THE LONELY PRINCE BY FOUTOUX

The Lonely Prince's Castle by Foutoux
All Rights Reserved L.Ivison Copyright

There once lived  a Russian Prince and Princess whose only child, a boy of 10, had no friends, and was taught by his Tutor in the Great Castle near L.  

It was a particularly cold Spring and  the daffodils were still in bud, the birds were silent  and the Prince played hop scotch in the Courtyard, jumping from leg to leg.   The child was heir to this Principality which spread for a thousand miles to the North, where the snow never melted and the sun didn't appear for months in the long arctic winters.  He liked to watch his breath coming out of his mouth as he jumped from square to square.  Suddenly, there was a noise behind him - it was Magnus the cook's ginger cat - a Tom Cat who ate under the table after the sumptuous feasts of his distant and cruel parents.  Magnus had grown fat and swayed as he walked but when the young Prince picked him up he began to purr - a loud, happy purr.  Magnus dribbled onto the child's coat - neglected and threadbare despite the enormous wealth of his parents.

Suddenly there was a scream coming from one of the high windows - "You're supposed to be working".

It was his tutor - a spidery man who never smiled.  Prince Pietro dropped the cat and, terrified, entered the castle, ran up the stone spiral stairwell until, breathless, he faced his enraged tutor who took him by the scruff of the neck, threw him down on his chair and began scolding him.  Each harsh word pierced the child's heart like an arrow and he began crying, quietly wiping away a tear.

The lesson began, while outside the sun had finally broken through for the first time that year dispersing the clouds.  It entered the classroom, showing the dust particles in the air.  The Tutor Monsier Dureski droned on and one and the child distracted by the light which fell on the flagstones and outlined the empty chairs daydreamed - he dreamed of escaping from this castle forever and never seeing his parents again.  A pigeon landed outside the window making cooing noises, and walked backwards and forwards, its head moving rhythmically.  The child wished he could fly like a bird but his dreams were suddenly broken by a ruler which came down on his knuckles and the Tutor screamed  "Amo, Amas, Amat".

Foutoux
All Rights Reserved Copyright L.Ivison 2013