The Little Princesses

This is the story of three little girls living in a little room in a little house in a little town in Western Kenya. Every night, as they tuck themselves in to the shadows of their blue mosquito net canopies, they reminisce about the days of cheese, chocolate and wine. In the mornings they hear the shuffle of the other children getting fed delicious eggs and mandazi doughnuts for breakfast. Once the evil headmistress has left for work, they hop out of bed, hopeful of what may be left over to eat. The house keeper with kind smiling eyes serves them tea, as she has found a soft spot in her heart for the three innocent girls, but all to eat is cold chapaties leftover from the night before. They argue about who deserves the extra one and in the end agree to split it into three equal pieces. The eldest one closes her eyes and describes the wonderful smorgasbord of food she imagines before them. She declares that the strawberry covered crêpes she is devouring are absolutely delicious. The other two follow suit and soon there is a wonderful game underway providing relief and excitement to their palates.

Ever since their project turned sour, this has been the morning routine. When the girls first arrived they were treated like royalty, savouring delicious dinners with the entire family, mouth watering mandazis for breakfast, and bottomless cups of tea. Slowly, as slight tensions surfaced, the family retreated from contact with the girls. No longer did they eat together or enjoy the entertainment of Mexican soap operas, and even the small children avoided the living space that had been deemed the territory of the three girls. It left them baffled. They could not understand what they had done to deserve such treatment.

One magical day, an East-Indian maharani learned of their situation and took pity on the three girls. She smuggled them delicious treats of peanut butter and jam, to help ease the dry breakfastbread they choke down their throats each morning, and whenever possible treats them to dinners in seedy yet comparably peaceful hotels. Their maharani saviour also shares her collection of Bollywood DVDs, giving the girls an escape from the anxieties of their living situation. Once again, laughter can be heard echoing from the girls’ living space, a foreign sound for what seemed like an eternity. Every night the girls anticipate visits from the generous maharani and dream about what surprise she may present them with the next day. Thanks to her and the strong bond between the three girls, living in the unsettling space has once again become bearable.