- 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 18 ended with:

    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...

    Relatively fast, the setting sun disappeared behind the mountaintops.
The ravine went darker and darker, until I couldn't see the reassuring water stream any more.
The air became more and more chilly, and I started to shiver from the sudden cold.
I was on the verge of giving up, and only wanted to sit down with my head in my hands...
However, I forced myself to go on and on.
I wanted to be home, and sleep in my own bed tonight!

    Too soon, total darkness set in, and I couldn't see my path any more.
I couldn't go on, and was forced to stop at the next crack.
Now, jumping any more cracks would be the same as committing suicide!
I didn't want to tumble into one of them and break all my bones...
I really had to find some shelter for the night!

    Where would I be able to I hide myself from the freezing cold?
My teeth started to chatter, and all my muscles started to shiver.
My body was already showing lots of goose bumps all over.
The enfolding darkness started to look creepier by the minute...
Fortunately, a half moon showed up, spreading a faint light.

    Now, I was desperately looking for some sort of shelter...
Would I be able to build something out of a heap of fallen leaves?
Or, would I be freezing to death tonight?
I tried to gather a couple of leaves from the forest, but they were too clammy to offer me any warmth at all...
What should I do now?

    Suddenly, I thought I saw something, faintly shimmering at the far end of a small cave...
There was a big porcupine lair!
Could that be my shelter for the night?
I sneaked nearby, and cautiously poked into it with a branch...
I almost cheered when the lair turned out to be empty!
I had found myself a nice place where I could spend the night!

    For the first time, I was really grateful for being such a small runt...
I wormed myself into the cave, and pleasantly nestled into the warming fluff that covered the lair.
Of course, it reeked of porcupine, but not too badly, and the fluff felt cozy and welcoming.
I closed my eyes, stopped my thinking, and immediately fell asleep.
Tomorrow, everything would turn out for the best...

   Within ten minutes after falling asleep, I woke up in shock, and looked around in disbelief.
A whole bunch of small animals were running across my naked body and curiously sniffing at my face and hands.
Now and then, one of them beeped, while a few others tried to nibble at my ears and fingers...
RATS!

    I jolted up, screeched, and forcefully swung my arms and legs, trying to get them out of my lair.
The rats scrabbled away in a hurry, obviously being even more shocked than I was!
I felt my heart trying to pound out of my throat, and gasped until my breath slowly returned.
Then, I started to laugh.
Everybody knew that rats weren't dangerous at all...
Some Gadjo children even seemed to keep one as their personal pet, trying to teach it little tricks!
I wasn't very happy to have them around, but closed my eyes again and tried to get some more sleep.

    Another animal rustled into the small cave, sniffed the air, looked at me, and hesitated...
I sat up again, and stared at two faintly glowing eyes that were looking back at me in fear.
There was my stupid porcupine; or, maybe, this could be one of its prickly friends...
Well... tonight, this was MY lair, and its owner had to look for another shelter!
I yelled at the porcupine, clapped my hands, and it disappeared hurriedly into nowhere.
The coward!

    Again, I closed my eyes and tried to get some more sleep.
After a moment, the rats returned, this time behaving more wary and keeping a safe distance.
I didn't care any more; and, in some way, I even welcomed their company.
Carefully, they nestled into the fluff alongside my body, still being ready to flee if necessary...
Very slowly, they crept nearer, obviously liking my body warmth.
After a few minutes, all of us were sleeping soundly, softly snoring and warming each other.
Having them next to me even felt reassuring, as if now I would be less alone...

    I woke up early in the morning, feeling as stiff as a dead tree, and being itchy all over my body.
My companions, the rats, had already left our lair without saying goodbye...
I wormed myself out of my cave, and tried to stretch my cramped muscles.
I was delighted to see the sunlight peeking around the mountaintops.
I had survived my first night in solitude, albeit accompanied by a bunch of snoring rats!

    I started to scratch my body, which turned out to be covered with nasty fleabites.
Apparently, that porcupine was hosting a small army of bugs!
Fortunately, they didn't like me, and stopped their biting after they discovered I wasn't an animal to their taste.
Within a few minutes, the itching disappeared, and the only things left were several small red specks.
I even started to laugh at myself, because my poor body looked like having the measles...

    The sun started to shine more and more abundantly and nicely warmed the surroundings.
I collected a couple of berries and seeds, to fill my empty stomach and gain some more strength.
I found a couple of wet potholes, and scooped some water using both hands, no longer caring about any vermin.
Finally, I thanked the poor evicted porcupine in my mind, for renting me such a nice shelter!

    Again, I was on my way home, still following the meandering water stream at the bottom of the ravine...
Again, I climbed huge rocks, jumped across nasty cracks, and walked around dense thorn bushes.
My feet felt very swollen and worn out, and my legs started to cramp again.
However, I was stubbornly determined to go home and went on and on, biting my lip.

    I thought of my Dad, once teasing me with my 'baby-stiffness', and started to sniffle...
Would my people already miss me?
Had they set up a rescue search, trying to find me today?
Would Misha accompany them, looking for me everywhere?
Maybe, Misha was even feeling a bit guilty, for not following me through the dense forest...

    Had I been too good at sneaking away noiselessly, thus tricking Misha?
Maybe, Misha couldn't hear me any more, once I had followed that stupid porcupine...
That hadn't  been Misha's fault; and, of course, he couldn't help it.
My getting lost had been only my own stupidity, and I couldn't blame him for anything...

