. They would both perish in the fire, to be able to assist me from within 'heaven'; and I would survive. Suddenly I felt the pressure around me increase, and I heard some yelling from the people that helped the woman I was living in now. I couldn't understand their words, but felt their energy and thus knew what they were saying: "Be prepared, labour has finally set in! Be quick, and ask for the Wise Woman to assist us." Again the pressure increased; and instinctively I tried to help, by turning around until my head pressed against a narrow tube that slowly widened. The pressure decreased, and I was sucked back into my cosy room; but not for long. From now on, every time the pressure increased, I felt that narrow tube widen up a bit more, until my head pressed through. Two very cold hands folded around my head and tried to pull it out. 'Why are you pulling at my head? Leave me alone, you are hurting me! I don't need your help...' I started to fight the hands, but now my shoulders came through and I flopped out of my cosy room into a bright light that blinded my eyes. All of a sudden everything around me was too chilly, and I started to shiver. 'Why don't you leave me alone? Get your hands off me! It's too cold here. I want to go back into that nicely warm and cosy room where I came from! Immediately push me back into my safe place...' They didn't push me back, but I got a strange feeling in what I later on discovered was my chest, and suddenly a high-pitched sound escaped my throat. At first I was rather shocked, and couldn't believe it was me who did that. I tried it again, and again my throat produced that same sound, now even louder. Wow, I was able to make sounds, all on my own! Did you hear that? I tried it again and again... Somebody wrapped me into a nicely warmed diaper, and laid me down into the arms of the woman I had been living in for nine months. The woman started to cry, and I felt a strong feeling of being welcomed and loved. I stopped my sound, and felt around in wonder. She wrapped her arms around me and tenderly cradled me. I closed my eyes and marvelled in the nice feeling. A soft thing touched my lips, and instinctively I started to suck on it. After a few seconds the most delicious nourishment I ever could imagine entered my mouth. Yummy! I could get used to that... I started to suck with all my force, and forgot everything else. Somebody shouted to the people who were waiting outside our room: "IT'S A BOY! WE HAVE A NEW HEIR TO THE THRONE." All at once many cheering sounds filled my ears, and made me cry. At the same time they also filled me with pride, because I felt the energy of their joyful words and thus knew what they meant. People were cheering and congratulating each other, because of ME... Violins started to play beautiful melodies of joy and happiness, and more and more people seemed to join the steadily growing crowd outside our caravan. Now and then somebody entered the caravan to have a look at me and congratulate my parents. After a while I calmed down and fell asleep, lazily sucking on that yummy soft thing that still was in my mouth. I woke up in total darkness, and immediately missed the reassuring cosy room I had been in for nine months. I also missed the calming sound of 'bump, bump, bump' that always surrounded me. I felt helpless and lonely, and started to cry. Within a few seconds I heard a couple of sounds, and the room was illuminated. A face appeared in front of me; and I stopped the crying, trying to focus on that vague and misty thing that moved nearer and made reassuring sounds. Two careful hands tenderly touched me, and lifted me out of the pillows I had been lying in between. I instinctively knew this had to be 'Mom', and now I felt safe again. Mom took me into her arms and tenderly cradled me: "Hi, my little boy, are you hungry again? Just a moment, because I have to clean you up first..." She removed my diaper, washed my bottom, and applied another clean and nicely warmed diaper around it. Then she took me onto her lap, and YES! There was that yummy thing again! I sucked on it with all my force, and soon I was filled to the brim with that delicious nourishment. Of course I had to burp and spilled half of it, but who cares. After a while I fell asleep in her arms, and didn't even feel her put me to bed again. When I woke up there was light around, and I stared into a much darker face. I tried to focus my eyes, and to my delight I succeeded in getting the picture a bit sharper. I didn't know the words for the things I saw, but later on I learned that the dark brush I saw below the 'nose' was called a 'moustache'. The eyes of my Mom were of a bright blue colour, but the eyes I saw now were dark brown, nearly black. The face laughed at me, and two enormous hands lifted me from between the pillows and sat me onto his lap. This time I felt