Beauty and the Beast

Once upon a time as a merchant set off for market, he asked each of his three daughters what she would like as a present on his return. The first daughter wanted a brocade dress, the second a pearl necklace, but the third, whose name was Beauty, the youngest, prettiest and sweetest of them all, said to her father:    "All I'd like is a rose you've picked specially for me!"    When the merchant had finished his business, he set off for home. However, a sudden storm blew up, and his horse could hardly make headway in the howling gale. Cold and weary, the merchant had lost all hope of reaching an inn when he suddenly noticed a bright light shining in the middle of a wood. As he drew near, he saw that it was a castle, bathed in light.    "I hope I'll find shelter there for the night," he said to himself. When he reached the door, he saw it was open, but though he shouted, nobody came to greet him. Plucking up courage, he went inside, still calling out to attract attention. On a table in the main hall, a splendid dinner lay already served. The merchant lingered, still shouting for the owner of the castle. But no one  came, and so the starving merchant sat down to a hearty meal.    Overcome by curiosity, he ventured upstairs, where the corridor led into magnificent rooms and halls. A fire crackled in the first room and a soft bed looked very inviting. It was now late, and the merchant could not resist. He lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep. When he woke next morning, an unknown hand had placed a mug of steaming coffee and some fruit by his bedside.    The merchant had breakfast and after tidying himself up, went downstairs to thank his generous host. But, as on the evening before, there was nobody in sight. Shaking his head in wonder at the strangeness of it all, he went towards the garden where he had left his horse, tethered to a tree. Suddenly, a large rose bush caught his eye.    Remembering his promise to Beauty, he bent down to pick a rose. Instantly, out of the rose garden, sprang a horrible beast, wearing splendid clothes. Two bloodshot eyes, gleaming angrily, glared at him and a deep, terrifying voice growled: "Ungrateful man! I gave you shelter, you ate at my table and slept in my own bed, but now all the thanks I get is the theft of my favorite flowers! I shall put you to death for this slight!" Trembling with fear, the merchant fell on his knees before the Beast.    "Forgive me! Forgive me! Don't kill me! I'll do anything you say! The rose wasn't for me, it was for my daughter Beauty. I promised to bring her back a rose from my journey!" The Beast dropped the paw it had clamped on the unhappy merchant.    "I shall spare your life, but on one condition, that you bring me your daughter!" The terror-stricken merchant, faced with certain death if he did not obey, promised that he would do so. When he reached home in tears, his three daughters ran to greet him. After he had told them of his dreadful adventure, Beauty put his mind at rest immediately.    "Dear father, I'd do anything for you! Don't worry, you'll be able to keep your promise and save your life! Take me to the castle. I'll stay there in your place!" The merchant hugged his daughter.    "I never did doubt your love for me. For the moment I can only thank you for saving my life." So Beauty was led to the castle. The Beast, however, had quite an unexpected greeting for the girl. Instead of menacing doom as it had done with her father, it was surprisingly pleasant.    In the beginning, Beauty was frightened of the Beast, and shuddered at the sight of it. Then she found that, in spite of the monster's awful head, her horror of it was gradually fading as time went by. She had one of the finest rooms in the Castle, and sat for hours, embroidering in front of the fire. And the Beast would sit, for hours on end, only a short distance away, silently gazing at her. Then it started to say a few kind words, till in the end, Beauty was amazed to discover that she was actually enjoying its conversation. The days passed, and Beauty and the Beast became good friends. Then one day, the Beast asked the girl to be his wife.    Taken by surprise, Beauty did not know what to say. Marry such an ugly monster? She would rather die! But she did not want to  hurt the feelings of one who, after all, had been kind to her. And she remembered too that she owed it her own life as well as her father's.    "I really can't say yes," she began shakily. "I'd so much like to..." The Beast interrupted her with an abrupt gesture.    "I quite understand! And I'm not offended by your refusal!" Life went on as usual, and nothing further was said. One day, the Beast presented Beauty with a magnificent magic mirror. When Beauty peeped into it, she could see her family, far away.    "You won't feel so lonely now," were the words that accompanied the gift. Beauty stared for hours at her distant family. Then she began to feel worried. One day, the Beast found her weeping beside the magic mirror.    "What's wrong?" he asked, kindly as always.                 "My father is gravely ill and close to dying! Oh, how I wish I could see him again, before it's too late!" But the Beast only shook its head.    "No! You will never leave this castle!" And off it stalked in a rage. However, a little later, it returned and spoke solemnly to the girl.    "If you swear that you will return here in seven days time, I'll let you go and visit your father!" Beauty threw herself at the Beast's feet in delight.    "I swear! I swear I will! How kind you are! You've made a loving daughter so happy!" In reality, the merchant had fallen ill from a broken heart at knowing his daughter was being kept prisoner. When he embraced her again, he was soon on the road to recovery. Beauty stayed beside him for hours on end, describing her life at the Castle, and explaining that the Beast was really  good and kind. The days flashed past, and at last the merchant was able to leave his bed. He was completely well again. Beauty was happy at last. However, she had failed to notice that seven days had gone by.    Then one night she woke from a terrible nightmare. She had dreamt that the Beast was dying and calling for her, twisting in agony.    "Come back! Come back to me!" it was pleading. The solemn  promise she had made drove her to leave home immediately.    "Hurry! Hurry, good horse!" she said, whipping her steed onwards towards the castle, afraid that she might arrive too late. She rushed up the stairs, calling, but there was no reply. Her heart in her mouth, Beauty ran into the garden and there crouched the Beast, its eyes shut, as though dead. Beauty threw herself at it and hugged it tightly.    "Don't die! Don't die! I'll marry you . . ." At these words, a miracle took place. The Beast's ugly snout turned magically into the face of a handsome young man.     "How I've been longing for this moment!" he said. "I was suffering in silence, and couldn't tell my frightful secret. An evil witch turned me into a monster and only the love of a maiden willing to accept me as I was, could transform me back into my real self. My dearest! I'll be so happy if you'll marry me."    The wedding took place shortly after and, from that day on, the young Prince would have nothing but roses in his gardens. And that's why, to this day, the castle is known as the Castle of the Rose.

