Future Classic Series_A Little Princess

A Little Princess Frances Hodgson Burnett

Design Ghadeer Alakeel

Future Classic Series

A Little Princess

A Little Princess Original by Frances Hodgson Burnett Rewritten and illustrated by Ghadeer Alakeel

Future Classic Series A Little Princess design and illustration Š 2020 Ghadeer Alakeel for information, contact Ghadeer Alakeel Original story by Frances Hodgson Burnett Rewritten and illustrated by Ghadeer Alakeel

contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

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Chapter 1:

M

r. Crewe and his lovely daughter Sara lived in India. Sara was born in India. After her mother died, her father became attached to his daughter and could not imagine his life without her.

He was always busy but despite that they made lots of memories together. They read together and he taught her languages too. Mr. Crewe’s best friend, Mr. Carrisford, proposed a new business idea. This business needed a lot of work, effort, and time. So, Mr. Carrisford suggested that Mr. Crewe send his daughter to a boarding school in London for the sake of the child’s education as Mr. Carrisford used to take her with him on his business trips which was difficult for her and affected her studies. Mr. Crewe thought about Sara and how she does not interact with girls of her age and was she always with her father. He 1

decided that boarding school was the best choice for Sara. When this business was done, he would make adjustments and follow Sara as he would not be able live without her for too long, thought Mr. Crewe.

Sara loved her father so much and was heartbroken when her father told her about sending her alone to a boarding school in London. But her father assured her that he will go with her and stay a few days before going back to India and that as soon as his business was done he will come for her. Sara felt relieved as she trusted her father the most and knew that her father must have thought about it all for a long time and decided that it was the best he could do for her. Even though she would miss him, she tried not to make him feel heartbroken about her and tried to enjoy the trip for her father’s sake. During the flight from Delhi to London, Sara’s father told her that she will meet new friends her age. She will go to museums and see places that she had only read about in books. All of her father’s talk made Sara excited about going to London as she had long wished to have friends her age.

Sara and her father enjoyed their stay together in London; they visited the Indian market and got their lunch there. They walked around London and visited St. Dunstan’s Garden. They walked around the green arches and watched and fed the pigeons.

Drinking refreshing mint lemonade, they sat on the wooden benches that circled the lower stone fountain. Then they went to the smallest police station in London and took pictures in front of it.

Sara’s father took her to his favorite place Soho, “My father used to take me here. He told me that there are seven noses on the walls around Soho and that whoever found them all will be blessed with great 2

fortune. So, we made a bet that the last one to find the seven noses buys dinner.” Sara was excited; she enjoyed hearing about his childhood more than the story itself. “Who won then?” asked Sara. “I will tell you when you find them all!” exclaimed her father.

Sara enjoyed her time looking for the noses. She ran around, calling out to her father to hurry whenever she found one, “Look ba look, I have found one!”

“That is great Sara! You are so fast, great job! At this speed, you might even break my record.”

After Sara found all the seven noses in Soho, she did not forget to ask her father who won the bet between him and his father.

Mr. Crewe answered, laughing, “Of course I won! I was young and short back then. I ran, passing through crowds of people faster than my father and reached the noses first.”

Sara was delighted to hear about her father’s childhood and about getting closer to his childhood self by doing activities that he used to do and visiting places that he used to visit.

They even visited St. Martins and saw St. Martin’s window which greatly fascinated Sara. She felt as if it belonged to Alice’s wonderland world. The window had destroyed dimensions and had a hole in the center. It looked as if a meteorite had hit the window.

They enjoyed the summer breeze on the roof of the big red bus while eating an ice cream from Amorino; it was shaped like a flower with different colors and flavors. Sara’s had a pinkish lemon raspberry flavor one and a blueberry color and flavor one. Whereas, 3

her father’s had a white vanilla flavor one and a black cherry cheesecake one that was a dark blue color.

One day they went to Southhall, an Indian market in south of London. They walked around and enjoyed a kulfi in the warm weather. While walking, Sara stopped at the window of one of the shops. The shop specialized in antiques and handmade toys. She was marveling at an Indian doll that was wearing greenish blue and sari and had dark hair and brownish skin.

