- Harry AnderS -
Dutch psychotherapist and alternative writer

The wonderful adventures of a little Gypsy boy

Born as a Prince 1
Book 1: Heir to the Throne
- by Harry AnderS -

A children's series of stories

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

In book 1 'Heir to the Throne'; a little Gypsy boy narrates the story of his first five years in a secluded place in the Rumanian mountains, surrounded by huge woods and dense forests.
He is the Heir to the Throne, and soon he will be our Chief Cook(ie) and a Real Trapper...

Book 2 'Our Lucky Mascot' will follow; where he discovers the gadjo world outside, is imprisoned during a police raid, has his own little snow scooter, and finally travels to foreign countries...

Chapter 17 ended with:

    We hugged each other for a long time, both of us enjoying our special friendship very much.
Now, we decided to try to sneak onto each other again, but this time without cheating or using any dirty tricks...
Misha sneaked away first; and, after counting to twenty, I followed his faintly rustling sound.
At first, I didn't know for sure where he was, until a small branch cracked.
There he was, being slightly to my left...

    I tiptoed towards the sound, but he heard me coming and changed directions, trying to get away.
I didn't give him a chance to escape, and followed him like a sneaking cat following its prey...
He sped up a bit more, and promptly stumbled across a hidden pothole!
I heard him stifle a cry, and mumble something that sounded like a curse.
Inwardly, I grinned in triumph, deciding to jump onto his back again.
I sneaked towards him, soundlessly, feeling like a real predator...

    I thought I heard Misha's faintly rustling sound slightly to my left, and immediately turned towards it.
This time, he sounded quite nearby; and, feeling delighted, I prepared myself to surprise him again!
Inwardly, I already enjoyed my second victory, while I sneaked towards him like a hunting cat chasing its prey.
From here, he couldn't possibly escape me, unless I made any audible noise...
However, to my utmost surprise, I heard him rustle away in a sudden hurry!
Had he heard me? I could barely believe it, unless he had a shockingly good hearing...

    I followed his faintly rustling sound and sped up a bit more, very determined to get him.
I heard him curving to the left again; and I followed him, being ready to jump onto his back the very moment I saw him.
Again, he sped up some more, obviously trying to get rid of me, but I held on.
How did he know I was following him? I was moving in absolute silence!
It looked like he had sort of a sixth sense...

    I followed Misha through the dense forest for a long time, still very determined to get him.
All the time, he was curving from left to right to left again, obviously desperately trying to get rid of me.
All the time, he was making the same rustling sound, without ever cracking a branch or stumbling across a hidden pothole.
I really envied him now, for being such an excellent trapper.
I wanted to be like him!

    After an hour or so, I started to get tired, and hoped he would give up and congratulate me.
When would he finally let me have my victory? He had already more than proven to be able to outdo me!
Should I call him, tell him I was getting tired, and ask him for a rest?
Maybe, then he would think I was too weak to be a real trapper?
I decided to hold on some more...

    I hadn't the faintest idea where we were heading, but I trusted his extraordinary trapper skills.
He had already proven to know his way, even through the densest of forest.
He would bring us home safely, after I had finally caught up to him...
However, every time I got a bit closer, he was speeding up again.
I was stubborn, very determined to get him, and absolutely refusing to give up and call him for a rest.
I HAD to catch him!

    Finally, I thought I saw the sun, shimmering faintly through the dense foliage.
Now, I knew we were about to reach a big clearing or maybe a ravine.
I slowed down a bit, and heaved a deep sigh of relief...
Here, we would take a rest and sit down for a long time, building up a lot of new energy.
Of course, Misha would tease me about not being able to catch up with him for such a long time...

    I followed his rustling sound into a spacious clearing, and squinted at the sudden sunlight that blinded my eyes.
Feeling very relieved, I stepped from behind the trees, expecting to see a smirking Misha.
At the same moment, I froze on the spot, and couldn't believe my own eyes...
Instead of seeing Misha, I saw a fat and ugly porcupine, fearfully staring at me with a frightened face!
The coward shuddered, turned around, and hurriedly rustled back into the safe woods.
I HAD FOLLOWED A STUPID PORCUPINE!

    Well... looking back at it, I should have known I was following a frightened beast!
No human being could ever be able to hear that well, or sneak away that noiselessly...
I started to grin, and felt rather stupid.
Did I ever think I could be a good trapper?