a totally different energy, and instinctively I understood this had to be the 'male' energy, full of power and strength. I was sure this person had to be 'Dad'. Dad looked at me, and started to smile with a proud face: "Boy, what eyes do you possess! They are looking straight into my soul. What a power! Do you know you resemble your mother?" I felt him sending his powerful love to me, felt happy to be in his strong arms, and smiled. Suddenly Dad got tears in his eyes, and nearly crushed me: "My boy has already laughed at me! What a wonderful child..." He started to sob, and I tried to comfort him. That was very frustrating, because my arms and hands absolutely refused to do what I intended them to do. They just flapped around, and I couldn't find the muscles to control them. I felt disappointed, and started to sob along with him. Other people entered our caravan, congratulated my parents, and enthusiastically greeted me: "Look at those blue eyes! What a power and intelligence! He's already looking at everything that's happening around him." My Dad tenderly removed my diaper, cleaned me up, and took me into his arms: "Come on, boy; let's go outside, where the others can have their first look at you!" Together we left our caravan. I still had some difficulty in focussing my eyes; but I was aware of many waiting people gathered around a big campfire. They cheered when they saw me; and my Dad lifted me high into the air, so that everybody could see his newborn son. Everybody went silent, until my Dad proudly announced: "The name of our new heir to the throne will be 'Harold Janovski Romani'." All the people started to cheer, and the other fathers threw their own little children high into the air, to greet our Supreme Being. They carefully caught their children into their arms when they landed again. The children immensely enjoyed the fun, shrieked, and asked for more. Suddenly I had an intense sensation of flying, high into the air, above all the others, and I loved it! My Dad tenderly caught me when I landed. He put me onto his shoulders, holding my arms with one hand and supporting my head with the other, while he carried me around the circle. All the people bowed, and one by one touched my small feet, thus promising their eternal loyalty to their newborn Prince. After a while my Dad handed me to my Mom. Of course that made me cry, as I wanted to join the fun for a much longer time. Unfortunately I was too small to be able to make myself clear, and felt very frustrated because my immature body refused to do as I told it. My Mom tenderly took me into her arms and carried me back to our black-and-golden caravan, where she applied a new diaper around my bottom and laid me down between the pillows. Within half a minute I was asleep, dreaming of a beautiful future and fulfilling magnificent deeds. The next couple of weeks I experienced the most exciting time of my life. I discovered so many new things in such a short time... First I learned how to focus my eyes properly, so I could see everything clearly. Then I discovered the muscles that steered my body. Soon my arms moved on my command, and I discovered something new: at the end of my arms were very interesting things that could move too. Especially one thing, called a 'thumb', which I could move so that it touched my mouth, and with a little probing even entered it. I started to suck on it; and, even when it didn't resemble the soft and yummy thing that was called my Mom's 'breast', it could do as a substitute for a while. At the far end of my body I discovered another pair of things that resembled my arms, and soon I could move my 'legs' too. I even reached my face with my 'big toe', and enthusiastically sucked on it. That made my Dad bellow with laughter, and I started to cry from the sudden sound. My Dad looked a bit ashamed, and soothingly took me into his enormous arms: "Don't cry, my little Harold. I didn't want to scare you. It was just too funny a sight, and I couldn't help the laughing." I COULD UNDERSTAND HIM! Even when I couldn't speak myself, and I had certainly already tried that many times before, I exactly understood what he meant with those strange sounds that escaped his mouth. I just felt their energy, and I knew instinctively what they stood for... I stopped the crying abruptly, and stared at him in wonder. I tried to tell him I understood what he told me, but the only things that escaped my mouth were small air bubbles and a lot of saliva. My Dad tenderly cleaned my small mouth with a napkin, still laughing. I was very frustrated about my inability to steer my too small and still very immature little body properly, and started to cry again. Why had everything to be so difficult to learn? Wasn't there an easier way? Many people visited our caravan, and they all wanted to see me. I LOVED being taken out of my pillows