The doll was all made of fabric and was wearing glass bangles (Indian bracelets) that were purple, red, and pink with golden outline. Her father watched her for a while and then asked her, “Do you like the doll?”

Sara looked at her father and asked, “Can I hold her?”

They entered the shop together. When Sara held the doll, she was even more stunned looking at the sari which was made of iridescent silk fabric that changed color with movement because of the light reflected.

Watching her joy, her father could not resist buying the doll for his daughter. Even though Sara did not like dolls, and she did not tell him whether she wanted this one or not, Mr. Crewe bought her the doll, saying, “How about I buy this doll for you Sara? I know you do not like dolls but this will be my friend that I am leaving with you so I can feel relieved that you have someone I know with you. What do you think?”

Sara was delighted. She held the doll and spun around laughing and singing. Mr. Crewe laughed too for he was delighted to see Sarah joyful like this.

It was her first doll that she had wanted and was the first one that her father had bought for her. She felt safer that she had something that reminded 4

her of her father, and she felt as if she had someone familiar with her. Just like her father had said, it would be her friend. She would not be alone.

“Thank you Ba,” said Sara on their way back to the hotel, “thank you for this very memorable journey through London.”

At the end of her father’s visit to London, he gave Sara a new phone. “Sara, take this new phone. I promise that I will call and text you every day. And you can too call me whenever you miss me.” He wanted her to feel comfortable in her stay and not worry about him.

Sara was relieved about her father’s promise and was touched by him giving her a smartphone.

Although she already had one, it just showed that he did not forget her and wanted to show her that.

In fact, making a promise was enough because she knew that her father always kept his promises.

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Chapter 2:

O

n their way to boarding school, they enjoyed two taiyaki (fish-shaped Japanese pancakes) one filled with melted chocolate and the other with custard. It was their last time eating together for a while. They wanted to enjoy and remember it as much as possible. They took pictures together, making funny faces inside the London icon, a red telephone booth.

Mr. Crewe had taken many pictures on their trips through London; he printed some and handed them to Sara as a gift and told her that he had copies of same. He said how both of them would be looking at the same pictures, remembering the same moments. They both felt relieved at the idea.

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Going to school for the first time in her life, Sara felt excited but anxious at the same time. She was not sure whether her classmates will accept her and if she can befriend them. But of course, what worried her the most was living all alone without her father.

After their arrival at Miss Minchin Girls Boarding School, Miss Minchin greeted both of them and expressed her happiness about having Sara in her school. This was of course because all Miss Minchin thought about was money and fame and since Mr. Crewe was a wealthy businessman and offered more than average tuition for Sara to stay in her boarding school. He also paid extra for Sara’s private room and other expenses. Miss Minchin had to welcome them warmly and show her delight at having them at her school.

“I trust my daughter Sara with you Miss Minchin.

I have heard many good things about you, and I believe your school would be the best choice for my daughter” said Mr. Crewe, smiling.

“Do not worry Mr. Crewe. Sara will enjoy her stay here. She will meet her new friends, and I will take extra care for her.” Sara and her father were seated beside each other, holding hands. Miss Minchin continued, “I think it is time for Sara to say goodbye and go to bed. I believe it is quite late for her bed now.”

Sara stood up, looked at her father sadly, and said, “Can’t you wait a little longer more Ba?” “Sara dear, I have to go now. Miss Minchin is right. It is quite late, you should go to bed now. And listen to Miss Minchin alright? We will talk everyday and you would not feel alone with your new friends here” 8

“Ok Ba,” replied Sara gloomily.

Mr. Crewe knelt, hugged Sara, and kissed her hand.

“I will miss you my little princess. Take care and do not forget, I am always with you.”

Sara hugged her father, tears streaming down her face. “I will miss you Ba. Take care and do not forget to call me.”

“I will, I will, my dear.”

Mr. Crewe left with a sad smile and a heavy heart, missing his daughter.