The End

Boy of Argon Manor

The rain finally stops.  The air is thick and everything looks  just a little bit greener than usual.  I peek out of the thicket where I built a very crude fort.  I really got soaked this afternoon!  I knew the rain was coming by the thick feeling in my head and the damp  smell in the air.
I was only six years old when I started exploring the forest.  I  had always played along the edge of the woodlands with my grandparents. When they finally allowed me to enter the deep woods, exploring these paths has become a part of my daily ritual.
I spend most of my time poking around the lake.  A carpet of soft  moss surrounds a huge old gnarled oak tree.  The moss leads up to the thicket where I constructed my hide-away.  Small wild animals are always coming or going and don't seem to be bothered by me. The little brown rabbits live in a burrow just around the bend of the well-worn path. I bring them carrots, leaf lettuce, and radishes. We try and keep them out of the gardens but they manage to burrow under the gate and snack on almost everything.
Today, a beautiful blue and green dragonfly lands on Turtle's  nose.  She slowly climbs up over some rocks and the dragonfly floats into my palm.  The last couple of days the dragonflies seem to be everywhere.  This one has shiny gold rings in the center of each wing. He finally flies away and I chant,

Dragonfly, come play with me, I've nothing else to do. Dragon wings and golden rings, Let me fly with you.

 I spend a lot of time alone. But today I am startled to hear a very faint echo,

Human boy, oh, gentle one You've wandered far and deep From my enchanted fairy lair I'll meet you in your sleep.

I am hypnotized.  Did I just hear what I think I heard?  That same whispering sound seems very familiar. Today is the first time the whispering makes any sense at all.  I repeat the words to myself so that I won't forget them.   What a strange sensation to communicate with something mysterious in the forest. But that's what is happening isn't it?   Are the dragonflies talking to me?

I begin to doubt myself, "I guess I am just daydreaming.    But what an odd feeling!"  I overcome my dizzy spell and realize it's almost five o'clock.  I grab my nap sack and dash out of the woods through the meadow towards home.

The old manor house has been my home since I was born.   I  quickly water the vegetables and flowers and put away the garden hose.   I slip in through the mud- room and tip-toe through the kitchen.   I wash my face and hands and throw on clean clothes.   My grandparents are sipping warm drinks in the parlor.  Grandmother enjoys the wild flowers I bring from the gardens and Grandfather just wants to hear my most exaggerated stories.  I kiss them both and finish preparing the table for dinner.   I am bursting with excitement about the dragonfly and can hardly contain myself.   Should I tell my grandparents? Would I break the spell.   I decide to wait and see if the dragonfly appears in my dreams.

Somehow, I get through dinner and finally dive into my bed.   I pull the covers way up over my head. Tonight I am eager to go to sleep and dream.   I whisper again,

Dragonfly, come play with me I've nothing else to do. Dragon wings and golden rings Let me fly with you.

I don't even remember falling asleep.  What's worse--I don't even  remember any of my dreams!  Several days of disappointment pass and then weeks pass and there is nothing at all enchanted about my dreams.  I am disappointed and my doubts grow. I continue my searching through the forest, looking for clues. Summer is almost over and my cousin will be visiting next week.  I hope that something exciting will happen so I can share it with Jane.

Jane. My cousin has a special sense about things.  She is very  good at keeping me out of trouble.  She seems to know just how to keep our grandparents happy and yet still get into just a little bit of mischief.  Have you ever known someone who has loads of fun but remains very responsible? Well, that's Jane.

Jane seems to enjoy the odd chores that Grandmother comes up with,  too. She sort of makes it dreamy.  When Grandmother asks Jane to polish more of the endless old family silver, Jane invents these games to make it fun.  I remember begging Grandmother for more silver that time that Jane and I were pretending to be archeologists. We uncovered treasure after treasure as we polished the tarnish off of those gloomy old objects. When Jane is here, the doldrums seem to fade away.

Grandmother fusses all week preparing for Uncle Dan, Aunt Sara, and  Jane. The dinner has to be "just so."  Uncle Dan doesn't eat any beef, and that really annoys Grandmother.  He's a bit fussy about many things. Aunt Sara is very flexible, though, and helps make their visit  harmonious.  They live in London and leave Jane with us while they vacation--always somewhere exotic. This time they're going to Southern France. Jane's mom and dad are both research scientists and have hectic schedules.  I don't think Jane gets a lot of attention at home. But she certainly got their brains! I think they make her study really long and hard, too.  But when she's at Argon Manor, we don't study anything. Well, she always brings a few books about her favorite subject at the time.  I can't wait to see what she's been reading about this summer!

Finally, they arrive. Johnathon, our tired old butler, greets them in  a snobby way, and takes their luggage.  Grandmother rolls her eyes to heaven and hugs everyone real tight!  Jane and I dash up the curving, creaking stairs, two at a time.  She cartwheels all the way down the hall and then rounds off into my bedroom. There, she inspects my room to see what has changed since Christmas. She peels into laughter as she glances over at my awful school picture. I couldn't help it that I was just getting over chicken pox and the photo was taken in the dead of winter! (Why didn't I hide it before she got here?)

Johnathon brings in her bags and stares at us with distaste.  He doesn't care for children.  There's a scratching sound coming from a dirty brown bag. Johnathon raises his eyebrows at the bag, looks me in the eyes, then trudges out. Jane rushes over to her satchel and whispers, "Ssshhh, I've got a little surprise for you." She pulls out a box turtle. Amazing!

"We can only keep him for one day.  Can we go out to your woods tomorrow morning?" she asks.