and cuddled on a lap in two safe arms. I always immediately started to smile, and that caused them to 'love' me even more. Maybe I was a little bit manipulative, though I didn't know that word or what it meant for a long time. From the first day on, I discovered that smiling caused them to 'love' me more than the crying did... Of course I knew the difference between the kind of 'love' they used, and the REAL love radiating from my parents, my grandmother, and a few others who really cared for me. They made me feel all warm and mushy inside, and with them I felt absolutely safe and cared for. With them I could be myself and cry whenever I felt the urge to expand my lungs without any fear of being rejected. I HATED being belittled or treated as a small child. Didn't those visitors see I was an old soul, temporarily living in an immature body? They didn't need to use those silly childish words, as I could understand them anyway! Just wait until I've discovered how to properly use my voice... Again a few visitors entered our caravan, and tried to tell me those silly things that made me angry: "Look at that little wiseacre! His eyes are shooting daggers! Why does he look so angry all of a sudden? Hey, you little tinywiny, gugugugu..." I knew what I had to do to teach them a little lesson... I started to pee, and pooped my diaper. Within a few moments the visitors sniffed the air and didn't care about me any more, while my Mom tenderly took over and cleaned me up. Manipulative? Hmm... I seemed to be using two totally different kinds of crying. One kind of crying I seemed to use when I was frustrated about something, or I wanted them to take me out of my small bed, or I was just bored and wanted their attention. Then my Dad and Mom both smiled, and told each other: "Let him cry for a while. That helps him develop his lungs." The other type of crying I seemed to use when I was hungry, or had pooped my diaper and it started to itch, or I really didn't feel too well. Then immediately my Dad or my Mom were there to look after me, clean me up, or call for the Wise Woman to heal me. How did they know? I tried several different ways of crying, but couldn't find the right way to catch their immediate attention. Now I was frustrated, and cried because I couldn't use this way to manipulate them... "Listen to our little Harry... he's frustrated about something, and now he's developing his lungs." Grrrrr... After a while I started to recognize all those different energies around the people I learned to know. I could clearly distinguish my Dad's energy from my Mom's, or from my grandmother's, or from a lot of other people who regularly visited us. I could even feel their intention to pay us a visit; and many times I knew they would enter our caravan, at least ten seconds before they actually opened the door or knocked on it. At first my parents didn't understand why I suddenly became excited ten seconds before somebody I liked entered our caravan, but after a while they got used to it; and often they went to the door to open it and let our stunned visitors in even before they had reached our caravan. "How did you know I was on my way to pay you a visit?" "Little Harold told us, by getting excited. We think he has a clairvoyant ability..." "That's very special! Do you think he will become our new Wise Man?" "It will certainly be of great help when eventually he becomes our new King." Many times the man I liked most of all, besides my own father, entered our caravan. He was a really HUGE man, always wearing some fur coat, both in summer and in winter. He had to duck his head to be able to enter the doorway; and when he was inside, his powerful energy filled our caravan and embraced everybody, including me. I really loved to sit on that man's lap and be cuddled. I felt his energy enter our caravan long before he opened the door; and I started to jump up and down, trying to make enthusiastic sounds. My Mom saw my excitement, smiled, and went to the door to open it: "Hi Michail, didn't you bring your betrothed with you?" Michail laughed, and sat down onto the couch that moaned under his weight. I stretched my small arms out, fidgeting and hoping he would pay me a lot of attention. My Mom lifted me from my cushions and put me onto Michail's lap, where I tried to melt into him and enjoyed the feelings of his strong arms around me. I loved that man with all my heart, and with REAL love! Michail softly stroked my face with his enormous hands, and tenderly kissed my nose. His moustache made me sneeze, but I loved even that. Sometimes he brought his girlfriend with him, and then I had to sit on her lap for a while too. But she didn't radiate that enormous power I so much cherished in my Big Friend. Mostly I first laughed at her, and then stretched my arms out towards Michail. That always helped. She felt a bit turned