A Book of Short Stories

Lost Prince

The lucid aroma of the freshly baked bread hit my nose, making my stomach growl ferociously and my mouth water. I was so hungry that I could barely even handle it anymore. I hadn't eaten anything for three days, and my stomach refused to be content with the little water I had gotten.

I had wandered aimlessly for days, just looking for somewhere to rest, but I couldn't stop. Not while they were after me. I had just managed to escape them, and I refused to go back, even if it meant killing myself.

I take a few more steps, leaning on the wall, before a rumble racked through my body, forcing me to the ground. Too desperate to stop, but too hungry to continue, I felt inclined to investigate the source of the smell.

Literally crawling along the ground, I followed my nose around the corner that was just ahead of me, to a busy street marketplace with all sorts of stands around. The bustling street was full of many types of people, big and small, young and old, all of them looking at some kind of vendor. Little kids shout while chasing each other around the street. There were shouts of joy and shouts of anger from all the discords that were happening over overpriced goods.

Forcing myself to stand, so that I didn't look out of place, I continued forward, with my nose leading me until I reach a shop at the center of the street. An old man was tending the stall, behind him was a variety of loaves of bread that all looked freshly baked. I could barely stand just being there, the smells filling my nostrils and making my stomach grumble.

There were other people at the stall, too. Most looked more wealthy than I was ever going to be. It seemed that the goods were overpriced at that stall, as well. Almost everyone who stopped at the stall was screaming at the old man, but the old man just looked confused, like he didn't even know where he was. It was so tempting to just snatch a piece of bread away, but there were too many onlookers, and I wasn't convinced that I could get away without being caught.

The voices of the people at the stall kept rising as their annoyance turned into anger, but I paid no attention to it, my stomach filling my mind. All I need is one piece! One piece and I can move on!

Just as I was about to risk grabbing a piece, a moaning noise stole my attention away, making me turn to the old man, who was now holding his nose in his hands, blood seeping through his fingers. Looking just to the left, I could immediately tell what happened, an infuriated man had punched the vendor, blood on his hand.

Before I knew it, my body had moved on its own, my instincts grabbing a piece of bread and beginning to run at the same time. In a burst of energy, I was able to make it halfway back down the street before anyone was able to even notice I had stolen some bread, and my stomach growled with impatience as I made my way down to the corner I had come from.

Attempting to catch my breath enough so that I could eat, I sat down and stared at my meal, wanting nothing more than to just shove it down my throat. But I know that if I tried to eat it, I would just end up choking on it, so I managed to restrain myself.

After a minute had passed, I stood and moved to bite down into the bread, but before I was able to, something hit into me, causing me to drop the bread. I watched in despair as it fell and hit the ground, becoming dirty from the street. A beautiful dog, completely covered in silky black fur, ran to the bread, picking it up in its mouth. It dashed into an alleyway just across the street and waited just in sight. It was like it was mocking me, and I hated it.

Infuriated, I sprinted after the dog hoping to salvage whatever I could of my meal. My stomach pains just made me run faster as if they were encouraging me to catch up. Just before I was able to jump on top of the dog, it began running again, and it sprinted down the alleyway, not stopping until it had reached the next corner it could turn. Again, it stopped, waiting for me to catch up.