Miss Minchin took Sara to her room; she heard whispers and doors closing. The girls of the school could not sleep because of their curiosity to see the new student.

Sara was all alone in her room; she missed her father and could not sleep. She was not used to sleeping alone. But she decided to stay strong for the sake of her father. She did not want her father to see her sad or unhappy. This would be a new experience for her, and she would make lots of friends.

Early in the morning, Sara heard a knock on her door, a voice calling her for breakfast. “Miss Minchin and the girls are waiting for you Miss,” a soft voice said Sara dressed, opened the door, and was greeted

by Miss Amelia. She was of average height and chubby with golden hair tied in a bun at the back of her. She was wearing a green skirt and a white blouse. Besides her soft voice, she seemd to a nice and warm woman, like a mother to the children. She was unlike Miss Minchin who always seemed angry 9

and only cared about money and the reputation of her school. She had known Miss Minchin since childhood and they were distant relatives. She worked as the doctor of the school. She took care of the girls and looked after their schedule.

Taking Sara by the hand, she led her to the dining room where breakfast was served. Sara was introduced to the girls and Miss Minchin spoke about Sara and Mr. Crewe. She expressed how glad she is to have a clever girl at her school. Sara was seated beside Miss Minchin, and she felt burdened under the stares from the girls. Sara knew the girls although she had only been introduced to them once at breakfast; she had memorized their names and faces very quickly. The older girl was Lavinia, a beautiful, athletic thirteen-year-old girl with blond hair. Lavinia played badminton and had won many awards for her young age. She was someone Miss Minchin had always been proud of. Jessica was a short and thin girl who was one month younger that Lavinia and was her best friend. She was a smart person but socially slow-witted. Ermengarde was a plump, shy, and artistic ten-years-old girl.

Lottie the youngest of them all, a spoiled but funny seven-years-old girl with rosy cheeks.

After breakfast, the first class started. Madame Dufarge was an intelligent French woman who was trying very hard to teach her beloved language to the girls. Since Sara’s mother was a French lady, both Madame Dufarge and Miss Minchin were fascinated by her native French accent. In fact, Sara was asked to help Madame Dufarge with the teaching. Sara did not mind at all, but she felt awkward being tried like this and with all the eyes on her.

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Sara was a thin ten-year-old girl with long, silky, black hair, fair skin and light blue eyes. She looked like a doll with her calm voice and polite manners. She had small hands, face, and body. Girls from the boarding school, after they saw her private room and furniture, and her appearance and behavior, decided to call her a princess. Although Miss. Minchin loved talking about Sara in front of others and often expressed how delighted she was to have a girl like Sara in her school, she hated hearing others calling Sara a princess. And she treated Sara badly. Miss Minchin was jealous of Sara’s wealth, beauty, and her father’s love. She felt that Sara did not deserve what she had for all she had was her father’s and not her own, while she, Miss Minchin worked hard since she was a child and never had what Sara had without effort.

The school was a very well known in London and only accepted few girls whom Miss Minchin interview. However, Sara’s case was different; she was the richest girl in her school. Lavinia as an athlete never believed a person can be a compactor as much as oneself should but again Sara was different; Sara was her competitor. All this went through Lavinia’s mind in the first week that Sara joined the school.

She tried to focus more on her game but could not.

She decided needed to do something about it.

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Chapter 3:

S

ara and her father called each other almost every day. If her father was busy, he would call the next day. However, time difference was also an issue.

Delhi is five hours and a half ahead of London which meant that her father would be in bed by the time Sara finished her classes and it would be midnight for Sara when it was morning for Mr. Crewe. Thus, they could not find a perfect time that suited them both as Sara had her classes and Mr. Crewe had his work. They missed each other, that they sometimes if they could face time and see each other face.

Sara led to imagine things and lived in her own thoughts and her own world. She liked to read and always carried a book wherever she went. Books were her only friends apart from her father and her 13

doll which she had named Emily. She always carried her around and talked to her which irritated Miss.