"Sure. Let's find him a home.  Come on."  Jane follows me down to the end of the old hall and up the stairs to the attic.

"This is one creepy old place, Boy.  Have you got a  terrarium or something? We need a bowl for water, too.  And some food."  The light is very dim and we have a hard time seeing anything at all. I run back to my room for my handy dandy flashlight. Jane is all alone in the dark attic. Very faintly, she hears a whisper and at the same time the attic fans begin to whir:

Mortal one, oh, gentle girl You're where you need to be. Bewitching smile You laughing child The treasure lies in the tree.

Jane sits frozen on top of some old furniture and between many long  shadows. A beautiful dragonfly glides out of the attic vent.  She is in a bit of a trance when I finally return.

 "I got some lettuce and a flat bowl of water . . . Jane, what's the matter?" I ask.

"Oh nothing.  The fans started making some noise and I heard something.  It's nothing, really."  Jane looks a little pale.

"Well, this place is scary.  Let's get going."  We set up the turtle in my room and head back downstairs.  Grandmother wants us to visit for a while in the parlor. The grown ups have a sherry "to take the edge off of the day." Mamie's homemade cider is good enough for us!

Everyone floats into the formal dining room--all aglow with crystal  and smelling scrumptious. Mamie serves her famous roast beef but adds plenty of vegetables and casseroles so she doesn't offend Uncle Dan.

That night, while playing cards, Jane seems a little distant.   She looks at me seriously and says, "I heard something in the attic today."

 I look at her and reply, "Jane, we always hear weird noises in the attic."

She tells me, "I never heard anything like what I heard today.  I heard a whisper that went,

Mortal one, oh, gentle girl You're where you need to be. Bewitching smile You laughing child The treasure lies in the tree.

"Ummm Hmmm. Jane, there's something I haven't told you.  I  heard a whispering verse when I was in the forest last week. I just couldn't figure out how to tell you."

"Well, what about just telling me!"  Jane was  aggravated with me.  "Why would you keep something like this from me?"

I just felt ashamed and embarrassed.  "Jane, I thought maybe I imagined it." I explained all that had happened in the woods and my growing disappointment. I told her about the dragonflies.  Her face lit up.  "I saw a dragonfly, too."

We agree to go to the woodlands first thing after breakfast  tomorrow.  We have to return the turtle, anyway.  I am so happy that there really is a dragonfly and the whisper and that Jane is in this with me.  I'm also a little scared.

Neither Jane nor I sleep well.  Finally, I drift off to sleep as the morning sun is peeping through the draperies. I am running through the meadow, looking for the turtle.  Suddenly, there is a whisper . . .

Follow me through sun and shade. Look near your reflection. Don't be perplexed, You'll find the X In the logical direction.

Jane is holding the turtle.  We follow the dragonfly and head  deep into the forest.  We trip over each other as we chase the dragonfly.  Finally, we stop at the lake and look down.  We notice our reflections.  But what about the X?

Suddenly, the song, "You got it, I want it . . . " is  blaring in my ears.  I jump up out of bed and realize I was dreaming. NSYNC, my favorite band, is on the radio.

I run into the guestroom and wake Jane.  She jumps out of bed and  yells, "Where is it?" I calm her down and tell her she is just dreaming.  She says, "You woke me up just when I was getting to the good part!"  We share our dreams and decide to get to the forest right now.

We run through the kitchen and Mamie tries to slow us down for  breakfast.  We brush her off and run out the back door. When we get to the forest, we slow down.  Neither of us makes a sound as we hurry along the path. When we reach the lake, we look for an X.

"Look for a tree.  There is some sort of treasure in the  tree," Jane remembers the voice that spoke to her.  "I'll put the turtle down over here. I wish we could keep him but I'm sure he'll be happy here."  I notice my reflection in the lake, just like in my dream.

"Don't forget, we're supposed to look for an X, too," I  remind Jane.  Letting the turtle go was a lot easier now that we had a treasure hunt ahead of us. Suddenly, we both realize that the two trees that support my fort form an X. We dash over and begin searching for treasure.  We have no shovels or picks--just our bare hands.  We realize how lost we are.

Suddenly, the beautiful dragonfly flitters out of the hollow in one of  the trees just above our heads.  We both start climbing.  When we get propped up on the branch, I reach in and poke around in the hollow.  I pull out a little leather pouch. It is filthy dirty.  We cannot believe our luck. Before I stuff it into my pocket I open it up and pull out a gold coin.  The date is 1444. I don't even know what to say.  I hand the coin over to Jane. Finally, she speaks. "I can't believe this. I haven't even been here for twenty-four hours and we've found gold! These coins were made over half a century ago. Louis XI was the king back then! He may have even handled these coins."

We climb back down.  I shout, "Whoopeeee!"  Then we start back for the house.

"I'm starving.  'Race ya' home!" Jane yells back to me as she dashes through the woods. I'm close on her heels.

When we get home, Jonathon is closing the boot of the car.  Uncle Dan and Aunt Sara hug Jane and me and then crouch into the car.  "We'll see you in two weeks. Jane, you enjoy yourself.  Help your grandmother with the chores."

"I'll miss you!"  Jane says to her mother and father as the car crunches down the drive. Everyone is in the big circular drive, waving them off.  Jane and I try to sneak off into the kitchen but Grandmother asks us where we've been. "Oh, we had to let the turtle go."  I reply and Jane giggles.

 "What turtle?" Grandmother looks confused as we try to avoid her.

"You look like you're up to no good!  Mamie says you didn't eat one bite of breakfast. If you hurry along, she'll probably make you some of her Belgium waffles."  At that, we dart off into the house.

Mamie hears us and laughs, "I don't know why you two were in such  a hurry this morning!  I won't even ask. Fetch a chair and sit down and have some waffles and bacon. Boy, you pour the milk."

 Jane leans over to me and whispers, "This is going to be one interesting visit!"