down, and with a sour face put me onto Michail's lap. Michail didn't disapprove at all... This day Michail was alone, and I loved all the attention I got. After a while he sat me down onto the couch next to him, to be able to drink his coffee. But I wanted to be with him and sit on his lap! I tried to move closer to him, and suddenly I discovered how I could use my arms and legs to shift myself into his direction. I turned around onto my stomach, and slowly crawled towards my Big Friend... My parents were stunned, and looked at me in awe: "Look, our little Harold is already crawling! Now it's time to bring him to the Wise Woman, to be read." The next day my parents dressed me into a nice black-and-gold garment, which felt very strange, as I wasn't used to wearing any clothes other than a diaper. They took me with them to the circle formed around the campfire. Vaguely I remembered the first day of my life, when my Dad had taken me to that same circle. Now he didn't throw me high into the air, but sat me on his lap, with his strong arms protectively around me. I loved that feeling, which reminded me of the warm and cosy womb I had lived in for nine months. I felt safe and protected. Many other children sat around the campfire on the laps of their own parents. They were all naked and sun burnt with a golden tan, while all the grown-ups wore some kind of beautiful clothing. My parents both wore the same nice black-and-golden garment I was wearing. I detected Michail, two seats away from me, and started to fidget and tried to catch his attention, but in vain. He was all eyes for his girlfriend, who sat next to him and softly talked to him. Perhaps I was a bit jealous of her, but at that time I didn't know the word... Two violin players started to play their instruments, a tender melody of sadness and longing. It tore at my heartstrings and I started to cry, but not too much, as I didn't want the beautiful sound to stop. My Dad tenderly caressed my stomach, and slowly the sobbing faded away. I could see my Dad had tears in his eyes too, and I loved him even more. We surely were kindred souls! My grandmother rose from her seat, and the two violin players let their music fade away and sat down. She looked around the circle, until her eyes rested on me. She smiled at me, and I smiled back at her and stretched my arms out. Lots of people around the circle were astonished, and whispered to each other: "He's already responding to his grandmother! Wow, what a special child he is. Look at those bright eyes!" My grandmother lifted her hands, and everybody went silent: "Today we welcome our little heir to the throne, Harold Janovski Romany, into our company. From now on he will be in the protection of all of us. We will always be there for him, and offer him our lives if necessary. Now our Wise Woman will look into his soul, and share her findings." She sat down, and my Dad lifted me off his lap and put me down onto the lap of our Wise Woman. The Wise Woman looked at me with her piercing eyes, and I started to cry. I didn't want to be left with her! I wanted to sit on my Dad's lap and feel safe in his protective arms. The Wise Woman put one hand against my forehead and another hand against the back of my head, and started to hum. Within a few seconds I felt totally at ease and absolutely safe. I recognized that energy, and somehow I knew I had used it myself many times before, to help other people remember their past lives. I stopped the crying, closed my eyes, and drifted off... My consciousness left my brain, and travelled backwards along my timeline. Soon I entered my past life and remembered everything. My Mom died in childbirth; and from that time on my powerful father and I were inseparable. We had one best friend, who always took care of me when my Dad had to go to town to sell pelts and buy things, until I was old enough to accompany him. One time I was playing in the surrounding woods when an angry grizzly bear attacked me, and my Dad tried to rescue me with only a small knife in his hands. The bear tore me to pieces and I went to heaven, soon accompanied by my Dad and our best friend who were killed by that same huge bear. The humming changed, and I travelled further backwards along my timeline; until I arrived in the same place where I lived now, surrounded by huge mountains and thick forests. I had a little soul mate of my own age, and we were absolutely inseparable. When we grew up, my soul mate became our King; and he had two sons and three daughters. I was absolutely sure I would soon meet all of them again. The humming faded away, everything became a blur, and I returned to the present. I felt very confused and started to cry. My Dad took me tenderly into his arms, cradled me, and caressed my stomach, while my memories from the past slowly faded away. Within a few minutes I couldn't