The Star Child : Part 4

For three years the Star-Child walked around the world but he didn't find

his mother. One day he arrived at the gates of a city near a river with a big

wall around it. The soldiers there stopped him. "What are you doing here?"

they asked.

"I'm looking for my mother," he said. "Please let me pass. Perhaps she is

in this city."

"Who is your mother and why are you looking for her?" asked another

soldier.

"She is a poor beggar like me and I was very cruel to her. Now I want her

pardon."

But the soldiers laughed. "You are very ugly. No mother loves an ugly

child. She will not be happy to see you. Come with us. We will sell you to

be a slave."

They sold the Star-Child to an old man for the price of a cup of sweet wine.

This old man was a magician from Libya. The Magician took the boy to a

dark prison and gave him a piece of old bread and some dirty water. The

next day he said, "Now you must go into the forest. In the forest there are

three pieces of gold: one is of white gold, one is of yellow gold and the other

is of red gold. You are my slave and if you do not bring me the piece of

white gold I will beat you one hundred times."

So the Star-Child went to the forest to look for the white gold but he found

only many thorns and dangerous plants. He could not find the white gold

anywhere. When the sun started to disappear the boy started to cry. He knew

that the Magician wanted to beat him. Suddenly he heard a cry of pain and

saw a little hare in a trap. He forgot his problems. He felt pity for the hare

and opened the trap.

"Thank you, you are very kind," said the hare. "Thanks to you I have my

freedom. What can I give you?"

"I must find a piece of white gold for the Magician. If I don't take it to him

he will beat me."

"I will help you," said the hare. "I know where to find the white gold." He

took the Star-Child to a tree and in the tree he found the gold. The Star-Child

was very happy and thanked the hare.

He returned to the city. But at the city gate he saw an old man. This old

man was very ill and very poor.

"Give me some money. If you don't give me some money I will die of

hunger!" shouted the old man. The Star-Child felt pity for the old man but he

only had the piece of white gold for the Magician. "The old man needs the

money more than me," thought the Star-Child and gave him the gold.

The Magician was very angry when he saw that the Star-Child didn't have

the gold and he beat the boy. He put him in prison with no food and no water.

The next day the Magician said, "Today you must return to the forest and

find the piece of yellow gold. If you do not do this I will beat you three

hundred times." The boy went into the forest and looked for the gold. He

looked all day long but he could not find it. Finally he sat under a tree and

started to cry. The hare heard him and asked, "Why are you crying?"

"I must find the piece of yellow gold. If I don't find it the Magician will

beat me."

"Follow me. I will show you the yellow gold," said the hare and he took

the Star-Child to a pool of water. At the bottom of this pool he found the

piece of yellow gold.

The Star-Child returned to the city but at the city gate he saw the old man

again. "Give me some money. If you don't give me money I will die of

hunger!" he shouted. The Star-Child felt pity for the old man and gave him

the gold.

The Magician was very angry. "What!? No gold? No gold, no food and no

water!" He beat the Star-Child and put chains on him and put him in prison

again.

The next day the Magician said, "Today you must return to the forest and

find the piece of red gold. If you find it, you will be free. If you do not find it,

I will kill you." The boy went into the forest and all day long he looked for

the gold but he could not find it. In the evening he sat under a tree and

started to cry. The hare heard him and asked, "Why are you crying?" The

Star-Child explained everything and again the hare helped him. This time he

found the gold in a cave near the tree.

"Thank you, thank you," said the boy and he ran back to the city.

At the city gate he saw the old man. "Give me some money. If you don't

give me money, I will die!" he shouted. The Star-Child felt pity for the old

man and gave him the gold. "You need it more than me," he said, but he was

very sad and his heart was very heavy. "The Magician will kill me," he

thought.

But when he passed the guards at the city gates they bowed to him and

said, "Look at our beautiful Lord!" The Star-Child walked through the city

and more and more people followed him. They all said, "He is the most

beautiful boy in the world." But the Star-Child was very sad, "They are

laughing at me," he thought. He walked for a long time and finally arrived in

a big square where there was a king's palace. The people said, "You are our

Lord, the son of our king!"

"I am not a king's son. I am the son of a poor beggar woman. Why do you

say that I am beautiful? I know I am very ugly."

"Why do you say that you are ugly? Look!" said a soldier. The Star-Child

looked into the soldier's shield. The shield was silver like a mirror. There he

saw his face and saw that his face was beautiful like before.

"There is a prophecy," said the people, "that on this day our king will

come. You are our king. Take this crown and this scepter. Govern us with

justice and with mercy."

"No, I am a bad boy," he replied. "I must find my mother, I cannot accept

the crown and the scepter."

He turned towards the city gate. In the crowd he saw his mother, the

beggar woman. Then next to her he saw the old man from the city gate.

He ran to the woman, knelt in front of her and kissed her feet.

"Mother I am so sorry. Please forgive me. Once I gave you my hatred.

Please give me your love now."

But the woman didn't speak. The Star-Child spoke to the old man. "Please,

I helped you three times. Please tell my mother to speak to me."

But the old man didn't speak. The Star-Child started to cry. "Please forgive

me, Mother. Please forgive me."

The woman put her hand on the boy's head and said, "Stand up." The old

man put his hand on the boy's head too. When the Star-Child stood up he

saw that the beggar woman was a queen and the old man was a king. The

queen said to him, "This is your father. You helped him three times." And

the king said to him. "This is your mother. You washed her feet with your

tears."

The boy hugged them and kissed them both. They took him to the palace

and they put a crown on his head and a scepter in his hand.

He was a very good king and showed justice and mercy to everyone. He

sent gifts to the woodcutter and his family. He helped poor people, he was

kind to the animals and birds and there was peace in all the land.

Unfortunately he died after three years because he suffered a lot in his life

and the next king was a cruel king.