After we eat, we notice the dragonfly with the golden rings hovering  at the kitchen window.  Jane and I walk over to the window as he begins to fly off. We realize that he isn't a dragonfly at all.  He turns towards us and winks.  He's got an odd face with big green eyes and a  pointed chin.  "He's a dragonfly fairy," whispers Jane.  He slowly takes a bow. I dig one of the gold coins out of my back pocket and hand it to him.  Several other dragonflies appear and help him take the coin. "Do you want them all?" I ask. The little group just laughs and the fairy with the golden rings shakes his head "no."  Jane pinches me and gives me a dirty look. At last they fly off.  We stand there until Mamie sends us out of the kitchen.

We clean the coins and sort them.  "Wait 'till you see the  books I brought for us to look at."

"What are they?" I ask, pretending to be interested.

"I've got three books about old coins.  One book is specifically about the French coins," Jane smiles at me.

"Well, what are you waiting for?  Let's take a look!"  I can't believe I'm really interested in studying something in the summer.

 We promise never to tell anyone our story. Well, anyone except for you.

The Mermaid And The Centaur

It was a warm and sunny afternoon, when Shaira was happily splashing her tail in the ocean waters with her best friends, Aisha and Kasia. For hours  they would play their favorite game where the mermaid leaping the highest over the other would become 'Sea Princess of the Day.'
Giggling and laughing so hard that her tummy hurt, Shaira decided to let Aisha win today as she always felt that it was more fun to see her friends win.
Shaira's smile was wider than the horizon in the sky and her heart was bigger than the towering mountains above which seemed to touch the very sky.   Her eyes were brighter than the bluest of waters she knew as her home.  Her golden hair cascaded like a fresh waterfall down her back to her waist.  From here on, Shaira had the slender tail of a fish which helped her  swim faster and jump higher than any other human fish in the sea. 
 Her voice sang enchanting melodies that blew with the gentle sea breezes and stormy winds for miles and miles to lands faraway.
When Shaira was sad, she sang and hoped a special someone would hear her song.
There was someone she missed more than anything,  - Shanan, the love of her many lives. Oh how she wondered where and who he was this time.....
Shaira first met Shanan many years ago when the heavens burst and created the stars and planets of our universe.
Shaira and Shanan shone side by side, brighter than the two stars of Gemini, lighting up the night sky with the brightness of the Moon.   Long ago, Sol and Luna were taking turns watching over the stars and decided to entertain themselves by playing a game of dice. Proud Sol said,  " Let us make the game more fun by placing a little bet! "   Luna enthusiastically asked, "Yes, what shall we bet?"  Sol replied, "Every  one hundred earth years, whoever wins, shall be given for one brief moment, the power of  all the planets above  to grant a wish to any stars that the winner chooses!"
Luna liked the idea and it was not very long before she won this game of dice. Luna immediately knew  who the lucky star children would be - the two brightest in the heavens, Shaira and Shanan. 
Chosen for their pure hearts and love for each other, sentimental Luna could not help but feel somewhat sad for them.
On the night of an eclipse, when Luna was at her most powerful, she appeared to Shaira and Shanan and asked;  "Make a wish, children of the night sky, for I will make it come true!" "Oh Luna, we  want to be closer to each other than stars  in the sky!" cried Shaira and Shanan.  
Luna began speaking the words of power and when the eclipse passed, Shaira and Shanan were  reborn as two  red roses, the most beautiful of flowers. 
In a spectacular floral garden, they lived side by side once again, but this time, able to enjoy each other's company and sweet fragrance.
One hundred years passed and on this starry night, it was Luna's turn again to grant Shaira and  Shanan yet another wish.  With the help of Sol, Luna magically   transformed herself into a butterfly of the brightest and prettiest of colors.   She flew to the rose bush home of Shaira and Shanan and  spoke, " My old friends, there is nothing more I would like to do, than to grant another wish for the two of you!"
The two red roses pleaded, "Oh, if only you will, what we want most it to be closer still!"  The  butterfly smiled, winked an eye at them and gracefully flew and disappeared into the baby blue sky.
Then out of a giant cloud, flew two lovely white-winged doves.
 Shaira and Shanan were together again, but this time, traveling through the sky as symbols of universal peace. 
Meanwhile, Shaira and Shanan's hearts were content but something they felt, was still missing.   Luna  sensed this sadness and could not wait to be able to grant them another wish.
The time eventually came and Luna transformed herself into a magnificent palm tree and planted herself near the old rose garden home of Shaira and Shanan.
 
 One very hot summer day, the doves flew to this special palm tree to find a little bit of shade.  Suddenly, the palm tree spoke,  "Again a hundred years have come and gone, tell me what it is  that you wish upon?"    Shaira and  Shanan cried out  " By all your powers from  above,   what  we have together is true love, if only we could now hold hands,  and walk side by side through distant lands!"
Luna wanted to add some excitement and replied, "This will be done, but let's make it more fun,  to make your wish come true for you, there is one thing you both must agree to do." 
"What is it?"  asked the doves.  "You must wait longer if this is your will, but only to be  re-born  closer  still.

A thousand nights spent apart, will bring more strength to each other's heart." Said Luna.

Shaira and Shanan answered,  "Yes, to be closer than ever before is surely worth waiting for." 