remember anything of what had happened, and started to look around again with curious eyes. The Wise Woman needed a few minutes to recover, and then she rose from her seat: "Our heir to the throne is one of us. He showed me his past lives, where he was the soul mate of our beloved King. He also showed me part of his future, where he will have a very difficult time. But he will come through, and he will be surrounded by all the people he loves and who all deeply love him. I am sure he is predestined to fulfil magnificent deeds once he is an adult and our new King." The violin players took their instruments and started to play a joyful melody full of hope and glory. All the people rose to their feet and went to my parents to congratulate them; while I slowly drifted off into slumber, being dead tired from all those strange things that had happened to me... From that day on I was able to move around on my own, and nothing was safe from me. I was extremely curious, and crawled around to look at everything I could reach and touch. My parents had to put everything away that could be opened, put into my mouth, or demolished. They couldn't leave me alone for a moment, but fortunately they both loved me and never complained about their way too intelligent little son. Many times Michail attended me while my parents had to be elsewhere. Sometimes he was accompanied by his girlfriend, but I could feel she didn't like me very much. Maybe she was a little bit jealous of all the attention Michail offered me? She never paid me much attention herself and left everything to Michail, even removing my diaper and cleaning me up. I certainly didn't protest... After a few months everybody told me I had to be the youngest genius ever that could walk on his own. To me a new world opened up. My proud parents took me outside, where I looked in and under everything and tried out all the things that maybe could move or open; desperately followed by my worried mother who tried to restrain me from putting living ants into my mouth or grabbing burning branches from our camp fire. My Dad just laughed, and told my Mom to let me have some more freedom: "He has to learn from his experiences, and he's certainly clever enough to not make the same mistake twice." I had the fun of my life; tried to climb the steps to a caravan, and promptly fell off them. Of course I started to cry, not from the pain but from the sudden shock. My Mom tried to comfort me, but I was already on my way to look at another interesting object. My Dad laughed, and tenderly ruffled my hair: "See? Now he has learned from that experience, and I bet the next time our little brainiac will be more careful!" The next thing I taught myself excessively fast was talking, and soon I resembled a wandering question mark. The words I loved and used most, were 'why' and 'what'; followed by 'how come'. My curiosity was insatiable, and my too bright brain wanted to understand everything. Many times I drove my parents, and all the others surrounding us, to despair: "Why does my Mom have blue eyes and light hair, and how come most others have brown eyes and dark hair?" "That's because your Mom comes from a far country in the north. Your father brought her here a few years ago." "What's a 'country'? Why did my Dad bring her here? How come I resemble my Mom and not my Dad?" They tried to explain there are other places like this, not surrounded by mountains, where other people live under different circumstances. "When are we going to those other 'countries'? I want to visit them all..." "Maybe when you are old enough to travel with us..." "Why am I not old enough now? Look at me; I'm already a big boy!" They just laughed and ruffled my hair, but I was a bit angry. Why did I have to wait for so long? I wanted to discover our world NOW! I was very bright and understood everything they told me, so why didn't they take me with them? I still needed them, because I was too young to go there on my own; but just wait until I am old enough to go on a trip myself... Michail had finally married his girlfriend, after she was sure she was pregnant. She told Michail; and they decided to wait for another couple of months, until the pregnancy would be clearly visible. Then they would let everybody know, as a surprise. One day they were in our caravan, sitting together; and of course I was wriggling around on Michail's big lap and enjoying his attention. I had already looked at her belly for a couple of times, and suddenly I blurted: "Why do you have TWO children in your stomach?" She went very pale, and looked at me as if she saw an alien from another planet: "How for heaven's sake do YOU know I'm pregnant? And why do you think I'm carrying TWO children?" I was shocked by her sudden outburst, and started to cry. I was absolutely sure, as I could clearly see them with my inner eye. Both