Coins and Bells

It was midday as the chimes of the bell rang out the 50th person who decided to take a leap off the St. Charleslove Bridge. It was named after the princess' uncle who was a romantic encouraging marriages to be witnessed on the cast iron bridge; part of the new technology for those days in the late 1770s.  Wealthy lovers taking their marital vows would ride in blinged out chariots over the bridge or those of poor standing would carry their bride over it. Alas, unemployment was at its highest at 150% as the economy shook no more eggs out of a chicken than the chances of it laying a golden one. Work was scarce as the bad weather twisted its tears onto the villagers’ lives. As a result, the supply for bread, eggs, even goat milk was depleted. Dogs were showing their teeth at passerbys for hunger was the only language they had come to accept. Even some villagers chewed the bones of the underweight morsels of the day's hunt or catch. The king called his ministers to his chamber and demanded one sentence to describe, and end the famine or they would all face some type of torture. So with haste, the counselors scrambled over each other running like mice in different directions. He was a burly man usually full of laughter with rolling rosy cheeks, which now was cold as stone. He blamed the greediness of the merchants plunging his people into the crises as they were guilty of embezzlement. The guillotine was swinging in full motion, weeding them out of the land. The king was very sensitive to the needs of others. As a young prince he would tour the lands and take inventory of the supplies low in demand, vowing to never allow his people to suffer. Once in a good while, he would sprinkle the currency of gold coins off his balcony to those that appeared without shame and pride.  Princess Charlotte, a natural at deception, would be disguised as a poor peasant trying to regain what her father the king would toss.  But she never caught a coin as the crowd was too heavy with demand as greed consumed their minds.  So her little petite frame would be pushed out of the way. It was all role play for her highness, but of no consolation to Rachel who no longer wanted to be part of her games.