Content with this reply, Luna vanished into the rich earth. 
And so they waited.....
Two hundred years passed and Shaira's sea-mates knew that she was sad as she often thought of  Shanan, hoping the day would soon come when they would be together again
Shaira felt a bit tired today and gracefully swam to the sandy shore for a little afternoon nap.  As she  fell asleep under the warmth of the sun, she dreamt of Shanan.  In her dream, a seahorse spoke,   "The one you wait for is nearby, this I promise you is no lie. "
Shanan had been roaming the lands all this time searching for his beloved Shaira.  He looked for her  in all forms of life on earth.  But today, he too grew most tired and discouraged. As he lay down to rest, he quickly fell asleep.  In his dream, a seahorse also appeared and said, "Wait no more for her my  friend, this is the beginning and not the end."    Shanan instantly awoke determined now, more than ever, to keep looking even harder for Shaira.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the bushes, Shaira was awakened by the sounds of distant galloping. "Am I still dreaming?" she asked herself. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the handsome centaur who had stopped to drink some water from a nearby pond. Shaira's heart began to pound so loud that she could hear it! 
She immediately recognized Shanan's soul.  Feeling her presence, Shanan looked up only to find  himself gazing into Shaira's crystal blue eyes and said,  "I knew you were near because your song led me here!"  Shaira   replied,  "I sang to you from my heart, each day that we have been  apart."
From the distant waters you could hear Aisha and Kasia singing and rejoicing at the sight of them holding hands  for the very first time.
 Then suddenly, from the bushes appeared a unicorn of a lavender color who galloped proudly up to  Shaira and Shanan.  Like a warm spring shower, a golden ray of light shone from its horn bathing Shaira from head to tail and  Shanan from head to hooves.
The unicorn's work was done as she  galloped away into the bushes whereshe came from.  Shaira  and Shanan looked at each other and saw   that she was no longer a  mermaid and he was no longer a centaur. Now they were people just like you and me! 
As they gazed down and started jumping and skipping about getting used to their brand new legs and  feet, they suddenly realized that the magical unicorn had been their old friend, Luna who made true the best wish of all.
Together, Shaira and Shanan continued to live happily as Children of the Moon, King and Queen of  the Kingdom of Lunaria, named in honor of their old friend, Luna.

The Princess And Evil

Once upon a time, in a faraway land lived a King and Queen with 7 daughters.  The eldest was 17 and was called Vanessa, the second eldest was 16 and called India, then came the twins Kareshka and Dandy, (they called her Dandy Brush for fun) who where 15.  Next came Alexandra, the cleverest of them all and 14 years old.  And the youngest was Brianna who was 13.   They all lived a huge castle with towers and battlements bigger than any in the world. The towers were 7 and in each one, one of the princesses slept.
But one stormy night Brianna could not get to sleep.  The rain crashed on her window and shew could hear the wind roaring in the distance.  So she got up and pulled on her fluffy cream dressing gown and opened her bedroom door. 
The whole castle seemed to be sleeping and the spindly stairs that connected the tower with the rest of the castle were swallowed up by darkness.  So she crept back through her room and opened a pink satin coated chest and took out a candle.  She lit it with a match and then descended the stairs and came into a long corridor.  It was cold and dark along here, so Brianna wrapped her dressing gown around her tighter and leaned closer to her candle.
As she walked further along the corridor she became aware of a faint green light in the library.  She became intrigued and walked faster  towards the library door that was wide open. 
When she stepped into the library the door slammed shut after her and her candle snuffed out.  Brianna wanted to scream but no noise came out.  The only light now was that green light that was as bright as the sun now that she had entered the library.
And there in the cushy armchair by the fireplace sat a beautiful woman.  She looked about 23 years old but like nobody Brianna had ever seen before.  She had green hair and her skin had a greenish tinge to it.  Even her eyes and clothes where green.  She smiled when Brianna came in and said " I have been waiting many years to see you my child." and held out a hand for Brianna to take.
Brianna took it because she was enchanted by the green glow.  She new neither where nor what it was coming from but it made her think of the most wonderful things, like the green lemonade cook sometimes made for her and of her favorite Quill.  (a green one) and of freshly moan grass that she and her sisters loved to picnic on.   And the woman, the woman reminded her of someone she had seen in a dream.  A lovely lady who had helped her be reunited with her sisters after they had been ship-wrecked.  But that was only a dream.  This was reality.  Or was it???
Brianna seemed to be hypnotized by the light and walked over to the woman in a kind of stupor.  " My name is Selina the woman carried on in a soft musical voice. " After the moon."
She was now twirling a strand of Brianna's long red hair round her finger.  " You will probably not know me," she said.  " For I you have never truly met me.  But I have met you.  And I have always wanted you for my daughter.  You have the most lovely hair and your beauty is outstanding.  Leave your wicked parents and come with me.
You shall no longer be overcrowded by your sisters.  You shall be the center of attention always..." The word "wicked" brought Brianna back  to her senses for a moment and just had time to give the woman an alarmed look before the green light and mystical song that now seemed to be coming from the mists of it made everything cloudy and she no longer had the ability to think.
"Yes, your parents are wicked" Selina went on.  "For they have denied you a Pegasus.  Something you always wanted am I right??? And did they not tell you that Pegasuses don't exist???  Well...  They do!  Do you not believe me?   I have one outside just for you.  You shall have that and everything else you have always wanted.  Only if you come with me."
Poor Brianna! The beautiful woman had hypnotized her!  What else could she do but say yes???
So Selina told her to go and pack and she did.  The next thing she new she was flying on a blue Pegasus high in the sky. 
Her red hair whipping round her face and Selina riding a huge green Swan next to her.
At last they reached Selina's home.  It was now dawn and the green glow had disappeared as soon as the sun rose over the mountains.  The house took Brianna's breath away.  It was a little green cottage with rainbow colored flowers blossoming everywhere Brianna looked.
There was also a little pink heart shaped gate and the door was bright red with miniature white hearts painted all over it.  "Wow!" she breathed and Selina led her through the heart shaped gate and through the front door.  But as soon as she stepped through the door a cage crashed down over her and hoisted her into the air.
She screamed as Selina began to change form.  She changed into an hag of a woman.  She had hazel matted hair that reached the floor and a big crooked nose with a mole on it.  She was wearing black and grey clothes that were grubby and looked like they where made from a carpet. 
  And she also wore a blood red hat that had dead moths all over it.  "HA HAHA!!!" she cried pointing at Brianna.  " My name is not Selina you pathetic girl but Aradnea! I made you dream I reunited you with your pathetic family so felt more comfortable around me! But in the end I settled for a hypnotizing potion instead! HA HAHA!!!
And now I will transfer your beauty into me! HA! You where going to be married to the most handsome man in the land! 
AS IF I WOULD LET THAT HAPPEN!!!
I saw him first!  I have seen him ride past here ever since he was 6 and I was four!  But he never looked twice at me!!!  I have also watched you pass by too!!!  We grew up together! Remember me??? The little girl from the poor family that you used to play with!!!
Well...  I saw you with him one day!  His name is William!  And he was looking at you with such LOVE!!!  I had to steal him from you!  So what better thing to do than turn myself into you???
Goodbye Princess Brianna!  I hope you enjoy being me! HAHAHA!!!"
And with that she started singing a song and waving her arms about.  It went like this:

Mambe Danna

Mambe Danna

Turn me into Princess Brianna 

Turn her into ugly old me

And let her lover start to love meeeeeeeee

It finished on a long chourus of eeeeeeeeeeeeeeees but before she could finish them William bounded into the room and cut her head off. 
They got married 3 days later and everyone rejoiced and sang and a great new age began.

 THE END...

The Soup Princess

Long, long ago, in a kingdom far away, lived the beautiful Princess Effy who lived with her widowed father the king in a palace on top of a hill.

Effy was just as a princess should be, beautiful, clever, polite, a little smaller than most girls her age and maybe just a little stubborn (if she felt she wasn’t getting what she wanted), and there was one thing she wanted more than anything in the world… more than her 5 white horses… more than her 20 silk dresses … even more than her 50 pairs of hand-made shoes….

SOUP

The beautiful Princess Effy liked soup… no… she LOVED soup… vegetable soup meat soup , thin soup, thick soup, hot soup, cold soup, spicy soup , bland soup, cream sou.. (Well you get the idea).

Now no-one really knows why Effy liked soup so much – but many say it was because of what happened to her when she was a little girl.

 

Effy had sneaked out of the palace and was playing on a frozen lake nearby, as she played, she slipped, and fell through some thin ice, into freezing water.

She would have drowned too, if she hadn’t been saved by two little boys, who dragged her to safety.

The three would have become great friends, but the boys began arguing (totally ignoring the shivering princess) and before the princess could thank them she was rushed back to the palace and given a pot of soup to keep warm.

 

As she ate that soup she thought of the two boys that had saved her and enjoyed the soup VERY much… ever since that day, she would have soup whenever she could.

The years passed by and as it approached the Princesses 21^st Birthday the Kings thoughts – as Kings thoughts often do – turned to the marriage of his only daughter and finding a suitable prince for Effy.

 

The King was a gentle and loving man, often skipping important state events in order to help Effy with her riding or hand delivering some soup whilst she painted her pictures… of soup.

When she wasn’t eating soup she was riding the horses around the estate... she loved everything in her life, but she found the suitors her father presented to her, boring and uninteresting. 

She loved her father very much, but could not marry for his sake....she wanted someone special....and she could wait!.

Effy was very clever and she had an idea…as she loved her father and knew how important this was to him, she agreed to marry on one condition;

The man she would marry would have to be able to cook the best soup in the world.

The King pondered over this for some time…scratching his long beard deep in thought….it was more difficult than the King had first thought, after all Effy was rather an expert on the subject. 

The King looked over his glasses and his daughter and smiled…

“Do you Know…” he said in his soft but deep voice..

“I think that is a very good idea !”

The King set about telling the Kingdom… delivering posters across the land – offering his daughters hand in marriage if a man could cook the world’s perfect soup.

Of course there was great interest, the sales of cookery books shot up, food shelves were bare, as would-be chefs tried hard to perfect the “best soup in the world”.

 

Now to a chef, this was a challenge, and especially to Barry Gorge who was one of the best Chef’s in the land …who, as it happened, lived in the local town. 

Barry was not an unattractive man – but he cared not to impress people through the way he looked, he wanted to be appreciated for the way he cooked.. !

 

He had watched the trail of chefs, princes and would-be Kings march up the hill with hopes high, only to return a few minutes later with sad faces and empty bowls.

Barry spent this time perfecting his soup, years of practice and a good reputation made him the favourite in the race to make Effy his wife. 

Truth be told, Barry had no interest in Effy, his dream was to be recognized as the best chef in the land and this was his big chance.

Three weeks had past and the King was getting frustrated with the delay, he watched over Effy as every hopeful, bowed gracefully, passed over a bowl of soup, and waited.

They were often too excited to watch, as Effy always scoffed the lot! (After all, she liked good soup and bad soup).

The King of course would know straight away the outcome, Effy did not have to speak, she pushed the bowl away and wiped her mouth, she would screw up her nose like a mouse and say “thankyou that was nice… but I have tasted better”

 

When it came to Barry’s turn there was a buzz that went around the palace, crowds gathered and wished him well as he began the long walk up the hill to the palace.

Those that didn’t know him would have thought he was the strangest of characters, a scruffy looking fellow …red faced … huffing and puffing as he climbed…as it did after all, take him longer than most….he soon began to regret the years of sampling his own cooking !

He may have been scruffy, he may have been out of breath, but Barry was confident……..the palace staff were confident ……..the King was confident, even little Effy was expecting something good! 

Effy produced her special spoon and took a little of the soup and smelt it, she smiled, the King smiled, Barry nodded (feeling smug).

 

She closed her eyes and took a sip….

“Hmmmm lovely” she said. 

The King clapped…  the servants in the palace cheered…

but as the King went to shake Barrys hand, Effy interrupted them.

“But…” she said, paused then quietly “…there’s something missing….”

Barry could not believe his ears, he became very red and very cross, very quickly (as chefs do !)

