- Harry AnderS -
Dutch psychotherapist and alternative writer

 

The wonderful adventures of a little Gypsy boy

Born as a Prince 2
Book 2: Our Lucky Mascot
- 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...

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

 

Book 2 chapter 3 ended with:

    My Dad ruffled my hair, opened the ugly looking caravan, and let me have a look inside.
I looked in awe at all the lockers that were filled to the brim with all sorts of goods we might need if we had to flee unexpectedly.
Both the old car and the small caravan were maintained very well, and the fuel tank was filled to the brim.
A special hidden locker held a small sum of money and contained a couple of passports and other papers. Those would allow us to cross the borders without causing too much trouble with the customs.

    Secretly, I hoped we would have to flee soon, allowing me to finally see a bit of that mysterious gadjo world!
Of course, I didn't tell this to my Dad...

    My Dad lifted me onto his shoulders again, and we ambled back to our black-and-golden caravan.
I thought about what he had told me for a long time, especially trying to understand why he had told me to hide...
Would those 'outside people' really want to harm or punish us?
I couldn't really believe it would be true...
Why would they want to punish us?
For what reason?
We weren't 'bad' at all, and didn't do anything questionable...
Why didn't those other people leave us alone?

    After a while, I strolled to our own gang in the woods, looking for my friends with the help of my inner eye.
Soon, I had found them, and I joined Misha and the other kids and forgot to be concerned.

 

Book 2 chapter 4: I have to make a decision; and I am going to visit a gadjo town.

    All too soon, fall set in again, and the number of caught animals started to diminish until it reached nearly zero.
From now on, we paired up and went to our far-away places in absolute silence, as before.
Unfortunately, most animals were already in hibernation, or hiding in unreachable ravines.
Every day, we divided the few thin and wiry animals among our group, and went to our parents to try to get some more food...

    One day, even our grown-ups didn't have enough food left to feed everybody properly.
We had even been looking for leftover fruits, sodden carrots, or halfway rotten nuts, but couldn't find any...
Feeling disappointed and almost crying from hunger, we returned to our campfire and sat down with rumbling stomachs.

    Our grown-ups were hanging around our campfire, rubbing their empty stomachs and showing dejected faces.
They had been chased away from every gadjo town, and hadn't been able to find any work to earn some money or get some leftover food.
In unison, they decided to do something about it, and soon...

    My Dad approached our kids group, and stared at us for a long time before he started to speak:

    "Tomorrow morning, you will have to dress into your neatest clothes. Then, we will take you to a gadjo town, where you will have to beg for food and money..."

    I jumped up, started to tremble all over, and couldn't sit still any more from enthusiasm!
I thought about all the fascinating stories my friends had told me about those strange gadjo towns I so eagerly wanted to see...
There, all the people were living in huge two-story or even three-story caravans without any wheels attached to drive them away if necessary....
Even the smallest gadjo children seemed to be wearing beautiful dresses during the whole day, whether it was summer or winter....
Would my Dad finally allow me to join my friends and Misha, now when I had been recognized as a Real Trapper?

    I knew that my Dad had never before allowed our smallest kids to go to a gadjo town to help with the begging...
But, maybe, this time he would make an exception for me, now I had proven to be able to fend for myself?
I was almost SIX years old now, and VERY bright!
Well... actually, I was five and a half and a little bit, but I was already very independent and my mind was surely mature enough...

    "All the children below the age of seven will be staying in our camp as usual; accompanied by a couple of older woman."

    Again, my Dad didn't allow the youngest children to leave our camp...
But, this time, I would plead my case, using every dirty trick I could think of!
I waited impatiently until my parents went back to our caravan, and followed them inside.
    I went straight up to my Dad, crawled onto his lap, kissed his prickly face, and put my arms around his neck:

    "Dad, I want to join my best friend Misha to that gadjo town tomorrow, to help with the begging. You know that I am independent enough and able to fend for myself, and Misha will look after me!"

