Borrowed Breath

There once was a young girl whose family had passed away, and she was forced to beg just to survive. One day, the king of the land saw her begging in the streets. He approached her and told her he wanted to adopt her as his daughter, for he was childless. Of course the girl did not believe him at first. But all day he stuck with her. He bought her food and loved her like his own daughter for the day. At the end of the day, the girl agreed to be adopted by the king.

The king explained that he had to leave for awhile for an indefinite amount of time. But he promised he would return for her. In the meantime, he had his scribe compose a formal adoption certificate. He sealed it with his royal seal. The king explained to the girl that it was official. She was his daughter. And with a kiss on the cheek and another promise of his return, he left.

At first the girl just sat there, dazed. She was still living on the street. But the king told her she was his daughter, a princess. She pulled out the scroll and looked at the words. She could not read to confirm that what she was told was true. But she believed the king, for he was kind and gentle, and his eyes revealed a deep love.

And so she went to the nearest market for some food. The man at the market took one look at her and asked to see money first. She had none, but told him that the king was her father. He laughed rudely and told her to leave before he called the authorities. Dejected the girl left. She noticed it was getting dark. And so she hurried to the inn to procure a room. The same scenario repeated itself. The innkeeper judged her by her appearance, and demanded money upfront. Again, she explained that the king was her father. And again she was met with rude laughter and a threat that if she did not leave right away, she was in trouble.

The girl wandered the streets until she was too tired to walk. She collapsed under a bridge and fell asleep.

She was awakened by her hunger and by the sound of voices. A group of men from the king’s court were passing by. She rushed up to them and explained the situation. The men assured her that their king would never reach out to the likes of her, and they moved on leaving her doubting her sanity and her royal adoption.

I’m not sure how many days things continued like this. But had they gone on much longer, the little girl would surely have perished.

But one day, while trudging through the streets, looking for scraps to eat, she was spotted by the king’s priest. He approached the young girl and took her by the hand and offered to buy her a warm meal. Of course, the girl agreed.

Over the meal, in between bites, the girl told the priest her story. He listened intently and asked one question, “Do you have the adoption certificate with the royal seal?”

The girl panicked, for she had not looked at it since the day it was given to her. She reached into her shirt and to her relief felt the scroll. She pulled it out and handed it to the priest. He unrolled it and smiled as he read. He rose from his seat and bowed before the beggar girl. As he sat again, he explained that this document with its seal proved her adoption. But she was continuing to live like a beggar.

He read her the words that she was unable to read herself, assuring her of her position as the king’s daughter. He told her she needed to believe and live like these words were true. And he reminded her that her king would be returning soon.

She wept with joy and thanked the priest. He told her he had to move on, and she begged him to stay with her and guide her. But he told her that the king, prior to his leaving on the trip, had searched the back alleys of his kingdom adopting many children. And like the girl, a lot of them were still living as beggars. He needed to find them and remind them of their adoption.

So the girl went to the inn for a room. The innkeeper, recognizing her from before, rudely yelled, “Hey princess, we ain’t got no rooms for you. Get out of here!”

But the girl calmly stood her ground. She pulled the adoption certificate from her cloak and handed it to the defiant innkeeper. As he read the words, his eyes got bigger and fear crept into his face. He quickly doffed his hat and bowed before the princess. He showed her to his best room and had his wife draw up her bath. The princess bathed and slept in luxury that night.

The next day, after breakfast, she set out to find others who were adopted but who were living as if they did not believe it. She made this her life’s work, finding them, reading the words of adoption to them, and reminding them that their king would be returning soon.

Sometimes she forgot herself and spent the night on the streets or ate from the trash. But she would always return to the document with its royal seal assuring her of her adoption. And she continued to live in anticipation of her king’s homecoming.