Minchin but she would not say a word for fear that Mr. Crewe would hear about it. For the few first week, Sara did not feel comfortable at all, but she did not want to bother her father by telling him. She knew for sure that her father would take her out and will have to find her anther school which would take a lot of his time, and she did not want that to affect his business.

Sara was friendly and nice to everyone. Everyone loved her too. And as her first birthday at school was approaching, many girls were excited to see how she will celebrate. But Sara did not pay any attention to that because she was worried; her father had not been answering her calls, texts, or emails. Her birthday was close, and she missed her father more than ever. All she wanted for her birthday was to hear her father’s voice.

Everything had already been arranged for her birthday by her father’s orders. Her father had sent her Indian food and all sorts of stuff that he was sure she missed. She always texted him about how the food in London was not to her style and that it did not have enough chili in it. She was not used to the English cuisine and had a hard time adjusting to it.

But her favorite time was tea time for she loved milk tea and biscuits. And, the only thing that stayed the same as when she was in India was this time where she could take a break and enjoy reading a book.

However, when she saw the food on the table for her birthday, it made her miss her father even more. She felt a lump in her throat and almost cried, but then Miss Minchin came in and the birthday party began.

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The variety of Indian food astonished the girls, Miss Minchin, and Miss Amelia. There was even kulifi despite the cold weather. Sara felt touched by her father’s thoughts about her and his preparation for her birthday party. But the party was not over yet; what was more astonishing was her gifts. Her father had sent her big boxes full of expensive jewelry, branded bags, and branded clothes. All the girls were more dazed at the jewelry box as none of them had ever dreamt of even seeing one like it.

It was a jewelry box from Mouawad. The box itself was a piece of art, designed with deep dark ocean blue marbles, gold, silver, and white diamond with pink shepherd shaped like flower petals on the top and smaller ones as handles for the drawers. The box inside was full of jewelry from Cartier, Harry Winston, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Sara opened drawer after drawer to show the jewelry inside one by one as the girls excitedly demanded. Sara opened the lower drawer which held a ring with two butterflies. One butterfly was blue and the other was made of pearl that reflect the light in the room and was shining white and pink. Lottie was astonished by this beautiful ring and demanded to try it on but stopped as Sara opened the next one. The next drawer held a golden panther bracelet that was embedded with white and black diamond and green stones as the eyes of the panther. Mr. Crewe knew that Sara preferred panthers on jewelries. She always had different styles in India and sometimes even designed her own jewelry with her panther signature.

As she opened the third drawer, Sara knew that her father had thought of her much as he was selecting her gifts. It contained a Winston bracelet with pink 15

sapphire and diamond, with its flower design saying “Forget Me Not.” Sara stopped at that, trying to hold back her tears; she remembered how she had always pretends she was a princess with her father and as a princess she should hold her tears and be braver for her father had sent these gifts to make her happy.

“Wow Sara, they are so beautiful! No, not beautiful they are bewitching!” Ermengarde exclaimed.

“No wonder we call her a princess, she really is one!” Jessica commented.

“She is a princess. Sara is a princess” Lottie started chanting, running around the room.

“And there is more over there!” continued Ermengarde.

Sara did not feel good, she has not heard from her father for days, and all these gifts just reminded her of her beloved father. The girls, seeing the sad look on Sara face, started opening the gifts and showing them to her.

Miss Minchin bag the door room with a shocked expression on her face. She called Sara and asked her to come to her room.

When Sara entered the room, Miss Amelia was there and she looked at her with wet eyes as if she was crying. Sara felt scared seeing Miss Amelia like that and being summoned by Miss Minchin was something rare for Sara. She wished that if it was bad news, it was Miss Amelia who told her instead of Miss Minchin. But unfortunately, Miss Minchin said, “Sara I just got a message from India. Your father died in an accident.”

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Sara felt her chest tighten and her eyes hot. She could not believe what she heard. Miss Amelia started crying with a low voice as if she was holding herself back from crying in front of Sara. But Sara could barely not hear anything anymore, she could not hear anything. She was silent, she felt empty. She was now truly alone.