    "Harry, you KNOW I can't allow our youngest children to leave our camp until they are at least seven years old..."

    "But, Misha can look after me, as always, and I am sure I can beg very well. I am nearly SIX years old now, you know I am clever enough; and, of course, I am already a REAL trapper, and that counts as well!"

    My Dad shook his head in frustration, looked at my Mom, and hesitated:

    "What do you think, Maria? He surely HAS a point, and I am sure Misha will be mature enough to look after him in that town..."

    "Janov, I'm not quite sure... He is still such a small runt, and what if he gets lost? He has never been to such a dangerous gadjo town before..."

    "I know you are right... but just have another look at his face... I am sure that with those innocent blue puppy dog eyes he will be a valuable asset to our begging group..."

    "Do you think so? Well... Maybe you are right, but let's ask your Mother first, before making any decisions."

    My Dad nodded his agreement, and I hopped off his lap after another prickly kiss.
Together, my parents went to my Grandmother, to have her advice.
I crossed my fingers, fidgeted around our living room, and hoped...

    After a couple of very long minutes, my parents returned, and my Dad lifted me off the floor and sat me next to him on our couch:

    "Look at me, Harry, and carefully listen to what I have to ask you..."

    Now, I was sure my parents allowed me to go, and my heart jumped up in my chest with enthusiasm!
Every time when my Dad called me 'Harry' instead of 'Harold', I knew he was very proud of his big little son...
    I leaned into him, and he put his safe and strong arms around my small body:

    "As you know, we will always be absolutely honest with you. You are an independent and very bright kid; and that's why, this time, we want you to decide for yourself...
    "Those gadjo people are very different from us, and sometimes they are doing stupid things we Gypsies would never do. For example, they can spit at you or kick you across the street without any reason. They can call you bad names; maybe even a bastard or a crossbreed, especially because you're having blond hair and blue eyes, unlike our other Gypsy children. That's also why they will look at you first, even before they're seeing the others. It's very possible they will bring you to tears, by accusing you or your parentage of things that can be very humiliating...
    "On the other side, being a little blond boy with blue eyes also has an advantage. When you're meeting gadjo's that are kind and good-hearted, they will give you more food or money because you are still very young and can look at them with those innocent puppy dog eyes...
    "Now, your Mom and I are asking you to decide for yourself. Do you REALLY want to join Misha and the other kids to that gadjo town?"

    Of course, I wanted to accompany Misha and my other friends to that strange gadjo world more than anything else!
However, I knew I had to think my decision carefully over first, because that's what all the grown-ups always taught their children.
Never decide anything without carefully thinking and rethinking, until everything is clear in your mind and you are exactly aware of what you will have to do...
In case you are not able to reach such a decision yourself, you have to ask somebody else to help you with the thinking, but only after you have really been trying!

    I hugged and kissed my Dad and my Mom, went outside, and slowly walked towards our waterfall.
At the edge of our ravine, I sat down, looking at the sparkling water drops that were displaying beautiful colors in the sunlight.
I started to think...

    Why had I been so eager to accompany my friends to such a hostile environment?
Was it curiosity? I knew the saying that told us 'curiosity killed the cat'...
Would those nasty gadjo's try to kill me?
Of course, I wasn't a cat with nine lives, but only a vulnerable little runt with way too big a mouth...
Fortunately, I had never heard of any Gypsy kid being killed for begging, at least so far...

    Was I really sure I was able to stand their spitting at me, maybe kicking me across the street, and their name-calling and humiliations?
No, I knew I was NOT really sure, and only hoped those gadjo's wouldn't be that mean...
Was I really sure I could 'beg' very well, as I had told my Dad?
Or, had I been bragging, hoping he would see me as a 'big boy'?
The truth was, I even didn't KNOW how to beg, and only hoped I would do it right...
 
