Kris (Age 8)

Kris and his mother were in a small dining room in their stone house. Kris was wearing a brown leather shirt, brown leather pants and brown leather shoes. Kris was just telling his mother about how he wanted to be King when he grows up. His mother looked at him with skepticism.

"Why would you dream of such a goal, Kris? One cannot simply become the King of Othropos, it's unethical." His mother asked. Kris' mother had beautiful flowing blonde hair, a white dress and straw sandals. The 30 year old woman had the face of a 20 year old and she was always wearing a floral crown that Kris had made her.

"I know mother. I just want an easier life for everyone...There are so many people that work as peasants, and I see them all the time begging for food. I want to make life for them easier." Kris preached and his mother smiled.

"Alright honey. I will support you when you become the ruler of Othropos, but for now, my little King needs to eat." Kris' mother said as she placed a plate of corn, green beans and a grilled turkey leg on a plate. 

"Thanks Mommy! When I become King, maybe you can become Queen!" Kris chirped as he ate the turkey leg.

"Oh, I cannot become a Queen, Kris. Besides, I must care for your father." Kris' mother replied as she went over to the kitchen to wash the dishes. 

"That's true, but I will become King one day Mommy! Just wait and see!" Kris cheered as he stuffed the rest of the turkey leg meat in his mouth. His mother smiled as she cleaned the dishes.

"That's my boy." She said to herself.

The next day was fairly mediocre. Kris was fetching groceries for his mother from local stands, Kris' mother was washing her family's clothes along a nearby river and his father was harvesting vegetables from one of the fields. As Kris was walking to a food stand selling meats, he noticed his father working at one of the corn fields.

"Daddy!" Kris yelled as he ran over to his father in the corn fields.

"Kris!" Kris' father exclaimed as he picked up his 8 year old son and gave him a big bear hug. Kris' father was a muscular man. He had short brown hair, a mustache and beard, and he wore a white cotton shirt, brown leather pants and brown leather shoes.

"Daddy! I was just getting groceries for Mommy and I found you!" Kris chirped.

"Indeed. What did Mommy ask you to get?" 

"Some...Ven...I...Shun?" Kris stuttered.

"It's pronounced venison Kris." Kris' father corrected his son.

"What's venison, Daddy?"

"It's the meat of a wild animal. I'm guessing she wanted you to get lamb meat for stew." 

"Can we have stew tonight Daddy, please?" Kris begged.

"Of course! I was just harvesting some corn right now, but i'll harvest some potatoes and lettuce for us later."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Kris hugged his father who was about to fall over.

"Ok kid, go back to getting the meat. I'll be back home at sundown to help your mother prepare the stew." Kris' father smiled.

"Ok Daddy! See ya later!" Kris chirped as he ran to the markets about a mile away.

Kris' father sighed and gave a smiled slightly as he went back to harvesting the corn.

Kris went up to a stand that was selling fresh meat ranging from chicken to lamb. 

"How much for the lamb v...e...ni...shoon..?" Kris asked.

"It's pronounced venison and it's 40 shillings." The owner said.

"Okay!" Kris chirped as he took out all the money in his pocket that his mother gave him.

"Kid, this is only 12 pence...You need 40 shillings." The owner said sternly.

"Awww! Where do I get the rest of the money?" Kris asked.

"Some of the other stands are currently hiring, but the jobs are pretty hard to do." The owner informed him.

"Well which one will get me the money faster?" 

"Try that one." The owner pointed to a small store nearby, which had caged animals in the front. Kris smiled, grabbed his 12 pence and ran to the store.

"I'll be back soon!!!" Kris yelled excitedly as he ran to the store to earn him the money he needs. The store owner sighed.

"That kid sure is pertinent. I wish I were more like that." The owner said to himself as he leaned over a wooden table.

Kris ran over to the stand and approached the old woman who owned the store. The old woman wore a white dress, a dirty green apron and a white shawl.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Are you hiring? I need money for venison." Kris said in between heavy breaths.

"I could use some help. Would you mind feeding the animals in the back?" The old woman asked.

"Not at all! I'd be happy to!" Kris exclaimed and half-saluted. The old woman smiled and lead the young Kris to the back of the stand.

The two walked inside the back room which had caged animals ranging from chickens to cattle. The back exit and the windows illuminated the somewhat dark room.

"Excuse me, ma'am. What kind of store is this?" Kris asked. He forgot to look at the sign in the front of the shop.

"This is a livestock shop my dear boy. Those wealthy enough can purchase their own livestock to raise." The old woman informed the pertinent young boy.

"Oh..." Kris said.

"There are buckets of seeds outside, my dear. Give them to the chickens. You'll find it next to the bales of wheat, which you use to feed the cattle. I've already fed the pigs, so all you need to do is give them a bath after you have fed the other animals. After you have cleaned the pigs, be sure to clean the cattle as well. The buckets of water will be located in one of the storage sheds outside." The old woman informed the eager Kris.

