Princesses
Once upon a time there lived a little girl who was not a princess.
She didn't have an evil stepmother, although her mom yelled at her sometimes and made her do her chores.
She didn't have evil stepsisters, she had a brother, who could be evil when he wanted to, but most times he was alright.
She didn't have pet animals who could talk, or come to her when she sang, most things ran away when she sang. But she did have a gerbil. But all he did all day was eat, and drink from the tube that made a clicking sound, and sometimes run on his squeaky wheel, and often slept in the corner covered with wood chips.
She didn't live in a castle attic, under the sea, in a small-town cottage, or a hut with seven little men. She lived in a townhouse with her family, and her gerbil.
Her life was pretty ordinary, and so, she thought, was she.
She wasn't a beautiful princess who never got mad at people who were mean to her. She almost always got mad at people who were mean to her. Her mom and dad told her there were "Better ways to handle things" like the time that her brother ripped off her doll's head, and she punched him in the eye, her dad grounded her and told her there were better ways to handle things. Or when a boy from down the block pushed her in a mud puddle and ruined her favorite new shirt, and she chased after him and pushed him in the mud puddle, her mom made her apologize to the boy and his mom and told her there were better ways to handle things. She wished she knew what better ways to handle things were, but she almost always just got mad and did mean things back.
She didn't have any extraordinary talents. Like singing, she definitely could not sing, and it seems like almost every princess could at least sing. But not her. She couldn't make animals come to her whenever she wanted, although one time she got a squirrel to eat out of her hand and thought that was pretty special.
She also, did not have a prince coming to take her away. Not that she really wanted to be taken away, things were pretty ok with her the way they were, but she sometimes dreamed that a handsome prince on a white horse would ride up and lift her up behind him and they would ride off into the sunset to his castle. And then she would sigh, and think about how the sun would be in their eyes as they rode off, how she didn't really want to leave her family, well, sometimes when she was mad she did, but not usually, how many MORE chores there would be at the castle, and how her parents had told her never to talk to strangers, even handsome ones.
So she seemed doomed to live her ordinary life as ordinary her.
Until one day, she realized, it wasn't so bad, or so ordinary.
She was sitting in her bedroom, on her pink bedspread, which she didn't like anymore because she hated pink and the only reason she had it was because she thought you HAD to like pink to be a girl or a princess, and when she found out she didn't have to, she wished it was all purple because that was her real favorite color,
anyway, she was sitting on her bed, listening to her gerbil drink, click, click, click, click clickclickclickclick click, When she realized that she was even better than a princess!
She didn't have an evil stepmother! She had a mom and dad who loved her and took care of her and tried to teach her that there were better ways to handle things.
She didn't have evil stepsisters, she had a brother who was cool most of the time and sometimes shared his toys and candy with her.
She didn't have animals who could talk to her, but she did have a gerbil she could talk to, and sometimes it as nice to talk and just be listened to. Plus, gerbils aren't that hard to take care of, she imagined her fingers would probably hurt after trying to sew up all those little mice costumes, she just had to change the wood chips every once in awhile, and give him food and water.
She didn't live in a castle, but she did live in a lovely home with her family all around and nobody to bother them when they didn't want it. She had her own room, and that was good because she could go there if she wanted to be alone or leave if she didn't.
And although she sometimes got mad, there were plenty of times where she was nice, and she had good friends, and they had sleepovers, and played together, and talked together, and shared secrets and things, and that was even better than having servants or evil family or animals that could talk!
And she didn't have a prince, but she didn't want one right now, because she was happy where she was, and maybe someday a prince would come, but she didn't think he would have a white horse, maybe a nice car, but that would be when she was older, and that was ok.
She got so happy when she realized these things that she jumped off her bed and ran out of her room where her gerbil was still drinking click click clickclickclick click and ran to find her dad,
"Dad! Guess what?!"
He looked down at her from the mail he was looking through at the kitchen table and said,
"What is it, Princess?"
She stopped, her mouth dropped open and her eyes got really big.