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Chapter 4:

S

ince Mr. Crewe had paid for Sara in advance and much more, Miss Amelia knew that Sara could live in the school for twelve years if she used the smallest room there. Miss Amelia thought that Sara would not have to lose her friends and home too and she would take care of her here where she could. Miss Amelia convinced Miss Minchin to move Sara to a smaller room and let her stay in the school.

She insited that she will need Sara’s help to teach the other girls as Sara was smart and had a talent for making the girls understand and memorize what she taught them. She said, “If you dismiss Sara from the school, the girls will miss her and will tell their parents about what had happened to their friend and the parents would feel bad for her and that will affect 19

your reputation. As a person who manages the girls’ education and who takes care of them, you should show the parents that you care for their children no matter what.” Miss Amelia was a nice person and she knew how to convince Miss Minchin to do the right thing. Miss Minchin wanted to keep Sara in the school not only because she could save money for one more teacher whose place Sara could take but because she wanted to see Sara in the misfortune.

On the very same day, Miss Minchin changed Sara’s room for one small room that was on the fifth floor where no one else lived. She took all of Sara’s stuff except for Emily as Miss Amelia had asked for it especially for Sara. Miss Minchin hated that she would not be able to brag about having a girl like Sara in her school and now even hated the sight of Sara. While Miss Minchin was harsh and treated Sara badly, Miss Amelia was always nice and caring and had a motherly heart for Sara. She would always check on Sara and give her new clothes whenever she felt that Sara’s clothes were getting smaller or worn out.

The next few weeks were hard for Sara; she had to teach the girls and take care of them. Whenever Miss Minchin passed by Sara, she ordered her to do things for her. Writing letters, sending emails, and reading.

At the end of the school schedule, she would call for Sara and tell her to study while she kept an eye on her in case she fell asleep. Sara would always be scared at night as her room was the last room on the floor and the floor was abandoned, dusty, and dark.

She lost her light pinkish cheeks and was always hungry too. She sometimes had to skip breakfast to prepare the materials for the classes. Dinner was often 20

skipped too as Miss Minchin kept Sara in her room to study. The only meal that she could eat properly was lunch. Sometimes she would not even finish her lunch as Lottie would trouble Miss Minchin with her annoying spoiled character and Sara would be asked to take her out of the room. Sara would have to feed Lottie and then go to the next class after lunch.

However, Sara had one consolation: she had Emily waiting for her in her room. Sara first heard Emily talking the week she heard about the death of her father and was kicked out of her room by Miss Minchin who said, “Princessless little Sara, your new room would be the last room on the fifth floor. I am doing this for your own good. Imagine if an orphanage took advantage of you, took your remaining money and used it for their own good and let you starve to death. But you can sleep, eat, and learn here. Are not you thankful?.”

It was that one day when Sara was tried and had run fast to her room through the dark corridor that she was afraid of that Emily had greeted her the moment she opened the door to her small room. “You are late, my little princess,” spoke Emily, who was seated on the small, cold bed. It was then that Sara felt better, for Emily spoke to her like how her father had. She would ask her about her days, about what she read, and would help her imagine things. One time, Emily told Sara, “You are a princess, never forget that. Your father treated you like one, and you will be like one for the rest of your life. A princess is always a princess.

Manners are what makes a person good or bad, and with your attitude, you can be a princess”. Sara was delighted; Emily had said what her father would have said if he saw her now. She did not want her father to 21

feel sad for her; she gathered her courage and started acting like a princess. Although Sara’s manners did not change much, her inner thoughts did. She became brighter and happier which annoyed Miss Minchin.

Sara would smile all day and sing while doing her work. She would imagine that she was a secret princess and for the sake of her people (the girls at this school), she had to pretend to be a normal girl working in the school to understand the staffs’ true personality.