"Yes ma'am!" Kris asserted.

"I'll pay you when you are done. Please take your time, sonny." The old woman said and walked back to the front of the shop. Kris stretched his arms over his head and walked to the back exit to retrieve the buckets of seeds for the hens.

Kris struggled to lift one of the buckets of seeds, so instead, he grabbed a handful of the seeds and went back inside. Kris walked over to the hens who were behind wooden fences. He tossed the seeds little by little to each of the hens and their offspring.

"Here ya go little guys." Kris smiled as he saw the hens pecking at the small seeds. After he fed the hens, he ran back outside to retrieve some wheat for the cattle. He proceeded to pull a handful of stalks from one of the bales and walked back inside to feed it to the cattle.

He handed an even portion to each of the 4 cattle behind the wooden fences.

"Eat up! You want to stay healthy!" Kris spoke to the cattle who mooed in response. Kris smiled and he walked back outside for the last time to grab the bucket of water to wash the pigs and the cattle. He went inside one of the sheds, which contained a wooden bucket with a fair amount of clean water. He picked up a soft cleaning brush next to the bucket and a white soap bar, which looked like it was made of tallow. Kris placed the soft brush inside the water bucket and walked back inside, bucket in one hand and the soap bar in the other.

Kris walked behind one of the wooden fences with the cleaning supplies in his hands. 

"Alright! First up, the cattle!" 

Kris walked over to one of the cattle. He dipped his soft brush in the bucket of water, rubbed it on the tallow soap, and lightly brushed one of the cattle. The other cows began to gather around Kris.

"H...Hey! One at a time!" 

Kris yelled as the cattle began surrounding him as if they were begging to be cleaned all at once. 

Moments passed as Kris managed to clean all of the cattle. His hair was ruffled and his shirt was partially disheveled. Kris was panting profusely.

Kris ruffled his hair slightly, fixed his shirt, and stood back up.

"Next up, the...oh gosh..."

Kris stood, mouth agape as he saw how dirty the pigs were. 

Sundown approached as he washed the last pig. Kris wiped away the sweat from his forehead and the old woman walked in.

"Excellent job, sonny!" The old woman praised him and Kris smiled in response. The old woman gave him 40 shillings and Kris accepted his hard earned money, humbly.

"Thank you!" Kris thanked the old woman.

"No, thank you for helping me. Sometimes my animals can be a handful."

"They were, but it was fun!" Kris smiled.

"It would seem so. You said you needed the money for venison right?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"You better hurry then. The shops will close soon, sonny."

The old woman pointed at the setting sun.

"Oh! Thank you again!" Kris said as he ran out of the shop, back to the delicatessen. The old woman smiled, waving goodbye to the pertinent young child.

Kris ran back inside the delicatessen, just before the butcher was about to close up.

"I have...40 shillings.." Kris panted.

"You're just in luck! I have one more package of venison for you."

Kris cheered at his good fortune and handed the butcher the 40 shillings. 

The butcher placed the money in his back pocket and took out a good 10 pound cut of venison, wrapped in parchment paper. 

"It's been preserved with salt, so the meat will be good to go." 

"Thank you, sir!" Kris thanked the butcher and ran back to his home, just before the stars peeked out in the night sky. 

Just as Kris was about a mile away from his home, he failed to notice a dark horse coming towards him.

"Move!" 

Kris ran to the left side of the dirt road, barely avoiding the dark horse and it's two owners. Upon impact on the grass, Kris sprained his upper arm and dropped the wrapped venison.

"Swine, how dare you cross our path. We could have murdered you, but rather, you have witnessed the extent of our mercy." A man asserted. The man wore a silk red cape, white silk shirt, black slacks and black leather shoes. He looked almost like, a King.

Kris laid on the grass, clutching on his sprained arm.

"Father, do not ridicule him so. He is already in pain..." A young boy replied. The young horse rider wore the same attire as his father. He got off of the horse and helped up the injured child.

"Son! You are not to touch those of a lower s..."

"Silence father!" the young child yelled.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes...Thank you."

Kris smiled at the regal, young boy.

"Please have a safe journey back home." The young child said before walking back to his horse.

"Wait! Aren't you going to tell me your name?" Kris asked.

"I'd rather conceal my identity for now." The young child said before going back up on his horse. The father mushed the horse as they rode off into the night.

Kris sat on the grass, wide-eyed. He grabbed the venison from the grass and strode back home.

"Who was that..." Kris asked himself.

"Tao, you know you are not supposed to talk to those of a lower class." The man in regal attire said to his son.

"He seemed, different. Did you not see it in his eyes, Father?"

"You speak of nonsense, Tao. You must learn to view the world realistically, not as some folk tale."

"I do what my heart tells me, Father."

"You are only 7, Tao. You know not of what your heart tells you."

"I repeat, Father. I do what my heart tells me."

The father sighed as they began to approach the castle of Othropos.