A young, twelve-year-old, boy is running through the streets of Jerusalem. He is Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah.
Reaching the gate Josiah ducks behind one of the wagons leaving the city; he doesn't want the guards to see him as they would immediately send him back to the castle, and today he has decided to be just another boy:
Instead of being clad in the garments of a king he's wearing some simple clothes he has found; hopefully no one will ever figure out who he is.
Well out of the city he goes down the road leading to Bethlehem; his ancestor, King David, came from Bethlehem, but Josiah himself has never been there.
In a field a little away some boys are looking after the sheep, they look like they're having fun.
"Is this where King David watched the sheep before the prophet Samuel anointed him to be king?" Josiah asks himself. Deciding to go over and join the boys he leaves the road and cross the fields.
"Hello. Can I join you?" he asks the boys politely.
"Sure. I'm Obed." The boy, who looks like he's the oldest, says, stretching out his hand. "Who're you? You're not from Bethlehem."
"No… I'm from Jerusalem. My name's Jacob."
He doesn't know why he decides to take the name of the patriarch; it just seems right at the moment.
"Nice to meet you Jacob." Obed seems like a nice person. A smile crosses Josiah's face; for the first time he can remember someone is nice to him without knowing who he is. It's a great feeling.
Quickly Obed introduces Josiah to the other boys. It's his younger brothers Jesse and Salmon and their cousin Boaz.
"You guys all got names in the line of King David." Josiah remarks, and then realizes what he has done; maybe not all boys know the line of the kings.
"Yeah…" Salmon says, smiling. "We're descendants of King David's brother Eliab.
Relieved Josiah smiles to the young boy. Salmon look's to be no more than eight-years-old. The age Josiah had when he became king.
It is the funniest day in Josiah's life. Before he realizes it is getting dark.
"Obed! Salmon! Dinner is ready." A little girl, looking no older than four, perhaps five, is running towards them.
"It's our younger sister, Dinah," Obed says smiling.
Dinah reaches them and hands a small bag to Boaz.
"Your mother says you have to be careful." She says, with a seriousness that makes Josiah smile.
"Jacob. Why don't you come and eat with us?" salmon asks eagerly. "I mean… your parents are away…"
For a moment Josiah considers the offer; nobody seems to have noticed he's missing.
"I'd love to."
Josiah follows Obed, Salmon and Dinah to their house in Bethlehem.
"Mother, this is Jacob, his parents are away. So we offered him to eat with us." Obed says when they enter the house. Their mother is standing by the fireplace, cooking but when they enter she turns around.
"Nice to meet you, Jacob, I'm Rebecca. This is my husband Samuel."
He joins the family at the table, waits for Samuel to say the prayer, and then eagerly accepts the food he's being offered as the first; not because he's king but because it's custom always to offer your guests first. He is really hungry; looking after sheep and playing just gives you a lot more appetite that sitting around in a castle.
"Do you like the food?" Rebecca asks.
"Yes! It's wonderful." It really is.
"What're your parents doing?" Samuel suddenly asks.
""My father is dead." Well, it's not a lie. "My mother is a seamstress. She is away to…"
Josiah never gets to finish his lie. For in the same second the sound of hooves is heard in Bethlehem, accompanied by a shout:
"The King is missing. Every house will be searched until he is found."
Realizing to his horror that he desire to be a normal boy is going to cost the village, if he doesn't reveal himself, Josiah stands up and walks outside.
"You don't have to." He tells the soldiers, who're already on their way into the first house. "I am right here. I just wanted to be a normal boy for once."
Suddenly everyone is kneeling. Also Samuel, Rebecca and their children; little Dinah is looking very shy with her fingers stuck in her mouth.
"Please. Get up everyone. If I wanted you to kneel I wouldn't have hid away who I am. I wanted to know what it is like to be like everyone else."
"Forgive us, Your Majesty. If we had known we would receive such fine guests we sure would've served a better dinner." Samuel says. At first Josiah is a little annoyed but then he realizes that the man has already risen again. Looking directly at him with a smile on his face.
"Jacob's the king." Salmon looks really surprised.
"I am." Josiah walks over and puts his hands on the younger boy's shoulders. "I wasn't much older than what you are now when I was made king."
Josiah really wishes he could stay and talk with the nice family. But he knows it's impossible. Is day off is over; now he has to reassume his duties as king so, reluctantly, he follows the soldiers back to the castle.