of them were boys, and now I saw another thing too. A dark cloud surrounded their mother, as if something terrible would happen to her... I refused to answer her questions and buried my face into Michail's chest, now sobbing loudly. After a few months two babies were born. They were twins, but didn't resemble each other. Michi was the first-born, and he was nearly two inches taller compared to his brother Movi, who was a bit chubby and had more and darker hair on his head. They were both healthy and immediately started to cry, but unfortunately their mother was severely bleeding and it wouldn't stop. Even our Wise Woman couldn't help her. Hurriedly they transported her to a hospital in town, where she died after a couple of hours. Fortunately for us she didn't die in our camp, as we would have been forced to leave our secluded place and move on. Our belief forbade us to live in the same place where one of us died. That's why we lived in our caravans, always ready to move on immediately if necessary. Michail was inconsolable and cried for many days, until at last I crawled onto his lap and put my small arms around his neck: "You are my second Dad, and I don't want to miss you! Now I've got two little brothers, and I don't want you to neglect them either..." Michail looked at me for a long time, with tears in his eyes. Then he slowly nodded his head, and left our caravan without saying a word. Ten minutes later he was back, smiling, and carrying two small boys in his arms. He proudly sat them down between the pillows on our couch. From that time on we were nearly always together. Michail looked after me when my parents had to go somewhere, and now he really was a second father to me. I loved him with all my heart; and tried to play with his sons, but they were way too small and no fun at all. Many times I stared longingly at the other children; when they went through the bushes surrounding our camp, laughing and pushing each other. Later on they returned in a cheerful mood, carrying several small animals they had caught, or carrying baskets filled with delicious fruits. They divided the fruits among us, and roasted the animals on long stakes over the campfire, to eat them when they were prepared. How I wanted to accompany them! But I had to wait until I would be dry during the whole night and no longer needed my diapers... I tried to force my small body to warn me in time, but every morning I woke up being soaking wet. I nearly hated myself for that. Why must my body be so immature? I knew my brain was developing very fast, but why didn't my body follow my brain? Couldn't I force it to grow faster? I asked Michail about it, but he told me to be patient and to be happy with my life as it was now: "Be happy to be a small boy, and enjoy your youth. Soon you will be an old man like me, and then you are regretting your age..." "But I WANT to be like you! And I also want to enjoy my youth, by accompanying the other children into the woods!" "I think you’re way too intelligent for your age. You're only four years old; but I can talk to you as if you were a grown-up, and you're understanding everything. That's not normal for a boy your age. Other boys your age are playing with small thingies and sucking on their thumb..." I felt frustrated, hopped off his lap, and went outside to wait impatiently for the other children to return. I was always around the campfire when they returned, to ask them questions and listen to their stories. Many times I dreamed away while they were talking about their fascinating adventures, when they had chased a pig through the woods or caught a bigger animal in a snare... Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to help them with the roasting, because I had to catch my own animal first. And I couldn't catch my first animal because I was too small... Fortunately they often considerately shared their food with their little prince, who so eagerly wanted to join them. I was always very particular about the roasted food, and often remarked things about the taste: "Yesterday the marmots tasted better than today. I think you forgot to add a few of those yellow grains this time." "How do YOU know? You've never roasted a marmot yourself... but I think you are right, it did taste better yesterday." "How about adding a little bit of that greenish moss you brought with you last week? That with the strong taste." "We could try some... but if it tastes yucky, you will have to eat the rest of the animal all by yourself!" "Only when I am allowed to put some self-chosen herbs onto the animal all by myself!" "You know you are not allowed, until you have caught your first animal yourself..." "Then let me join you tomorrow! I already know how to make a snare, because Micha let me see how to do it." "You know you are not allowed to join us, until you no longer need your diapers