The tale of free

Out on the streets there lived a small boy, he had no one. No father, no mother, no brothers or sisters, no one, except one constant companion whose name was Shame. The boys name was Complacent. All day long he would sit on the street begging for love from any passer by. Shame say there with him, all day long.
“Complacent,” said Shame one day “Why don’t you get up? Why don’t you move? Everyone here know you, they know you’re just lazy and they wont give you anything!”
“Bad things happen when I move.” Murmured Complacent, “Last time I ran into those bully’s Past-Failure and Condemnation, I don’t like them, they always hurt me.”
“Would you rather starve?” Asked Shame. “You call yourself a boy? You’ll never become a man so how can you be a boy? You can’t do anything right, remember?”
Complacent sighed, “The only thing I can do is stay in one place.”
“Even that wont save you! Look, here comes Past-Failure and Condemnation! Run!” Complacent leapt to his feet and tried to run but he tripped and fell in a puddle. Shame ran about him in circles “Oh, you’re too lazy, you’re too slow, you’re out of practice, it’s all your fault, they’ve caught up to you!”
Past-Failure grabbed Complacent by his collar and lifted him from the mud, “That reminds me of a time you threw another into a puddle. Serves you right. How about the time you ran away from home? You hurt your whole family, they would never have you back again! You have always been a mistake.”
Condemnation interrupted, “Yeah, you’ll never be free, you don’t deserve it, this is where you belong and this is what you deserve.” And saying this he started to hit Complacent again and again. Past-Failure joined in and the bully’s did not stop until Complacent cried out in pain, “No! Help me! Shame? Wont you do something?” But Shame looked at the bully’s and laughed, “They’re right, Complacent, this is what you deserve!” And then he joined them. The three beat Complacent and he let them do it, he believed them that this was what he deserved. He agreed with them until he fainted from the pain.
When Complacent came to he did not see the bully’s, only Shame who was shaking him, “Wake up lazy! Nothing is wrong with you, or at least if there is you’d better make sure no one knows, the King is coming by this way!”
Complacent looked at his bruised body, “How can I hide this?” Shame sighed, “You’ll just have to hide yourself, the King would be disgusted with you.”
Complacent climbed into the nearest trash can. “That’s fitting.” Said Shame. Complacent said nothing and Past-Failure appeared as if by magic, “The King’s coming, ooh, Complacent, you remember him don’t you? Make no mistake, he doesn’t remember you! Look at yourself, he would be ashamed to call you his son, so hide, just like you always do when he comes by!” Condemnation kicked the can that Complacent was in, “Make sure you keep quiet, don’t remind the King that he once had a son. He doesn’t want you.”
As the King went by Complacent’s hiding place Shame plugged Complacents ears so that he would not hear the sound and try to get out of the trash can.
Then the King was gone and Complacent wept, Past-Failure stood by him and reminded him of his life and all the mistakes he’d made, while Condemnation and Shame inerjected comments here and there. “Leave me alone, all of you!” Cried Complacent when he had heard enough, “We’re all you’ve got!” They answered.
That night all their friends came to visit. Bitterness, Jealousy, Loneliness, Self-Hate, and Suicide all pounded on Complacents trash can and he could not sleep, for they never slept. Complacent didn’t know how long that went on and suddenly the lid of the trash can was lifted and Suicide sneered down at Complacent. “I know you’re lonely, Complacent, and all these others have betrayed you, come, lets you and I be friends!”
Complacent knew what kind of a person Suicide was, so he hesitated, then he heard a sound. Shame reached in to the trash can quickly plugged Complacents ears. “The King is coming!” He cried in alarm. But it was too late, Complacent had heard what they did not want for him to hear, he had heard his father, the King calling his name, his real name. “Free!”
The boy leapt from the trash can, but the others grabbed him and began to force him back into the trash can. “Father!” he managed to shout before someone hit him in the head and his vision swirled. “I may as well give up, Suicide is not that bad after all.” he thought as the world spun.
But the King had heard his sons cry, and he was there in an instant sword flashing. All the others scattered except Shame who stayed at a distance.
The boy saw his fathers feet and he lifted his gaze toward his face. “Father, I’m sorry, I need you, I’m sorry I ran away, I’m sorry I rejected you. I know now that you’re the only protection I have against all this.” Broken, hurting, barely recognizable he began to cry. “Please Father, don’t leave me, even though I deserve it.”
Shame chose this moment to come closer, keeping his eyes on the sword in the Kings hand, “You bet you deserve it! How do you dare even ask the King such a thing! Come on Complacent, we’re your real family, this is where you belong, this is all you deserve.”
“Free,” Said the King, “You have a choice, you can not have both Shame and me, who will you choose.”
The boy looked at each for a while, after all, Shame had been his constant companion all this time… Shame started to say something during the silence in which the boy was trying to make his decision, but the King silenced him with a look.
Finally the King knelt and looked into his sons eyes, “I love you, my son, no matter what choice you make, I love you. Know this, I’ve been looking for you for a long time, if you choose Shame again I will keep looking for you, I will never stop.” Shame whispered, “Not true Complacent, how could HE love YOU?”
The boy reached out to his father with a trembling hand, weak, frail, broken, bruised, hopeful, he whispered, “I choose you!”
Suddenly Shame let out a horrible wail and was joined by all the others. The King silenced them all forever with one swipe of his great sword. Then he took his sons trembling hand. He had searched and called and now at long last, he had his son back. “Your name is Free.” The King told his son as he lifted him in his arms, “My name is Free.” Said the child and he clung to his father, never to go back again, never to let go again.
Free still had a lot to learn, he was not perfect by any means, but now he had his father to teach him, and he lay his head on his fathers chest listening to his heartbeat. “It’s beating for you, my son, I’ll never let go of you. No longer will you beg for love, for you have all you need in me. No longer are you alone, for I am with you. You have someone now. You are Free.