Little Richard - a Fairy Tale

As part of the warm-up to NaNoWriMo I signed up for this writing assignment.  I was given these words and these instructions;

- Fairy Tale, Carnival, old key -

Here are the rules:

1. Genre - Your story must be written in the promoted genre. However, some cross overs are allowed. For example, if you get Suspense your story could also have elements of historical fiction. 
2. Location - The bulk of your story must take place in the specified location.
3. Object - Your object must be incorporated somewhere in the story. How much the object has to do with the plot is up to you.
4. Length - 1000 words. 
5. Time - submit your story by 10 pm Sunday October 19 to be within time. 
6. Keep it clean - per the rules of the Nanowrimo forums should you choose to share here.

This is my story, fairy tale,

Once upon a time in a far away town lived a little boy named Richard. Now Richard didn’t live in an ordinary house like most of us do, because Richard didn’t have any parents, and in those days there weren’t any foster homes or orphanages. Richard could have had a place with a group of poor thieves but Richard would not steal. As a result he had to find his own way in the big world of this small town. He lay down at night in the shelter of an old wooden box, and tucked into a bag once used for feed. The floor and back wall of his tiny abode leaned into the backside of a pile of warm horse manure. The man who’s pile it was allowed little Richard to stay there as payment for collecting manure from the streets. The man sold manure as fire bricks and made a very meager living. He could not afford to feed little Richard. Richard spent the nights before he laid himself to sleep, foraging the compost bins and garbage of the towns folk. He managed to find a crumb here and a crust there. Some of the towns folk beat him if they found him digging in the garbage. Sometimes dogs chased him away, wanting all the scraps for themselves.

Every year in the summer the carnival came to town. For two weeks the townsfolk partied and enjoyed themselves. Poor Richard longed to go to the carnival and play the fun games with the other little children. He longed to run races and play kick ball. But Richard was much too poor to go. He often walked around the outside of the wall which surrounded the carnival. He imagined what was going on inside. The music, singing and dancing. He imagined the games and shows going on. He especially imagined all the good food there was to eat on the other side of the wall. Every evening he ended up going to his little bed in the manure hungry and tired listening to the hilarities of the towns people in the distance. Every morning he went inside the walls of the carnival while everyone was still asleep and picked up the horse droppings from the day before and put them into his bag. He made several trips through the carnival and back to his pile. Every evening when the town folk came out to play, little Richard went back to his wooden box.

One day when he was picking up horse droppings inside the carnival walls he heard the cries of an old man coming from a tent. Cautiously he peered into the tent and saw that the man had fallen. He helped him get back up and asked him if he needed anything. The man said he had given him all he needed and thanked him. Before Richard left the man handed him a key. He told him to hold onto it. Richard didn’t know what to say. It didn’t look very valuable, rusty and pitted. But it was special only because the man gave it to him and he couldn’t remember when he had been given anything other than a kick or a hit. He hurried back to his box, dragging the last bag of manure behind him, there he pulled a string out of the feed bag and threaded it through the hole in the top of the key, tying the string together he made a loop which he put his head through. The key hung from the string and lay hidden beneath his thread bare shirt. That night he lay in his bed holding the key tightly in his hand.

The next day when the sun began to glow in the western sky and the lights were being lit along the streets, Richard heard a commotion coming closer down the road. A horse drawn carriage was making it’s way toward the carnival. Richard could see the crowd of towns folk gathering around it, following it. It must be the Royal family making an appearance at the carnival. He knew he would have to pick up the droppings after they passed by so he waited with his bag the key hidden underneath his shirt. Just as they neared the place where he waited the carriage became stuck fast on a rock. Two guards stepped down from the carriage and stood one by each side while the footman tended to the wheel. Richard watched the guard in awe. He stood straight and proud, ready to fight for the Royal family, his face motionless. Richard thought he saw a slightest smile around the corners of his mouth and a twinkle in his eyes. Richard turned to follow the road and gather the droppings from the royal horses as quickly as he could. The droppings would fetch a better price and his master would be happy. He hurried through his tasks and came back to the spot he had been at. The guard still stood in his place. The footman was almost just finished loosing the wheel from between two stones when a golden decorative flower loosened from the side of the carriage and fell at Richards feet. Quick as a whistle Richard picked it up and held it in his dirty hands. Immediately a cry came from the crowd. “Thief! Thief!” His eyes grew large as he looked around him. Men were coming at him and grabbing him up. “Thief!” they shouted. Too scared to be frightened he did not feel the beating he was receiving at the hands of the indignant crowd. A voice rang out above the noise. “Stop!” He heard. It was the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. A woman stood in front of him. It was the Queen. He could see the King just behind her and a girl about his size peeking out of the carriage. He handed the Queen the golden flower proudly. “Your flower fell off your carriage, Your Majesty.” He said looking at her and handing her the flower. But she was looking at the key which was hanging around his neck. It was not old and rusty anymore, it was shiny and glistening golden in the evening light. “The golden key!” she exclaimed. She picked up Richard, golden flower, key and all, except for the bag of manure, she didn’t pick up that, and carried him to the carriage. The King and Queen and the little Princess took Richard into their family and they lived happily ever after. After that Richard went to the carnival every year and danced and played and made music and ate lots of very fine food.

Written by Elizabeth Williams, 1,113 words.