 “Something missing ?!?” he shouted.

He pushed away the platter and bowl and stomped out of the palace, barging all of the servants out of his way.

The servants went back to their work, the King forced a smile, turned his back, and went up to bed.

Only Effy remained at the table trying to save the soup which had been tipped on the table, after all, it was good soup!

From outside the royal windows a shadowy figure stared at the princess, and then disappeared following the Chef into the town.

Barry was fuming, he didn’t notice the servants he pushed out of the way, or the crowds waiting for him in the town, or the “King Barry” posters that had been put up outside his restaurant. 

He also didn’t notice the shadowy figure follow him down the dark alley behind the large kitchen of his restaurant.

As he entered the Kitchen through the back door he sat down collapsing against his pots and pans, his head in his hands.

He must have fallen asleep as he was suddenly startled by a noise in the yard – he jumped up with a start and crept towards the door with a wooden spoon and glass mixing bowl - ready to confront what he thought was a stray dog that was scrounging for titbits thrown by the kitchen staff. 

He opened the back door and went into the yard.

Nothing.

As he re-entered the kitchen and closed the door behind him he came face to face with the mysterious stranger….he dropped the bowl…

SMASHHHHHH!!!!!!

Only it was no stranger to Barry Gorge, this was Frank. 

Frank was Barrys brother.

There there eyes met – Frank younger, slightly taller, and considerably slimmer than Barry was dressed in some smart, bright, foreign looking clothes. Although he would never admit it, he was a handsome man and stood confidently in front of his elder brother.

Barry and Frank were not the best of brothers; they had fought all their lives, each one believing that they were better than the other. 

They had the same interests, played the same sports but never agreed on anything.

Frank had left the town as soon as he was old enough to travel on his own.

Frank like Barry was also a chef and had spent the last 5 years travelling the world, collecting spices and flavours from every country he visited, storing them in leather pouches hanging from his thick leather belt.

Frank tried to explain how he had seen the posters and thought that he would like to make a soup for the princess, he also explained how he had watched from the window and saw the princess reject the soup.

Barry could not listen to any more, he didn’t want his brother teasing him about his soup.

Frank went on to say ,how his heart leapt when he saw the princess, how beautiful Effy was, and how in love he had fallen, but Barry had disappeared upstairs before he could finish talking.

Frank spent the night using the kitchen and spare food to create his masterpiece – he wanted more than anything to impress Princess Effy, he took off his belt and used the spices in large quantities to give the soup a special zing!

Unfortunately, he was not a great chef, in fact, he was quite terrible, but believing love will find a way he marched up to the Palace gates and knocked firmly on the Palace door.

As it was so early, only the princess was awake and wandering the palace.

When Effy opened the door she instantly fell in love with Frank, she had never felt the same about anything before (apart from soup of course). 

She invited him in and called to her father without taking her eyes off of Frank.

Now the King was unsure of Frank, he could see that her daughter was impressed by this man but rules were rules.

If he could not create the best soup in the world, he would not be allowed to marry Effy.

As the table was prepared and the soup brought forward, he watched Effy like a hawk – if this wasn’t a fantastic soup he would tell.

The soup was heated and brought to Effy. 

The princess smiled at Frank and Frank smiled back, passing the bowl to her.

She took out her spoon and dipped it in the soup, she hoped more than anything that it would be the best soup.

Then just as she brought the spoon to her mouth…..the Palace door flung open..

“WAIT!!!”

It was Barry… he had been listening to Frank the night before, he had used a touch of Franks spices to his own recipe and once tested he had rushed to the palace just in time.

“FRANK” he said “You have the wrong soup… this is yours”

Effy looked at the two brothers and suddenly they both looked very familiar..these were the two boys that helped her out of the frozen lake all those years ago.

Frank was confused, but his brother was so insistent the soup swap was made the King, Effy and all of the servants believed him and the exchange was made.

Barry winked at Frank as he placed his soup on the table

The Princess took the bowl and tried the soup. Her eyes opened wide and she beamed as she said “That’s it!!!  … The worlds best soup”.

The King looked closely and could tell his daughter was telling the truth – he couldn’t believe it. 

“Congratulations my Son” he said and put his arm around Frank.

Frank took Effy in his arms and asked her to marry him. It didn’t take long for an answer…

“Oh Yes !!!” and before the month was out, they were married.

Frank never understood why Barry had come to his rescue, perhaps he wanted to see his brother happy, perhaps he wanted to prove that he could make the best soup in the world… with the right ingredients!

Whatever the reason one thing is for sure, they all lived, (as often they do in these stories), happily ever after.

THE END

The Talking Top

One spring day the sun bobbed across the sky like a bright yellow beach ball and the wind rippled waves in the tall green grass in the meadow. That day Sarah pulled her shiny blue and yellow striped top from the bottom of her toybox. She stood by the gate of her friend Cindy's house waiting for her to come outside. Tulips danced with the breeze and splotched red dots against Cynthia's white house.

"Hurry up, Cindy. " Sarah shouted.
Cindy roller skated down her front steps. "Let's skate," she said.
"Let's see where my top takes us," Sarah said. She knelt down and spun the top. It twirled down the concrete sidewalk, past the school, the grocery and hardware stores, through the meadow and across the bridge to the creek. It spun down the creek bank, across white stones glistening in the sunlight, and landed upside down in the water. Sarah ran after the top and Cindy roller skated after Sarah.
" My skates are getting muddy , Sarah", Cindy said.
Sarah waded into the creek without taking off her sneakers and grabbed her top. It wasn't blue and yellow and shiny any longer. It was covered with brown mud. She climbed out of the water and sat on the creek bank. Tears sparkled on her cheeks.
Sarah wiped the muddy top on her t shirt. Mud stuck to her t shirt, but more still stuck to the top. "My top's ruined," Sarah cried.
"I told you we should have roller skated," Cindy said. "You didn't listen to me! Look at my skates!"
Sarah jumped up and ran after Cindy, leaving her muddy top on the creek bank.
"Cindy, come back. I'll listen to you. "
Cindy ran into Sarah with a woomph. Her hands were full of tall meadow grass.
"I'll listen to you , too, Sarah. Let's wash off your top."
They went back to the creek bank . Sarah held the top in the creek while Cindy scrubbed it with the meadow grass. Soon, it sparkled in the sunlight.
"I'll scrub your shirt, too," Cindy said. And she did.
"I 'll scrub your skates, Cindy," Sarah said. She did.
They sat on the creek bank and played with the top and talked while Sarah's t shirt and Cindy's skates dried out. They talked while their sneakers dried.. Then they went home, with Sarah spinning her top and Cindy roller skating alongside her.
~!~THE END~!~