    Of course, Misha had been following me, all the time snickering inwardly because of my stupidity!
He would show up now, look at me triumphantly, and enthusiastically ruffle my hair as usual.
However, I expected him to tease me with my 'old trapper' abilities for at least the next ten years!
Well, that had been my own fault...
Had I ever advised my Dad to breed a duffer?
Grin...

    I slumped down onto a flat boulder, trying to give my tired legs their needed rest.
Patiently, I waited for Misha to show up and laugh at me...
I waited and waited, and waited some more, but nobody showed up.
Where was Misha? Didn't he follow me and that stupid porcupine?
Had he lost me? Or, maybe even worse, had I lost him?
I still hoped he was teasing me, and waiting until I would finally give up and call him...

    Slowly, I started to feel rather uneasy...
What, if Misha hadn't followed me, or he didn't know I had followed a porcupine instead of him?
What, if he was still waiting for me, thinking I was teasing him by hiding myself?
I didn't have the faintest idea where I was, or how I would ever be able to find my way home on my own...
Without Misha to guide me back, I definitely was totally lost...

    What should I do now? Should I give up and call Misha?
However, I had promised him to be absolutely silent while we were in the dense forest.
I didn't want him to be angry with me...

    I waited some more; until, finally, I started to be too anxious and gave up.
Misha did NOT show up.
Obviously, he hadn't been following me, and was still waiting for me!

    Okay; he might have told me to be silent, but this was an emergency!
Maybe, he would be mad at me for calling him, but I HAD to reassure myself...
    I rose from my boulder and started to call him, listening to my own quivering voice:

    "Misha?... Misha!!... MISHA!!!... MIIIIIISHAAAAAA..."

    My yelling voice reverberated through the trees and along the clearing, causing a spooky effect.
A couple of birds twittered angrily and fluttered away, looking for a quieter place.
I listened carefully, but nobody was answering my yelling voice...
Maybe, Misha would be too far away to be able to hear me?

    I climbed onto the boulder and called him again, this time yelling at the tops of my lungs...
Again, a couple of birds flew up, and several small animals hastily scrabbled away.
Again, the forest was dead silent after all the echoes subsided...
Nobody answered my call.
What should I do now?

    I thought I had heard another faint echo, coming from behind, across the clearing...
Where did that faint echo come from?
I went to the other side of the clearing, and stared into an unknown and uninvitingly steep ravine...
Now, I started to panic, got goose bumps all over my body, and trembled.
I had followed that stupid porcupine for more than an hour, zigzagging across a huge forest...
This time, I could come up with only one frightening conclusion:
I was LOST.

    There I was, a naked five-year-old and very stupid little runt,
being totally alone, feeling dead tired, and not knowing what to do,
obviously lost in the vast forests that were surrounding our secluded camp...
WHAT NOW?

    I slumped down onto my flat boulder, and started to cry.
Why hadn't Misha followed me and my stupid porcupine?
I thought I could trust him...
Where would Misha be now?
Did he already miss me?
Did he go back to our camp, to alert our grown-ups?
Would my parents already be looking for me?
Did I have to spend the night here, in the dense forest?
What would happen, if I didn't find my way back to our camp?
What would happen to me, if my people couldn't find me?
Would they eventually find my bare bones?

    Suddenly, I sat upright, slapped my head, straightened my back, and told myself:

    "Prince Harold, don't be such a stupid little boy! Don't go that negative way of self-pity! Now, dry your eyes, and THINK...
    "You thought you were intelligent? Now, it's time to PROVE it! Stop being such a cry-baby, and DO something before the sun is setting. Soon, it will be too dark and too cold, and you don't have any shelter for the night. Come on, let's go home!"

    I pulled myself together, dried my eyes, and cleared my mind from the negative cobwebs.
I started to look around again, this time trying to find a workable solution.
What could I do to signal my people, or to tell them where I was?
I had enough wood around me to create a huge fire, but how should I fire it?
In our camp, we were always using a match or a lighter... but here I had NOTHING.

    Maybe, I could climb one of those high mountains, to look around for our camp?
I was surrounded by many huge mountains, but all of them were way too far away...
Maybe, I could try to follow my own track, back to Misha and our camp?
Yes, of course, that had to be a workable solution!