    I followed the water stream along the ravine for a long time, stubbornly clambering on and on.
Now and then, I had to bite my tongue, to be able to bear the pain in my cramping legs and sore feet.
A couple of times, I had to sit down and take a rest, until the cramp diminished.
Then, I pulled myself together again, and stubbornly went on.
I wanted to be home today!

    One time, I thought I heard a faint yelling sound, and immediately perked my ears...
The yelling sounded like a human voice, shouting my name from a far distance...
Were they looking for me?
    I hurried to the ravine, folded my hands around my mouth to amplify my voice, and yelled:

    "HERE I AM! PLEASE ANSWER ME! I WANT TO GO HOME!"

    I listened carefully, but the only voices answering me were my own echoes...
Maybe, my mind was playing dirty tricks and I had imagined that yelling voice?
I yelled again into the ravine; and, again, only my own echoes returned...

    I went on, stubbornly clambering on along the ravine and its water stream.
Jumping the wider cracks started to be more and more difficult; and, one time, I nearly stumbled and fell into one...
From now on, I had to be very careful, being hindered by those swollen feet and painful legs!
I allowed myself to take the next short rest, and sat down along the ravine...

    Suddenly, I heard the same faint yelling sound again, vaguely echoing around the ravine.
Now, I was absolutely sure I had been right, and I heaved a sigh of relief!
YESSSSS! They WERE looking for me!
    I folded my hands into a trumpet to amplify my voice, and yelled into the ravine:

    "I AM HERE! I AM HERE! YOU HAVE FOUND ME!"

    My screeching voice echoed back and forth through the ravine for a long time.
I had to wait impatiently, until finally the echoing stopped...
    Then, I heard a faint human voice, answering my yell:

    "Harold, where are you? Harry, please, answer me, where are you?"

    My Dad was looking for me, as only he used to call me 'Harry'!
Now, everything was all right, and all my worries were gone.
My Dad would collect me, and carry me home in his strong arms!
    I folded my hands again, and yelled back into the ravine:

    "I AM HERE, DAD, ALONG A VERY STEEP RAVINE. PLEASE, COME AND GET ME."

    After my echoes stopped, I heard his answer, still sounding from far away:

    "Yes son, I'm coming. Please, keep shouting, and I will find you. And don't move on, just stay where you are."

    "I WILL, DAD, I WILL. AND PLEASE, HURRY! I WANT TO GO HOME..."

    I slumped down on top of a flat boulder, and started to cry from the sudden relief.
Now, I could finally release all my built-up stress into my tears of joy and happiness...
Everything seemed to turn out for the best, and my Dad was on his way to rescue me!
I cried and cried; until, at last, my tension vanished and I started to feel a lot better.
I dried my eyes with a tuft of moss, and told myself that this time I had NOT been a crybaby.

    From time to time, I shouted into the ravine, to let my Dad know where I was.
Every time, I was happy to hear his immediate answer.
Every time, he seemed to be a bit more nearby.
He was on his way towards me!

    I started to knead my cramped muscles and swollen feet, gritting my teeth from the sudden pain.
Slowly, the blood started to flow again, and the pain started to subdue.
Then, I tried to divert myself, by throwing small pebbles into the ravine.
Now and then, I was lucky to hit the stream, and I could see the pebble plunge into the water.
Soon, I had to leave my boulder, to gather some more pebbles...

    A crow landed onto a nearby rock, and stared at me for a long time.
It kept its head askew, as if it was thinking 'stupid little boy'.
The moment I started to shout again, it jumped up and flew away.
I grinned and resumed my play, gathering even more pebbles.
Every time, I was able to throw them a little bit more accurate...

    Again, I heard my Dad's voice, now sounding from not too far away:

    "Harry, my precious son, are you still waiting for me? Please, answer me."

    "YES, DAD, I AM STILL HERE AND WAITING FOR YOU."

    "Yes. Now, I know where you are! Be patient and wait for us, because we are on our way."

    "OKAY, DAD. I WILL BE PATIENT."

    My Dad had clearly said 'WE are on our way'...
That could mean only one thing: he was not alone!
Who was accompanying him?
Was Misha with him, looking for me?
Would Misha be very mad at me, for getting lost?
Or, should I be mad at Misha, for leaving me alone?

    Suddenly, I felt a pang of fear, and shuddered at the thought that crossed my mind...
Would my Dad be very mad at me, for leaving Misha alone and getting lost?
The older and more experienced boys HAD warned us not to get lost in the dense forest...
And my Dad had clearly told me to ALWAYS listen to them...
What if my Dad thought I had proven to be too young to go into our woods?
Supposed, he would decide to let me wait for another year or so...
I nearly started to cry at the terrifying thought!
I was USED to our woods, and didn't want to miss them...

    What if Misha was mad at me for leaving him alone, and would stop being my friend?
I didn't want to miss my special friend Misha either...
Everything had been the fault of that stupid porcupine!
The next time I saw it, I would KILL it and slowly roast it over our campfire!
This time, I started to laugh at my own stupid anger.
I couldn't even CATCH it...
I resumed my play and threw the next pebble into the ravine, nearly hitting the same crow or one of its friends.

    I heard my Dad's voice again, now sounding from quite nearby:

    "Harry, where are you? Can you hear us?"

    "Yes, Dad, you are nearby now. Just keep walking."

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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