    Supposed, I decided to join my friends to those gadjo's... How would that be, for them and for me?
Of course, I would be the smallest kid in our group, and the older boys would have to protect me all the time...
Did the other kids really WANT to protect me, still being such a little cookie?
Maybe, they only saw me as a nuisance that would hinder them in their efforts to gather enough food and money...

    Now, I knew what I had to do.
I stood up, carefully wiped my eyes, and slowly walked back to our campfire.
My friends had already returned from their traps, and were enthusiastically roasting some big animal.
    They saw me, and immediately beckoned me over:

    "Harold, come and join us. Misha has caught a big porcupine in his snare!"

    Misha had already skinned the animal and was roasting it on a stake, turning it around and around.
Now and then, he smeared it, using some greenish herbs mixture and a bit of oil.
    I went to the roast, tasted the herbs mixture, and shook my head disapprovingly:

    "You're using too many of those yellowish leaves, and I think you will have to add a few of those crispy green needles."

    I helped Misha gather the necessary needles, removed a couple of steaming leaves, and took over the smearing.
Soon, all of us got a fat slice of porcupine meat to munch on and temporarily still our hunger.
    My friends tasted the meat, tasted again, and stared at me with beaming eyes:

    "You were absolutely right again! I've never before tasted such delicious meat! I vote for calling you 'PRINCE Cookie' from now on."

    I smiled, and performed a deep bow:

    "Thank you, my beloved subjects; but I think, for now, 'Prince Harold the Great' will do..."

    Everybody started to laugh, and my friends attacked me and tickled my ribs until I was begging for mercy.
Fortunately, we were able to laugh again, now our hungry stomachs had been filled!

    After we had washed our hands and faces and returned to our campfire, I asked our group:

    "I want to ask you a question... Do you WANT me to join you to that gadjo town tomorrow?"

    Misha looked at me with amazement, while his eyes grew big:

    "Why do you think we should NOT want you to join us?"

    "Well, I've thought about this for a long time, after my Dad told me the decision would be mine...
    "I am looking quite different from all of you, because I've inherited my Mom's blonde hair and blue eyes. Of course, all those gadjo's will look at me first, and maybe they don't like blonde Gypsies with blue eyes and will chase us away...
    "I also don't know how to 'beg' properly, because I've never done it before. I think I wanted to visit the gadjo world because I'm curious, and I do know that curiosity killed the cat...
    "If I'm accompanying you tomorrow, you will have to protect me, as I'm the smallest runt in our group and can't defend myself from the spitting or kicking...
    "The only advantages I will have are my blue puppy dog eyes and my vulnerability as a small boy..."
    "Now, I am asking you, do you REALLY want me to join you tomorrow?"

    All my friends were staring at me open-mouthed and with shocked faces...
Obviously, they were very impressed by my improvised speech!
    Suddenly, one of the bigger boys started to laugh, and playfully ruffled my hair:

    "Wow, little man, you are using big words! 'Inherited, accompanying, advantages, vulnerability'... I'm almost breaking my tongue over those words myself! Are you really only five years old?
    "However, I have to agree: you ARE a small and vulnerable little runt, and it's quite possible we will have to protect you from all those too keen gadjo's...
    "Now, I'm having a suggestion for you... as long as you are only our little chief cookie, we will defend YOU with OUR lives; and, once you are a grown-up and our King, you will defend US with YOUR life!
    "What do you think about that... do we have a deal?"

    I had never seen it that way, and veered up, now smiling from ear to ear...
As long as I was a small boy, they would protect ME from those too keen gadjo's; and, once I was their King, I would protect THEM...
I nodded enthusiastically, and we had a deal!

    I rushed to my parents; to tell them how I decided to accompany my friends to that gadjo town tomorrow.

 

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Thank you for reading the next chapter of this story 'Born as a Prince 2 - Our Lucky Mascot'.
This is the SECOND 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.

All the stories are on my own homepage as well: http://www.harryanders.com
Just click this link to go there and read the latest and rewritten versions (recommended)!

I would LOVE to receive your comments or appreciations...
Please, send me an email , to let me know the story has at least 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