"Never mind, I have to go think about some things." She said, and ran back to her room.
She didn't have an evil stepmother, although her mom yelled at her sometimes and made her do her chores.
She didn't have evil stepsisters, she had a brother, who could be evil when he wanted to, but most times he was alright.
She didn't have pet animals who could talk, or come to her when she sang, most things ran away when she sang. But she did have a gerbil. But all he did all day was eat, and drink from the tube that made a clicking sound, and sometimes run on his squeaky wheel, and often slept in the corner covered with wood chips.
She didn't live in a castle attic, under the sea, in a small-town cottage, or a hut with seven little men. She lived in a townhouse with her family, and her gerbil.
Her life was pretty ordinary, and so, she thought, was she.
She wasn't a beautiful princess who never got mad at people who were mean to her. She almost always got mad at people who were mean to her. Her mom and dad told her there were "Better ways to handle things" like the time that her brother ripped off her doll's head, and she punched him in the eye, her dad grounded her and told her there were better ways to handle things. Or when a boy from down the block pushed her in a mud puddle and ruined her favorite new shirt, and she chased after him and pushed him in the mud puddle, her mom made her apologize to the boy and his mom and told her there were better ways to handle things. She wished she knew what better ways to handle things were, but she almost always just got mad and did mean things back.
She didn't have any extraordinary talents. Like singing, she definitely could not sing, and it seems like almost every princess could at least sing. But not her. She couldn't make animals come to her whenever she wanted, although one time she got a squirrel to eat out of her hand and thought that was pretty special.
She also, did not have a prince coming to take her away. Not that she really wanted to be taken away, things were pretty ok with her the way they were, but she sometimes dreamed that a handsome prince on a white horse would ride up and lift her up behind him and they would ride off into the sunset to his castle. And then she would sigh, and think about how the sun would be in their eyes as they rode off, how she didn't really want to leave her family, well, sometimes when she was mad she did, but not usually, how many MORE chores there would be at the castle, and how her parents had told her never to talk to strangers, even handsome ones.
So she seemed doomed to live her ordinary life as ordinary her.
Until one day, she realized, it wasn't so bad, or so ordinary.
She was sitting in her bedroom, on her pink bedspread, which she didn't like anymore because she hated pink and the only reason she had it was because she thought you HAD to like pink to be a girl or a princess, and when she found out she didn't have to, she wished it was all purple because that was her real favorite color,
anyway, she was sitting on her bed, listening to her gerbil drink, click, click, click, click clickclickclickclick click, When she realized that she was even better than a princess!
She didn't have an evil stepmother! She had a mom and dad who loved her and took care of her and tried to teach her that there were better ways to handle things.
She didn't have evil stepsisters, she had a brother who was cool most of the time and sometimes shared his toys and candy with her.
She didn't have animals who could talk to her, but she did have a gerbil she could talk to, and sometimes it as nice to talk and just be listened to. Plus, gerbils aren't that hard to take care of, she imagined her fingers would probably hurt after trying to sew up all those little mice costumes, she just had to change the wood chips every once in awhile, and give him food and water.
She didn't live in a castle, but she did live in a lovely home with her family all around and nobody to bother them when they didn't want it. She had her own room, and that was good because she could go there if she wanted to be alone or leave if she didn't.
And although she sometimes got mad, there were plenty of times where she was nice, and she had good friends, and they had sleepovers, and played together, and talked together, and shared secrets and things, and that was even better than having servants or evil family or animals that could talk!
And she didn't have a prince, but she didn't want one right now, because she was happy where she was, and maybe someday a prince would come, but she didn't think he would have a white horse, maybe a nice car, but that would be when she was older, and that was ok.
She got so happy when she realized these things that she jumped off her bed and ran out of her room where her gerbil was still drinking click click clickclickclick click and ran to find her dad,
"Dad! Guess what?!"
He looked down at her from the mail he was looking through at the kitchen table and said,
"What is it, Princess?"
She stopped, her mouth dropped open and her eyes got really big.
"Never mind, I have to go think about some things." She said, and ran back to her room.