The Happy Tower
by
Valerie L. Egar
Once
upon a time, a very long time ago, a sweet and beautiful baby girl was born to
a King and Queen. They loved their
little girl so much they wanted to protect her from every hurt and sorrow. The King thought about all the things that
might make his beloved daughter cry— scraped knees and bee stings, nasty words,
arguments.
“I never want her
to be sad,” said the King. “She will know nothing but happiness for all of her
days and will never shed a tear.”
“Oh
yes,” the Queen agreed. “We will keep
her safe from everything that might make her cry.”
The
King and Queen designed a beautiful glass tower for the Princess next to the
castle.
Sunshine and moonlight shone through the glass and danced on the white
marble floors. Scented flowers and fruit trees grew in the conservatory. The
happy scent of cinnamon cookies constantly wafted through the air.
The Princess enjoyed
her tower home. She delighted in the beautiful flowers that bloomed in the indoor
garden, but never saw one fade or fall from the stem. Every night as she slept, a team of
gardeners exchanged fading plants for new, so the blossoms were always fresh.
No one wanted her to cry if a blossom withered.
She
had a rollicking red kitten named Angus that made her laugh, but as the kitten
grew, it too was secretly replaced at night with an identical kitten. The King
and Queen feared the Princess might be sad when the kitten grew up and stopped
climbing the curtains.
Though
the tower was a happy place, the Princess was bored. Aside from playing with
Angus, there wasn’t much to do. She didn’t
have a bicycle or skateboard because she might fall off, scrape her shins and
cry. She had no books to read, because some of the best stories bring tears. She
didn’t have any friends, because even a best friend sometimes makes you cry.
The Princess
looked at the valley and the silver river from her bedroom and wondered what it
was like to be outside. She had never felt grass on her bare feet or a
snowflake on the tip of her tongue. She never saw a parade or smelled salt air
at the edge of the ocean. She never had someone to share a secret with. She
felt sad.
One
day the Queen came to the Princess’ bedroom and found her crying. “Oh no!” She was ready to fire the entire
staff. Someone had made the Princess cry!
“What’s
the matter?” the Queen asked. “Who caused these tears?”
“You
and Daddy,” said the Princess. “You keep me locked in here all the time! I want
to go outside. I want friends. I want to climb trees and roll down hills. I want to ride a horse—”
“There are so
many sad things in the world,” the Queen said. “Things that will make you cry.”
“But
I’m sad now,” said the Princess. “I think there are things that will make me happy,
too.”
The
King and Queen relented and unlocked the glass tower. They laughed with the Princess as she ran in
the grass and climbed to the top of a tall tree. She skinned her elbow roller
skating and cried for three minutes. The King thought he might die hearing it,
but as soon as her elbow was bandaged, she went skating again.
For
the first time, the Princess saw the petals of the flowers fall and seed pods
form. She watched her kitten Angus grow into a beautiful cat. He didn’t climb
curtains anymore and became a handsome, calm companion.
Best
of all, the Princess had friends. Sometimes they laughed, sometimes they
argued, sometimes one of them said something mean enough to make the Princess
cry. But everyone knew how to say, “I’m sorry,” and the Princess was happier
with her sometimes tears than she ever was living in her perfect glass tower.
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Copyright 2017 by Valerie L. Egar. May not be copied or reproduced without permission from the author.
Published February 19, 2017, Journal Tribune Sunday (Biddeford, ME).
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