Post by flippmoke on Nov 12, 2009 16:48:23 GMT -5
UC 0079.09.15
Fate is no doubt a cruel mistress and always seems to catch everyone off guard, even if they should expect it. It was a morning like so many others recently for Thomas Williams as his grandson Phillip was slow to rise like many nine year old children. The weather outside was was foggy and cold, which was expected fall weather in the mountain ranges of the Massif Central in Frances at this time of year. The morning paper of the city of Clemont-Ferrand had just arrived but Thomas didn't want to read it quite yet so he tucked it under his arm as he went back to the bedroom once again to check on his grandson.
"Why do I have to get up so early," asked the young Philip in a whining tone.
"It gives you more time to get things done with the day, It makes you a better person," responded Thomas with a smile as he moved to get a pair of clothes out of the closet for Phillip.
"I don't care if I am a better person, I am a sleepy person," said Phillip in protest as he examined the pair of clothes handed to him.
"Just get dressed, quick and you can go watch some cartoons before school while I make breakfast," said Thomas still smiling at the protests of the young boy as he made his way out of the bedroom.
Making his way to the kitchen Thomas thought about despite the fact that he had to move into hiding with the young boy, and away from their home in the Netherlands, that he was very happy he had done it. He no longer felt lonely, like he had since his daughter Melissa had left home for college who so reminded him of his long dead wife.
There was an old baguette on the counter from last night, but as Thomas examined it he decided that it still was quite good. He set the newspaper on the table and began to cut the bread into small pieces like Phillip liked it so he could dip the bread into the jelly rather then be civilized and use a knife. It was like the boys father, who Thomas had helped raise so often as the head butler for such a long time at the chambers of the Dutch Royal Family. It was as he made his last cut of the bread that he finally glanced over to see the news of the day from the paper. The headline sent a chill down his spine.
"Le Prince d'Orange tués en Afrique"
He immediately dropped the knife remembering that he had left the television on the local station that no doubt would have news on at this time in the morning. He turned to rush into the living room, but it was too late Philip was already standing behind him.
"Grand father what does the word 'mort' mean in french? They showed a picture of dad and said he was 'mort'," said the young boy with tears in his eyes.
"Oh god," said Thomas as he reached down to hug the young boy both of them with tears in their eyes.
"Does this mean mother can come home now?" said the boy with tears still in his eyes as he held tightly around the neck of his grandfather.
It stung Thomas like a needle as he suddenly realized that his daugther too could likely be dead. "Well will see," said Thomas as he choked on his own words.
The boy went from crying to sobbing as his grandfather picked him up and carried him into his bedroom where he sat the boy on his bed. Looking at the boy who was crying in a ball could only remind him of one thing, and that was something that happened to him exactly twenty one years ago on this same day. When he had to tell a young Nigel Ferdinand that his father too had passed away.
Phillip looked up with tears in his eyes as he sobbed at his grandfather who looked as pale as a ghost. "I don't want to have to go to school today?" said Phillip as he grabbed onto the hand of his grandfather.
Leaning over and hugging his grandson again Thomas said, "No you don't have to go to school."
Thomas let go of the body of Philip who was still clinging to him and sat in bed with the boy in his lap.
"Let me tell you a story about another young boy who lost his father," said Thomas as he rocked the crying child in his arms.
"The young boy was a prince." said Thomas as he let go of the child with one arm to whipe a tear that streamed down his face.
"He was the last one to see his father, the King, alive before he was murdered by the lover of his angry wife, the Queen." said Thomas as he ran his hands through the hair of his crying grandson.
"No one ever knew the King was murdered but the prince, who bravely figured out who the murder was," said Thomas as he choked on his own words for a moment telling the story to the young boy.
"He went to tell his mother that he found out who murdered his father, but she knew and helped plan the murder, " said Thomas as he continued to rock Philip who started to cry less as he heard the story.