Despite all of her rough, hungry days, Sara never forgot to send a text message to her father, telling him about her days and that she missed him quite a lot. “But never worry ba, I have Emily with me. She calls me my little princess, just like how you used to call me. She tells me stories until I feel safe and fall asleep. She waits for me every day, she wakes me up every morning, and she reminds me of what I have to do for the day. She tells me that I am a princess and I will always be, and that I have to treat people fairly and with good manners no matter who they are.”

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Chapter 5:

I

n India, Mr. Crewe was friends with Mr. Ram Dass and his wife. Hearing about his death had a huge impact on them emotionally. Although they had only known him for the last few years, their relationship was strong; they were like one family. After they reached Delhi, they were shocked to see that no one reached out to Sara or took care of Mr. Crewe’s inheritance. His company just took his money and operated normally. They tried to get information on where Sara was but could not obtain any for they were Mr. Crewe had no relatives and his personal information could not be shared with anyone else.

The only information they had were her name and that she was in a boarding school in London since Mr. Crewe had told them so himself. They tried to 25

reach out to all boarding schools in London but could not find anything. Through these years, Mr. Ram Dass had been trying to get Mr. Crewe’ phone from the accident from the police investigation department who had taken possession of it. Finally, as a few years had passed and no one other than Mr. Ram Dass reached out, the detective in charge of the case gave the phone to Mr. Ram Dass. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dass were overjoyed to receive the phone.

She was puzzled when she saw that all her messages to her father had been marked read. If was impossible that her father had read them—who could it be?

However, she got a message, “My dear Sara, I am Ram Dass. Your father was a dear brother and a friend to me. My wife and I were trying to get in touch with you. We finally did. I am blessed and happy. We are coming to see you next week. I hope you’re ok and everything is good for you.”

Sara could not define her feelings. Was it good or bad? She was not sure. On the contrary, Miss Minchin was overjoyed when she received a phone call from Mr. Ram Dass. She would get to show off about having Sara as her student as Mr. Ram Dass was wealthier than Mr. Crewe based on the information she had on him. Hearing from him, Miss Minchin immediately changed Sara’s room and have her her possessions back. She bought her expensive dresses too for she wanted her to look her prettiest. She even encouraged Sara to create an Instagram and take selfies with the girls and upload them. However, Miss Minchin prohibited the girls from taking pictures of Sara for she was not a good image for her school.

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All these changes were unexpected for Sara; she could not feel good about them. She was glad that someone who knew her father was coming. But she had not heard about them before. She felt that the two years that she was far away physically from her father had been emotionally far too. She did keep secrets from him and now she was sure he did too. And maybe these people were his secret.

The day came, and Sara was nervous. However, she was relieved the moment she saw them. She had seen their faces before in a picture that her father had cherished. Her mother and father and two of their closest friends. How could she possibly forget that! The moment these two friends entered the room, Mrs. Dass hugged Sara. “Oh, my dear lovely Sara,” said Mrs. Dass with wet eyes and a soft voice.

After the happy, harmonious greeting, they were all seated at the table and Miss Minchin brought tea served with sandwiches, scones, cakes, and biscuits.

Miss Minchin started by saying, “Glad you came and found Sara. For how long do you plan to stay here?”

Mrs. Dass answered, turning her head toward Sara and speaking more to her, “Oh no, we would like to ask Sara to come with us to India. We have bought her father’s house in Delhi and if she would like to live there with us, we would be more than delighted.”

Sara replied without hesitating, “Can I really?”

She missed her father and their house more than anything. She wanted to feel safe and be loved again.

Sara, Mrs. Dass, and Mr. Dass went back to India where they lived in Mr. Crewe’ house. Mrs. and Mr. 27

Dass loved Sara more than anything and Sara felt loved again. They treated her as their daughter and she was a princess again.

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29

A Little Princess

Sara was lonely after being sent to a boarding school in London for a better education. But girls in the boarding school loved her and called her the little princess. Feeling relieved her classmates loved her, Sara was adjusting quickly to the new place. However, that did not last long after the death of her father Sara lost the love of her classmates and she left alone with her doll.

Frances Hodgson Burnett

ISBN 009–6–61–445004–8

0096614450048