The Poor Princess (A short story)

Hey guys! today, I have a story for you! and here it goes...

In a small village, by the desert, there lived a girl called Halima.

Halima lived with her grandmother who was very old and often ill. She was just a baby when she had

begun to stay with her grandmother in the village.

Due to her condition, Halima’s grandmother

could not work so there was often very little food in the mud hut, certainly not enough for two

people.

However, there was something interesting about Halima. She was very bright. Although only twelve

years old, she knew that it was her responsibility to work and make some money so she and her

grandmother could have enough food to eat.

One beautiful Sunday afternoon, while the other children were playing on the streets, Halima went

from house to house asking her neighbours if they had any work she could do for them. She

knocked on the door of her grandmother’s friend.

“Good afternoon Ma” She greeted “I was wondering if you needed help.”

Mrs Bako was quite hard of hearing and heard Halima’s sentence wrongly “Help? What do you need

help with my dear?”

“Oh, no Ma, I said I was wondering if you needed help with your chores, not that I need any help”

explained Halima.

“Oh dear. I just hired some help a few days back, I’m afraid you’re too late.” Mrs Bako shook her

head.

Although she was disappointed, she moved on to other houses but got similar responses. There was

no work for her. A few hours had gone by and the sun had gotten hotter when Halima suddenly

realised it was way past lunchtime.

“Oh no!” She thought “Grandmother must be so hungry.”

She ran all the way back home but stopped when she saw a fine dressed man in an expensive

looking agbada and colourful cap in front of their house.

“Good afternoon Sir. Are you looking for someone?” Halima asked the man.

“Yes I am looking for a Mrs Madaki” the man replied in a deep, intimidating voice.

“Oh yes, that is my grandmother, I can take you to her.”

Halima led the man into the hut where she saw her grandmother sitting on a small wooden chair

reading a book.

“Grandmother, you have a guest” Halima said.

It was not very often people to visit the old, shabby hut she lived in with her grandmother, especially

rich people so Halima was curious to know what the man wanted.

After a few minutes of speaking with her grandmother in hushed voices, the man turned to her and

said “I came here to inform you that it is now safe for you to move back to the palace with your

grandmother”.

“Palace? What palace grandmother?” She asked turning to her grandmother.

Mrs. Madaki began to explain that when Halima was just a little baby, their kingdom had been

attacked and for the first time in years, king Abu, Halima’s father and the ruler of Kira Kingdom, had

lost a war to the rival kingdom. Her parents were captured and her grandmother had taken her and

run off to the small village to protect her. There was no way to reach her family but now, the

kingdom was safe for them to return home.

“Are you sure?” Halima asked in surprise

“I am very sure” her grandmother assured her

So they packed up their few belongings and the man took them in his car on a trip to Kira kingdom.

Their home was a big, beautiful castle with four towers and huge, protective walls. As they walked in

Halima wondered to herself, “It can’t be very protective if enemy was able to break in”.

Suddenly a royal looking man and a very pretty woman ran towards Halima and her grandmother

and hugged them.

“Oh my baby, how I’ve missed you.” said the lady as she hugged Halima very tightly.

“This is Queen Zika, the queen of Kira, your mother” the man explained.

Halima’s father, King Abu, did the same. “Welcome home dear Halima.” He said. “We really missed

you”.

From that day on, Halima never lacked anything, especially food. She was privately tutored and

taken care of. She wore fancy dresses every day and ate lavishly. Her life was how she had always

dreamt of and finally she had met her beloved parents.

Halima’s grandmother stayed in the palace with her and they all lived happy, peaceful lives.

THE END