"For years the prince was beaten by the evil Queen and her lover, but he remained brave and kept faith," said Thomas as he moved his arm to wipe another tear from his eye.
"He grew up to be a strong man, despite the evil Queen and married a beautiful woman.Together they had a beautiful young boy whom they both loved very much," said Thomas as he rocked the young Phillip who had stopped crying and now was staring up at Thomas as he told his story.
Thomas stopped then, not knowing where to take the story from there. Philip looked away for a moment seeming unhappy with the story.
"Did the Queen ever get punished for it all?" said Philip as he wiped some tears from his eyes.
"No, no one in the kingdom ever knew that the Queen was responsible," said Thomas as he grabbed a tissue from the bedside table to wipe the eyes of his grandson.
"That doesn't seem fair," said Philip as he took a hold of the tissue and continued to wipe his eyes. "Mom isn't going to beat me is she?"
Thomas almost broke a smile as the boy said, it and began to reassure the boy, "No, your mother isn't going to beat you."
"What was the name of the prince," questioned Philip as he sat up more straight in the lap of his grandfather.
"Nigel Ferdinand," said Thomas with a heavy sigh.
The name shot through Philip like a hot knife through butter, leaving him in tears again for a short moment. It was a moment of sudden realization for Philip like all the pieces of a jig saw puzzle suddenly formed together in front of him. The picture of his life suddenly became more clear, everything made since all of a sudden. The soldiers coming and getting him out of his house, his mother leaving him with his grandfather in hiding. The weight of it all almost crushed the poor kid's heart as he sobbed. He was the latest victim of a cursed family with no end in sight. In his clarity all he wanted to do was run towards his mother and have her sweep him up in her arms, but she was not here and it was then that another dread beat on his bewildered body.
"Is mom dead too?" said Philip in sudden realization that her mother and father were together when his father died.
"I don't know." said Thomas as he began to have tears run down his face again.
The two sat together, Thomas crying and Philip uncontrollably sobbing for several minutes before the young boy had an angry look across his face.
"I am going to kill grandma." said the boy with a stern conviction.
Fate is no doubt a cruel mistress and always seems to catch everyone off guard, even if they should expect it. It was a morning like so many others recently for Thomas Williams as his grandson Phillip was slow to rise like many nine year old children. The weather outside was was foggy and cold, which was expected fall weather in the mountain ranges of the Massif Central in Frances at this time of year. The morning paper of the city of Clemont-Ferrand had just arrived but Thomas didn't want to read it quite yet so he tucked it under his arm as he went back to the bedroom once again to check on his grandson.
"Why do I have to get up so early," asked the young Philip in a whining tone.
"It gives you more time to get things done with the day, It makes you a better person," responded Thomas with a smile as he moved to get a pair of clothes out of the closet for Phillip.
"I don't care if I am a better person, I am a sleepy person," said Phillip in protest as he examined the pair of clothes handed to him.
"Just get dressed, quick and you can go watch some cartoons before school while I make breakfast," said Thomas still smiling at the protests of the young boy as he made his way out of the bedroom.
Making his way to the kitchen Thomas thought about despite the fact that he had to move into hiding with the young boy, and away from their home in the Netherlands, that he was very happy he had done it. He no longer felt lonely, like he had since his daughter Melissa had left home for college who so reminded him of his long dead wife.
There was an old baguette on the counter from last night, but as Thomas examined it he decided that it still was quite good. He set the newspaper on the table and began to cut the bread into small pieces like Phillip liked it so he could dip the bread into the jelly rather then be civilized and use a knife. It was like the boys father, who Thomas had helped raise so often as the head butler for such a long time at the chambers of the Dutch Royal Family. It was as he made his last cut of the bread that he finally glanced over to see the news of the day from the paper. The headline sent a chill down his spine.
"Le Prince d'Orange tués en Afrique"
He immediately dropped the knife remembering that he had left the television on the local station that no doubt would have news on at this time in the morning. He turned to rush into the living room, but it was too late Philip was already standing behind him.
