HARRY THE CHEEKY PRINCE: SHORT STORY FULL OF JOY

Harry the Cheeky 

Prince is one heck of a story!

Well written, fast paced and highly entertaining. I was engaged right from the first page. The writer’s colorful descriptions, choice of words and humor were captivating.

“It was a town crier. His red robe and wide-brimmed hat gleamed in the sunlight as he gazed ahead; clearly enjoying the attention, he was getting from the crowd. He rang his bell once, twice, and let his voice go off again, even louder than before. ‘Oi...oi! The Princess of Wales has issued forth a son this 15th day of September, 1984. God save the Queen!’  He rang his bell once more and said again, ‘The Princess of Wales has issued forth a son this 15th day of September, 1984. GOD. SAVE. THE. QUEEN!’  Each word of his last line punctuated for emphasis.

The crowd cheered and clapped, and suddenly the air seemed to wear the decorative colours of festivity. Hands bearing cameras stretched forward to capture the timeworn face of the town crier, who stood beaming with pride. He was especially happy to see a handful of news reporters; he knew he would be on TV in so many homes within the next few hours. Happy days!

When he saw no more camera flashes, the town crier began to walk away, head held high, legs doing the goose-steps of the military. As he reached the palace gates, a cheeky male voice from the crowd was heard. ‘Is it true you’re paid millions for this job?’

The town crier froze. Then he turned mechanically towards the voice and said, ‘That’s bollocks! Did you hear me? Bollocks!’ He took a step but hesitated and made a funny face. ‘Bloody royals. They didn’t even give an old man a pint.’ A roar of laughter filled the air. His face looked as though he was crying. ‘But I love them. Oh… I love them.’

The crowd laughed again.

 The town crier let himself through the gates into the comforting embrace of a late summer sun just as two formally dressed ladies appeared from the palace and placed an official declaration of the baby’s birth on the easel.

There were gun salutes at Hyde Park and the Tower of London to mark the birth and Londoners trooped to pubs to celebrate.”

There are many lessons to draw from Harry the Cheeky Prince. One of them is, raise your child the right way. When he or she is old, they will not depart from it. Do not run away from your responsibility. It is expensive, tough and difficult to raise good children. You just cannot afford to take your eyes off for too long. Nurturing a child to be useful to the society consumes time and energy. Harry was fortunate to have good parents who were ready to stick out their necks to get him out of trouble and give him a good life. 

The author is British but I could feel her African Heritage. Laura Tata Onuigbo-Miller has a BA in English from the University of Nigeria.  In 2011, she relocated to England in pursuit of a Masters Degree in Public Relations from the Solent University, Southampton, UK. She is married and lives happily with her family in Winchester, England.  

It's refreshing to embrace a new voice. Grab a copy of  Harry the Cheeky Prince and dive into Laura's pool of splendor! 

Harry the Cheeky Prince

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