Henrique
Once upon a time there was a little prince. Like all princes, he lived in a palace in the middle of a huge park. His name was Henry. Henry was a very spoiled prince. Anything he wanted was given to him. Despite this, he was not happy. Never laughed or cried.
His parents, the king and the queen, were worried about him.
– What do you lack?
Henry answered:
“I have all the toys in the world, but all I need is a real balloon.”
“If that’s all …” said the king and queen.
And they offered the prince a balloon in earnest.
Henry spent the whole day with the balloon. It filled him with hot air and strolled over the palace like a bird. But she didn’t laugh or cry. Everything continued as before. The king and queen were concerned.
– What do you lack?
“I have all the toys in the world and I have a balloon in earnest.” What I still lack is a lion in a cage.
“If that’s all …” answered the king and queen.
And they offered the little prince a lion in a cage.
Henry spent the whole day with the lion. He tried to teach him with a stick and gave him meat through the bars. But she didn’t laugh or cry once. Everything continued as before. The king and queen were concerned.
– But what do you got? They asked.
Henry answered:
“I have all the toys in the world, I have a balloon and a lion in a cage.” What I still lack is a battalion of real soldiers.
“If that’s all …” answered the king and queen.
And they offered the little prince a battalion of soldiers. For an entire day Henry did war exercises, marched, rode back and forth with the soldiers. But he never laughed or cried. Everything continued as before.
One day the prince found a little boy. He was the son of the palace gardener. He was sitting at the door and playing with a bunny. She had cradled him in her arms, made her parties and her carrots.
The little prince observed them both and thought:
“I have all the toys in the world, I have a balloon, a lion in a cage and a battalion of soldiers. What I lack is a rabbit that snuggles in my arms and that I can throw parties and give carrots. ”
“Give me your rabbit,” Henry told the boy.
“No,” he answered her. – I can’t give you the rabbit.
The little prince returned to the palace and said to the king and queen:
“I have all the toys in the world, I have an air balloon, a lion in a cage, and a battalion of soldiers. What I still lack is a rabbit.
“If that’s all …” answered the king and queen.
And they gave a little rabbit a gift to the little prince.
The prince spent all day with the rabbit. She walked with him on her lap, patted him, and gave him carrots to eat. But she didn’t laugh or cry. Everything continued as before.
What I lack, he thought, is not just any rabbit. It is the rabbit of the gardener’s son. ”
He ran across the park and told the gardener’s son:
– Give me your rabbit. I give you my toys all.
“No,” said the little boy.
“Give me your rabbit,” the prince asked again. “I give you all my toys, plus an air balloon and a lion in a cage.”
“No,” said the little boy.
“Give me your rabbit,” said the prince one last time. “I give you all my toys, plus an air balloon, a lion in a cage, and even a battalion of soldiers.”
“No,” said the little boy.
Then Henry was sad and for the first time began to cry.
The gardener’s son was frightened and said to him:
“I can’t give you the rabbit because I like him, but we can play with him both.”
They played with the rabbit all day and were both happy, the prince and the gardener’s son.
The king and queen were amazed at the little prince.
– What do you have? They asked him.
Henry reflected for a while and finally answered:
“What I lack is not toys, not an air balloon, not a lion in a cage, not a battalion of soldiers or a rabbit.” What I lack is a friend to play with.
The king and queen were saddened.
“A friend is something we can’t offer you.” You have to be looking for it.
“I’ve found one,” said the little prince.
And for the first time he laughed with joy. Max Bolliger S Risefäscht Aarau, AT Verlag, 1990 (Translation and Adaptation)