"Grand father what does the word 'mort' mean in french? They showed a picture of dad and said he was 'mort'," said the young boy with tears in his eyes.
"Oh god," said Thomas as he reached down to hug the young boy both of them with tears in their eyes.
"Does this mean mother can come home now?" said the boy with tears still in his eyes as he held tightly around the neck of his grandfather.
It stung Thomas like a needle as he suddenly realized that his daugther too could likely be dead. "Well will see," said Thomas as he choked on his own words.
The boy went from crying to sobbing as his grandfather picked him up and carried him into his bedroom where he sat the boy on his bed. Looking at the boy who was crying in a ball could only remind him of one thing, and that was something that happened to him exactly twenty one years ago on this same day. When he had to tell a young Nigel Ferdinand that his father too had passed away.
Phillip looked up with tears in his eyes as he sobbed at his grandfather who looked as pale as a ghost. "I don't want to have to go to school today?" said Phillip as he grabbed onto the hand of his grandfather.
Leaning over and hugging his grandson again Thomas said, "No you don't have to go to school."
Thomas let go of the body of Philip who was still clinging to him and sat in bed with the boy in his lap.
"Let me tell you a story about another young boy who lost his father," said Thomas as he rocked the crying child in his arms.
"The young boy was a prince." said Thomas as he let go of the child with one arm to whipe a tear that streamed down his face.
"He was the last one to see his father, the King, alive before he was murdered by the lover of his angry wife, the Queen." said Thomas as he ran his hands through the hair of his crying grandson.
"No one ever knew the King was murdered but the prince, who bravely figured out who the murder was," said Thomas as he choked on his own words for a moment telling the story to the young boy.
"He went to tell his mother that he found out who murdered his father, but she knew and helped plan the murder, " said Thomas as he continued to rock Philip who started to cry less as he heard the story.
"For years the prince was beaten by the evil Queen and her lover, but he remained brave and kept faith," said Thomas as he moved his arm to wipe another tear from his eye.
"He grew up to be a strong man, despite the evil Queen and married a beautiful woman.Together they had a beautiful young boy whom they both loved very much," said Thomas as he rocked the young Phillip who had stopped crying and now was staring up at Thomas as he told his story.
Thomas stopped then, not knowing where to take the story from there. Philip looked away for a moment seeming unhappy with the story.
"Did the Queen ever get punished for it all?" said Philip as he wiped some tears from his eyes.
"No, no one in the kingdom ever knew that the Queen was responsible," said Thomas as he grabbed a tissue from the bedside table to wipe the eyes of his grandson.
"That doesn't seem fair," said Philip as he took a hold of the tissue and continued to wipe his eyes. "Mom isn't going to beat me is she?"
Thomas almost broke a smile as the boy said, it and began to reassure the boy, "No, your mother isn't going to beat you."
"What was the name of the prince," questioned Philip as he sat up more straight in the lap of his grandfather.
"Nigel Ferdinand," said Thomas with a heavy sigh.
The name shot through Philip like a hot knife through butter, leaving him in tears again for a short moment. It was a moment of sudden realization for Philip like all the pieces of a jig saw puzzle suddenly formed together in front of him. The picture of his life suddenly became more clear, everything made since all of a sudden. The soldiers coming and getting him out of his house, his mother leaving him with his grandfather in hiding. The weight of it all almost crushed the poor kid's heart as he sobbed. He was the latest victim of a cursed family with no end in sight. In his clarity all he wanted to do was run towards his mother and have her sweep him up in her arms, but she was not here and it was then that another dread beat on his bewildered body.
"Is mom dead too?" said Philip in sudden realization that her mother and father were together when his father died.
"I don't know." said Thomas as he began to have tears run down his face again.
The two sat together, Thomas crying and Philip uncontrollably sobbing for several minutes before the young boy had an angry look across his face.
"I am going to kill grandma." said the boy with a stern conviction.