Sleeping Beauty

Long ago there lived a King and Queen who said every day, "If only we had a child!" But for a long time they had none.
One day, as the Queen was bathing in a spring and dreaming of a child, a frog crept out of the water and said to her, "Your wish shall be fulfilled. Before a year has passed you shall bring a daughter into the world."
And since frogs are such magical creatures, it was no surprise that before a year had passed the Queen had a baby girl. The child was so beautiful and sweet that the King could not contain himself for joy. He prepared a great feast and invited all his friends, family and neighbours. He invited the fairies, too, in order that they might be kind and good to the child. There were thirteen of them in his kingdom, but as the King only had twelve golden plates for them to eat from, one of the fairies had to be left out. None of the guests was saddened by this as the thirteenth fairy was known to be cruel and spiteful.
An amazing feast was held and when it came to an end, each of the fairies presented the child with a magic gift. One fairy gave her virtue, another beauty, a third riches and so on -- with everything in the world that anyone could wish for.
After eleven of the fairies had presented their gifts, the thirteenth suddenly appeared. She was angry and wanted to show her spite for not having been invited to the feast. Without hesitation she called out in a loud voice,
"When she is fifteen years old, the Princess shall prick herself with a spindle and shall fall down dead!"
Then without another word, she turned and left the hall.
The guests were horrified and the Queen fell to the floor sobbing, but the twelfth fairy, whose wish was still not spoken, quietly stepped forward. Her magic could not remove the curse, but she could soften it so she said,
"Nay, your daughter shall not die, but instead shall fall into a deep sleep that will last one hundred years."
Over the years, the promises of the fairies came true -- one by one. The Princess grew to be beautiful, modest, kind and clever. Everyone who saw her could not help but love her.
The King and Queen were determined to prevent the curse placed on the Princess by the spiteful fairy and sent out a command that all the spindles in the whole kingdom should be destroyed. No one in the kingdom was allowed to tell the Princess of the curse that had been placed upon her for they did not want her to worry or be sad.
On the morning of her fifteenth birthday, the Princess awoke early -- excited to be another year older. She was up so early in the morning, that she realized everyone else still slept. The Princess roamed through the halls trying to keep herself occupied until the rest of the castle awoke. She wandered about the whole place, looking at rooms and halls as she pleased and at last she came to an old tower. She climbed the narrow, winding staircase and reached a little door. A rusty key was sticking in the lock and when she turned it, the door flew open.
In a little room sat an old woman with a spindle, busily spinning her flax. The old woman was so deaf that she had never heard the King's command that all spindles should be destroyed.
"Good morning, Granny," said the Princess, "what are you doing?"
"I am spinning," said the old woman.
"What is the thing that whirls round so merrily?" asked the Princess and she took the spindle and tried to spin too.
But she had scarcely touched the spindle when it pricked her finger. At that moment she fell upon the bed which was standing near and lay still in a deep sleep.
The King, Queen and servants had all started their morning routines and right in the midst of them fell asleep too. The horses fell asleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the doves on the roof and the flies on the wall. Even the fire in the hearth grew still and went to sleep. The kitchen maid, who sat with a chicken before her, ready to pluck its feathers, fell asleep. The cook was in the midst of scolding the kitchen boy for a mess he'd made but they both fell fast asleep. The wind died down and on the trees in front of the castle not a leaf stirred.
Round the castle a hedge of brier roses began to grow up. Every year it grew higher until at last nothing could be seen of the sleeping castle.
There was a legend in the land about the lovely Sleeping Beauty, as the King's daughter was called, and from time to time Princes came and tried to force their way through the hedge and into the castle. But they found it impossible for the thorns, as though they were alive, grabbed at them and would not let them through.
After many years a Prince came again to the country and heard an old man tell the tale of the castle which stood behind the brier hedge and the beautiful Princess who had slept within for a hundred years. He heard also that many Princes had tried to make it through the brier hedge but none had succeeded and many had been caught in it and died.
The the young Prince said, "I am not afraid. I must go and see this Sleeping Beauty."
The good old man did all in his power to persuade him not to go, but the Prince would not listen.
Now the hundred years were just ended. When the Prince approached the brier hedge it was covered with beautiful large roses. The shrubs made way for him of their own accord and let him pass unharmed.
In the courtyard, the Prince saw the horses and dogs lying asleep. On the roof sat the sleeping doves with their heads tucked under their wings. When he went into the house, the flies were asleep on the walls and the servants asleep in the halls. Near the throne lay the King and Queen, sleeping peacefully beside each other. In the kitchen the cook, the kitchen boy and the kitchen maid all slept with their heads resting on the table.
The Prince went on farther. All was so still that he could hear his own breathing. At last he reached the tower and opened the door into the little room where the Princess was asleep. There she lay, looking so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her. He bent down and gave her a kiss. As he touched her, Sleeping Beauty opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
Throughout the castle, everyone and everything woke up and looked at each other with astonished eyes. Within the month, the Prince and Sleeping Beauty were married and lived happily all their lives.


THE END