Honeycomb by Joanne Harris (book series for 12 year olds .txt) 📕

“Why vote for a Dog?” said the Cart-horse, addressing the smaller animals. “Dogs kill chickens, and rabbits, and ducks. Vote for a Horse as your king, and I promise to protect you.”

After that a number of chickens, hens, ducks, and pullets all voted for the Cart-horse.

“Why vote for a Horse?” said the Sheep. “Sheep are clearly the future. Sheep stand for greener meadows; peace; good feed; plenty of space for everyone.” This sounded quite attractive—especially if you were a sheep—so some of the braver chickens and ducks—and all of the sheep, of course—voted for a Sheep to be king.

Sheep were in the majority, which means that they might have won the vote, had the Dogs not managed to convince so many of the other animals to vote for a Dog. As it was, the vote led to a draw between a Dog and a Sheep.

“Hooray for democracy!” said the Dog. “I suggest we share the crown.”

The Sheep, who was afraid of dogs, agreed. And for the next twelve months, the Dog and the Sheep shared both the crown and the farmyard. The Dog generously gave the Sheep control over the grass in the south pasture, while he and his friends ate as many chickens, rabbits, and ducks as their appetite demanded.

Occasionally, the chickens, ducks, and rabbits complained at this treatment. It generally fell to the Sheep to try and address their grievances. And when the year was over, the Sheep had become so unpopular that none of the other animals (not even the other sheep) would even consider voting for him.

And now the elections began again. But the animals were discouraged. None of the chickens, rabbits, and ducks wanted a Dog to be king again. But they had no confidence in the Sheep, and the Cart-horse had lost faith in the system.

“Why bother voting at all?” said the red-and-green Parrot who lived in a cage in the farmhouse, and therefore technically had no vote. “What voice has a duck, or a hen, or a pullet, against the voice of a Dog?”

Gently, the Cart-horse pointed out that every animal had a voice, but the Parrot squawked so loudly at this that hardly anyone heard him.

“The only way you can protest,” he squawked, “is to say nothing at all! That will teach those Dogs and that Sheep to take advantage of their position.” He was a very persuasive Parrot.

And so the day of the vote arrived. The dogs all voted for a Dog as king. But the Sheep, discouraged by their leader’s lack of leadership, followed the persuasive Parrot’s advice. The smaller animals, too, who felt that the Parrot was the only one speaking any sense, decided to stay silent when it came to choosing the king. And so, when the votes were counted, the Dog was re-elected by an overwhelming majority.

“Hooray for democracy!” cheered the Dogs, tucking into a shepherd’s pie with a side-dish of fried chicken.

As for the Parrot, safe in his cage, he pecked at a piece of cuttlefish bone and went back to sleep, head under his wing, thinking that he had never seen a more entertaining election.

35

F

IVE

P

RINCES

I

N

S

EARCH OF

T

HEIR

H

EART

’

S

D

ESIRE

In a far-off land lived five princes, who went off one day in search of their heart’s desire. One prince went in search of love. The second, in search of riches. The third craved knowledge; the fourth fame. Only the fifth and youngest prince had no particular goal in mind; he simply wanted to see the world, and to enjoy what it had to offer.

The others mocked him, saying that he had never been serious; that he had no ambition and therefore, that nothing he did would amount to much. Then they set off in different directions, the four eldest princes on horseback, the youngest idling on foot, stopping every now and again to investigate a flower, a stone, or to follow the tracks of a spider ant on the dusty highway.

Meanwhile, the four elder brothers rode as fast as they could through the countryside, heading for the gleaming spires of cities, with their promise of wealth, love, knowledge, and fame.

The eldest prince soon found himself in a city of women of all kinds, many of them hungry for love. But he was proud and impatient, and Love remained elusive.

The second prince rode into a town where the streets were paved in brass, the air was spiced, and even the beggars wore velvet. But for all the town’s beauty, there was no gold to be found in the place, and so he was disappointed.

The third young man arrived in a city known for its magical storytellers. But there were no libraries in the town, or schools, or places of learning, and so the prince rode off again.

The fourth prince, after many days, came to a city of theatres. Actors, singers, and dancers thronged the busy marketplace, each vying for the attention of the audiences that came and went. One look at the competition, though, and the fourth prince was discouraged, and he set off home without delay, or attending a single audition.

And so the four young men went home, opened a keg of wine, and recounted their adventures. As each of the princes told his tale, describing the landmarks and buildings and gardens of the cities they had seen, the brothers came to realize that the city of women, the city of beauty, the city of stories, and the city of theatres were all one and the same city, which they had approached from different gates, each prince thinking he was alone.

“What bad luck,” they said, “to find the one city in the whole world with no one to love, no wealth, no books, and no chance of finding artistic success.” And they drank, and nodded sagely, and agreed that their luck had been terrible.

And then they looked around and saw that their youngest brother had still not returned. They opened another