Chapter 12

The parrot flew to the prison and told John the news.

John said, ‘It is not easy to turn a black man white. His skin is not a dress.”

But the parrot said, “ If you do, you can get out of the prison.”

The doctor checked his bag. “It might be possible”.

In the evening the prince came to the prison and said,

“White man, I am an unhappy prince. Once I read a book about Sleeping Beauty. I walked around and found a white lady, sleeping in a garden.  I kissed her as the book said. When she woke up she started to cry, ‘Oh, a black man’ and ran away. She would not marry me. If you turn me white, I might go back to Sleeping Beauty and we can get married. I will give  you anything if you turn me white.”

The doctor looked at him and asked, ”what if I make your hair nice blonde? Would it make you happy?”

“No, said Bumpo. “I must be a white prince.”

“You want your face white?”

“Yes, and blue eyes, please”.

“All right, I will do, but before I start to work on you, go and get a ship with food for me and my animals. And when I made your skin white, you must let us go.”

The prince went and got the ship. When he came back, the Doctor mixed a lot of medicines in a bath. The prince took the bath and after a while he checked himself in a mirror. He had bright white skin all over his body. He was so happy, he opened the prison door and the doctor ran out with his company, straight to the ship.

When they were on board, they discussed what had happened.

“The Sleeping Beauty would never have him”, said the duck. “He looked better the way he was, more handsome. Skin colour doesn’t matter.”

“I don’t think he found the Sleeping Beauty. I think he kissed the wife of a farmer”, said the dog.

“He had a good heart, it is more important than skin colour”, replied the Doctor, and they started their travel home.

• What would you do if you were in the doctor’s place? Would you make the black prince white? Why/ Why not?
• Do you think the prince is more handsome with white skin?
• Do you think other people like a white-skinned prince more than a black-skinned prince?
• Do you think skin colour matters?
• Do you think white-skinned people are smarter?
• Do you find differences between white-skinned and black-skinned people?