The Lonely Prince Khema ~

Character:

A long time ago in the kingdom of Sati lived a lonely Prince named Khema. Prince Khema was the only son of King Vama and Queen Suria. When Prince Khema was born, King Vama and Queen Suria were very happy and at the same time became very protective of him too. Being their only son and heir to the throne, King Vama made sure that Prince Khema had the best of what was available so that he will be happy. Unknowingly Prince Khema became self centered and selfish while growing up and he wondered why?

Task: Prince Khema wished to be a wise king when he takes over from his father. However the years of loneliness made him felt he was incompetent. Yet at the same time he was fighting with himself that he needed to have someone who could give him the magic power and wisdom.

Obstacle: He called for a meeting with Savin his personal attendant… “Tell me Sarvin, how can I be happy? I find one part of my heart missing, sometimes it made my breathing difficult and my heart is in pain. At times I felt sad and lonely... How can I be a wisdom king one day or is there a magic potion available...? (sigh...)

Sarvin: “No…no… my prince don’t feel this way… You will be our wisdom king…we will seek the help of Baloo, the wise man. He will come if we invite him… I will send Koki (the bird) to inform him. He stayed in Mt Serai.”(pointing out to the range of mountains).

Prince Khema: “Quick, summon for Baloo to come immediately. This lonliness is too much to bear and making me very very sad and lonely, being trapped all these years!!"

That night, Prince Khema had a strange dream. He was tossing in bed. Suddenly he sat up, sweat trickled from his forehead and panting heavily. He touched his body and realized that it was a dream and heaved a sigh of relief. Prince Khema called out “Guards…Guards… “(from his chamber). They came running in; “Yes Prince Khema..."(kneeling before him). Heavy footsteps followed, it was Sarvin who rushed over to see Prince Khema when being informed. Sarvin helped Prince Khema to prepare for the morning though it was still dawn.

Helper: Prince Khema related to Sarvin what he experienced in his dream.

“I saw myself at the foot of a mountain where I stood, the other side was a cliff! I seemed trapped here and the only way out was to follow a light flickering from a far on the mountain… Someone must be staying there…I called out, but no one seemed to hear me. It was cold, dark and slippery. The flickering light seemed out of reach. Will I ever reached it? At the same time the light gave me the HOPE to strive on.
As I climbed up the mountain I slipped many times...I got up again. When I felt breathless; I stopped… grounded myself, take a breather and slowly walked again. I could not remember how long it took; I kept on walking ahead. At one point I just can't take another step. The load is so heavy on my shoulders. The loneliness and sadness embedded over the years seemed to be lighter at every step I made forward.
Suddenly the flickering light was in front of me! The air around was warm and had a fresh scent of bunga melor flowers... I stopped and saw an old man sat on a stool surrounded by abundant rows of white color bunga melor. He gave me a warm smile and invited me to sit beside him. The features of the old man fitted those of wise man Baloo which Sarvin mentioned to me. He had long silvery hair, blue eyes and a big smile...He was dressed in white flowing robes.

Turning Point: Yes, he was wise man Baloo, he must have received the message from Koki the bird. He spoke to me in a strange language… however I was able to understand what he said. The sparkle of light in me lit up. The words from wise old man Baloo:

" The magic power that comes with our humanity isn’t a shield protecting us from misfortune but an inner strength that helps us deal with it, overcome it, and learn from it so we can still find love, laughter, and joy despite it.

At our lowest moments, there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. All we need is the faith and moral courage to find the spark within that, with just a puff of hope, can become a flame bright enough to show us the way out.

“We could bear any burden if we thought there was a meaning to what we were doing.The bad things that happen do not have a meaning or happen for any good reason which would cause us to accept them willingly. But we can give them a meaning.”

In the midst of despair, being reminded that tomorrow is another day provides no comfort because it’s hard to believe tomorrow will be any better. But Tomorrow is the doorway to the future, and that’s where we’ll live the rest of our lives.

It leads us to discover sources of consolation we never knew before, and then we make the person into a witness for the affirmation of life rather than its rejection.

Prince Khema was overwhelmed with tears when he finished telling his encounter with wise man Baloo. Since then he had learned to overcome his loneliness and found happiness with himself and his people. The wisdom words of Baloo continues to ring in his ears.

Aftermath: Prince Khema became King Khema some years later when King Vama passed on. King Khema became the wisdom king and brought joy and happiness to the people in the kingdom of Sati.

~ The end ~

*The story of the Lonely Prince was written on a 6part story format. At times of sadness, stories emerged and the storyteller has to find strength and meaning to the story told, journeying with the Lonely Prince in search of an answer .........