during the night..." I was angry, and left the campfire to kick a couple of trees. Why was my body so small and immature? Couldn't I skip a few years? The next day I was back early, and went into the bushes to collect a couple of herbs I thought would improve the taste of the roasted animals. I cleaned them, cut them into pieces with the help of my Mom's sharp kitchen knife, and carefully mingled them together. I put the stolen knife back unseen, and impatiently waited for the children to return. This time they brought a big porcupine to the campfire in triumph. When they had skinned the animal and put it onto a stake, I showed them my herbs: "I want you to use my herbs mixture this time, to improve the taste; but first you have to add a few drops of oil to it." "You know you are not allowed to..." "Yes, I KNOW, but you could at least give it a try!" They looked at each other and hesitated; until one of the older boys, Micha, thought: "He IS our Prince, so maybe our rules will not apply to him so strictly? I think we should give him a chance..." The others hesitantly nodded, and I was in heaven! I got some oil, and carefully mingled a few drops into my herbs mixture. Micha handed me a brush, and I smeared the porcupine with my mixture, trembling with pride. I also put a little bit of the greenish moss into the animal, together with a few leaves from a nearby tree that smelled good. Two bigger boys held the porcupine over the campfire to get it roasted, while I smeared it from time to time with the oil. At last the animal was ready to be eaten. The bigger boys divided it into chunks, sliced the chunks into pieces, and we started to munch on them. Fortunately he porcupine tasted really delicious, much to my relief. They all marvelled at the taste, and licked their fingers. Suddenly Micha took me onto his shoulders, and proudly carried me around the campfire three times: "From now on you are our chief cook. Never in my life did I taste such delicious meat!" I nearly cried with pride, and felt myself grow at least three inches. From that time on my task was to collect fresh herbs every day, and I LOVED it. I seemed to have a natural feeling for what tasted good and what I could mingle together. Now and then it didn't work out and we had to throw away a yucky tasting animal, but who cares? It was mid-summer, and there were plenty of other small animals to catch as a replacement. I learned from every new experience, and my skills vastly improved. My Mom was a bit angry when she detected I had 'played' with her sharp kitchen knife; but after I told her what I did and that now I was a 'chief cook', she offered me another sharp knife that was a bit smaller: "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, and went back to the campfire without saying another word. How COULD she think such a thing... That evening my Dad tenderly took me onto his lap, and held me for a long time: "You are growing fast, my boy. I can vividly remember the first time your mother told me she was pregnant, and how happy I felt. Now I have you on my lap, and soon you will be married yourself and have children of your own... Your mother told me you are a chief cook now, even when you are not allowed to leave our camp yet. Please be careful, and don't think you are allowed to do more than the other children just because you are a prince. They allow you to be their cook because you are GOOD at cooking, and you have earned that place. Always do what you are doing in a way that allows you to be proud of yourself, and you will be an excellent King in the future." I understood him, and nodded while I let myself melt into his strong arms. I could feel his love radiating towards me, and marvelled in the nice feeling of being welcomed and loved, until it was my time to go to bed. Dad carefully put my diaper on and tickled my belly, making me squirm. Then he put me to bed. I closed my eyes; and was gone within a few seconds, dreaming of being a big boy and catching my first animal. In those first four years of my life I learned and thoroughly tested out everything I needed to be able to live my wonderful life as a growing up gypsy baby; living safely in a secluded valley surrounded by huge mountains, in a country that's called 'Rumania'. ============================ Thank you for reading the first chapter of my book 'Little Harry's youth'. My FIRST book, 'Little Harry', is for sale! It costs only $ 19.95 ... Please visit my homepage http://www.harryanders.com to buy it. I love getting emails, please send them to harry@harryanders.com Maybe I will not answer all of them, but be assured I will certainly read them all! I wish you Love in your life, and Peace in your heart. And thanks to Nifty for hosting all those nice stories. Harry AnderS, alternative writer. I'm living in The Netherlands, and my native language is Dutch.