    I jumped off the boulder, went to where I had left the dense forest, and looked for my own track.
Soon, I found my own footsteps, being faintly visible in the litter that was covering the ground.
I entered the dense forest and tried to follow my footsteps; but, unfortunately, they were already gone in the fallen leaves.
I lost my track within half a minute, and had to return to the clearing.
That didn't work out...
What should I do now?

    I went back to the ravine, being very careful not to stumble and fall into it, and stared into its depth...
A glistening water stream was meandering along its bottom, seemingly disappearing into nowhere.
Maybe, I could yell into this ravine for some help?
I hoped the enclosing rocks would amplify my voice, and send it towards our camp...
    I folded my hands around my mouth to create a trumpet, and yelled into the ravine with all my force:

    "ANYBODY, PLEASE HELP ME! I AM LOST IN THE DENSE FOREST, AND I DON'T KNOW THE WAY BACK..."

     For a long time, many unintelligible echoes were reverberating from everywhere.
A couple of scared birds flew up, and several small animals scrabbled away hastily.
I waited; until, finally, the echoing sounds had disappeared into a far distance...
Now, everything was silent again.

    Again, I didn't hear anything but the softly murmuring water stream...
Nobody had answered my call for help.
What should I do now?
Maybe, I would be able to reach that stream, and let myself float towards our waterfall?
Alas, I couldn't think of any reasonable way to reach the bottom of this much too steep ravine...

    "THINK, you little old trapper! And, think fast, because the sun is already disappearing behind the mountaintops. You will HAVE to find a way to go home!"

    The SUN... Maybe, the setting sun could be of any help?
Maybe, the position of the lowering sun would be able to help me find our camp?
Where did I see our sun disappear in our camp, at the end of every day?
It did always sink in between those two mountaintops over there, slightly to the right...

    I looked at the slowly setting sun, trying to imagine I was in our own camp.
Now, I put my nose into the same direction where I always saw the setting sun in our camp, and turned around half a circle...
There, in that direction, was our camp, and now I only had to follow my nose!

    At last, I had found something useful that could be of any help!
That is, supposed there would still be any sun to look at...
Maybe, I had to wait until tomorrow, because the sun was already setting...
Did I have to look for a shelter, to spend the night here, in between those cold rocks?
The idea wasn't very appealing...

    Suddenly, I saw that my noise was pointing along the ravine and its water stream...
Maybe, that water stream, deep down the ravine, could be of any help to find my camp?
Could I throw something into it, so that the water flow would take it towards our waterfall?
Would my friends be able to see my sign, and thus know where they could find me?
Would there really be no other way to reach that stream myself, and follow it  downstream?

    A moment later, I veered up, and almost started to cheer!
I only had to follow this ravine, to be able to reach our waterfall...
OF COURSE!
There was the solution I had been looking for!
I only had to follow the ravine downstream...
I was going home!
Dad, Mom, I'm coming...

    I started to clamber along the ravine enthusiastically, longing to be home.
However, that turned out to be a lot more difficult than I had imagined...
I climbed huge rocks, jumped across nasty cracks, and walked around dense thorn bushes.
Every time again, I looked down at the water stream, to assure myself I was on my way home...
 
    From time to time, I yelled into the ravine, hoping that somebody would hear me...
After the echoes faded away, I listened carefully, but nobody answered my calls for help.
Again, I clambered on and on, now biting my lip...
I was going home!

    My bare feet started to be very sore from the sharp rocks.
My poor legs started to tremble from the unusual strain.
My small body started to feel more and more tired.
After a while, I felt too strained to go on, and had to take a rest...
Reluctantly, I decided to grant myself a few minutes.

    I collected a couple of berries and seeds to still my hunger, as I had done so many times before in our woods.
I found a little bit of water at the bottom of a pothole, and drank it using my hands, hoping it wouldn't contain too much vermin.
I let myself fall down onto some moss, and impatiently waited until my legs stopped their trembling.
After a while, I clambered on; now and then looking down at the promising water stream.
I was still stubbornly determined to go home...

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

Have a look at my ADULT stories, about a retired Dutch psychotherapist taking the now eight years old and severely burnt little Gypsy boy into his house and raising him.
The adult story is on Nifty in adult-youth, contains NO sex, and is callled: 'Born to be a King'...
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