The young prince
"The Young Prince"
The young prince lived in a castle. The ancient fortress was
magnificent, ornate, built with huge granite stones - filled with beautiful furniture, gorgeous jewels, splendid arms and
armor, wealth, and other riches beyond compare. Its library was vast and had
more books that a year has seconds. There was everything needed to keep
him entertained. Outside its walls was a large splendid garden with
beautiful roses and fields of colorful flowers of all types.
But the
prince was alone, he searched in vain for other young people but there
was no one to be found. And the prince tried
many times to leave but he found he couldn't.
He would
walk out and keep on walking until day became night. And the blue sky
was replaced with a black shroud filled with bright starry pin holes.
But when he fell asleep he found himself right back in his ornate chamber bed.
Once
he walked for seven days and nights. He walked til his feet bled. He
ran, he walked, he crawled until he
could not go on anymore and then he collapsed. When he opened his eyes -
he was in his soft cosy bed again, back in his glorious empty home.
Many
years later, the prince found a baby boy in the garden, asleep among the
vast ranunculus flower field. Amazed, he took him in and raised him up, teaching the boy
all he knew. Then, unexpectedly, the prince died; and the young boy
and castle mourned for him. All the flowers in the garden withered and a
mighty wind carried their petals in a whirlwind, scattering them. The heavens opened,
the sky grew dark, and it rained, and rained, and rained.
And then the boy knew what he had to do.
He
took the crown of the dead prince, and placed it on his own head. He
said, "Let my reign commence." The rain stopped as if on command, the
sun shone, and the flowers bloomed. And everything was right again, the
castle was happy once again.
But the young prince wept.
