Princess Marlee Wonders If Being A Princess Is a Good Thing

 The lonely princess just had a feeling that no one was going to come to her party. She just didn't know how her grandmother was going to accept the fact that no one wanted to come to Wefunland to her party. Maybe she shouldn't have made it a sleepover, maybe she shouldn't have made it a Valentines party. Maybe this maybe that. She didn't know. She decided to get up off the couch and look out the window. She looked towards the servant's castle. It used to be her grandmother's home, but she liked being with Marlee so she moved to the larger castle. Marlee usually liked to play with her grandmother and go along with her sometimes quirky ideas, but this one looked like it was going to be a flop. She took off her tiara and turned it around and around in her hands. "Is it really a good thing to be a princess? I sometimes think being a regular little girl would be more fun. I might have more friends then."

As Princess Marlee watched out the window there seemed to be quite a few more people at the smaller castle than normal. She really didn't recognize any of the people there. She sure didn't know any young men or any of the adults that she could see going in and out of the old kitchen door. "Hmm, maybe I should tell my grandmother that something is going on over there." As she turned away from the window she brushed against the curtains and went on her way to see where her grandmother was.

                                                                           

                                                                Grandmother Weaver

Grandmother Weaver missed her old home. "It was cozy inside those old walls. I loved my staff. They had so much fun with each other. I used to let some of their mistakes slide even though I shouldn't have. Sometimes they would go outside and build snowmen instead of doing their duties on time and being at my beck and call. They were young though. Yes, I miss them. I might take a stroll over there today to say hello."

Just for fun Princess Marlee's grandmother went into the back kitchen to see if the cooks were baking anything good. "Hmm, it's kind of dusty. I don't think they have been cleaning like they should be." It smelled like cookies were baking, but there wasn't a soul around. "Well, I wonder where everybody is?" She picked up a cookie to munch on as she wondered through the rooms that she knew so well. "Oh yes, this is home. I lived here for so many years. I do get homesick sometimes, but then I have Marlee to play with." As she neared the front door she heard voices and laughter. She looked out the window and couldn't believe her eyes. There were people everywhere! Some of them were young ladies that she had invited to the party for Princess Marlee. What are they doing here instead of Wefunland? This is preposterous! I will put an end to all this merry making. My poor granddaughter is all alone and they are having a party! 

 

                                                                 
Whitlee Jo had been laughing and meeting all kinds of children her age, some even older. There were boys and girls, men and women and dogs and horses. There were unicorns and cats and even a triceratops dinosaur wearing a tutu and a necklace. There all kinds of toys to play with and cookies to eat. She had never had more fun in her life. She knew that Unilan was the place of her dreams. But as she looked up she saw a curtain move at one of the windows of the big castle next door. She didn't think she had ever seen a more sad face on a little girl. She couldn't have that. Everybody was having fun, but about the time she was going to see who that girl was an angry old lady came stomping outside and said, "Stop! Stop this minute. Get back to work and the rest of you go home! There will be no party here."

Marlee Isn't Giving Grandma Lu Approval

Grandma Lu was busy typing and writing notes in her journal and noticed that Whitlee Jo had fallen sound asleep. She thought to herself, "Poor little girl is bored to tears listening to Marlee and I. We should probably quit for the day and come back another day to finish the story. She looked over at her co-writer and said,"Marlee why don't we quit for today and come back another day maybe tomorrow to finish the story. It looks like Whitlee is tuckered out. I don't think she is a bit interested in the story. What do you think?" Marlee said, "No, I want to finish it today. Besides I said no boys and you already have two boys in the story and a butler that's a boy." Grandma Lu chuckled and said, "Okay, but the boys need to stay. Your daddy was a little boy once and your daddy has two brothers and you have boy cousins. Boys have a definite place in our story. In fact Kane and Miles are the heroes." Marlee said, "Okay. I guess you are right. The story is getting pretty interesting now. So what is going to happen to Johnnie Belle and Regan?"   

Grandma B said, "I wonder what you are going to do about Whitlee. You have her lost and eating cookies in a castle and nobody knows where she's at. Plus you have a search party out looking for her. Then poor Harper is out riding around on a unicorn. I think you two better get it together. I'm tired just thinking about it."

Grandma Lu grinned and whispered in Marlee's ear. "She has completely forgotten about Lyvy. She's at Unilan with Bella and a whole bunch of unicorns and maybe some strange creatures." Marlee laughed and said, "She forgot, didn't she? She also forgot about the Grandmother's cats. I think you have a plan, Grandma Lu." She knew she did when she saw Grandma Lu typing furiously on her computer. Marlee just knew that she was going to pull it off, but she sure didn't know how. She kind of agreed with her Grandma B. She was a little bit worried to tell the truth.

Grandma Lu stopped typing for a minute and Marlee said, "Okay read me what you have. Let me see if I approve. I'm still not too happy about the poor princess being spoiled and lonely. She wanted to have a party. Is she going to have a party? Is anyone going to come? I have this terrible feeling about this story."
                             

                                                                       *******

The Lonely Princess was resting on her grandmother's couch wishing she would get some kind of mail. She had sent out several invitations but had not heard back from anyone yet. She sure did wish those Royal cats would quit their meowing. One of them ran and hid under a blanket on the chair. 

 "I don't know why Grandmother keeps those cats. I love my little dog. I can dress her up and she doesn't even growl. She's the only friend I have," she sighed. She needed to rest just in case she did have someone come to her Valentines party. She and her grandmother had made a simple box for the Valentines she had hoped to receive. It was empty as well as the silver platter waiting for acceptance notes by the front door. Carter had at this point not received a single one. She also had not heard if the search party had found the little lost girl. "I hope they find her. I might like to have a little sister. At least it would give me someone to talk to and maybe play with.

                                                                               Whitlee Jo

Whitlee Jo loved the kitchen staff. They made excellent cookies and were so much fun. The dishwasher was a hoot. She would laugh and sing as she washed the dishes and the cooks were fun too.

Whitlee Jo said, "What do you call this place anyway? You all have so much fun even though it seems like you are always working. What are you doing all this baking for? Are you going to have a party? There is enough cupcakes for a party. I saw you give that boy a cupcake. I think I hear people outside. There are two little girls and two boys and even some grownups. Wait a minute! I see a boy with a horse holding onto my Uni! Yuk! You should clean your windows! Is there spiders in here? Wait you have my Uni!"

Miles Found A Clue While On A Quest For Wildflowers

 Harper woke up when she heard all the commotion at the door. She got up and asked her mama what had happened. Her mother told her that there was a little girl lost in the woods. Her daddy had gone out to help search for her. Her mother told her to go back to bed and go to sleep. She was sure they would find the little girl and not to worry. As Harper was snuggling back under her covers she looked over at the window sill. It was kind of dark but she could see something with colors and writing on it. She got up and looked at it. It was an invitation to a party at the palace! Oh she was so excited. She quickly got changed, grabbed Mickey and Minnie and went outside. When she looked up at the sky there was a rainbow and a unicorn waiting to give her a ride. She was so excited she dropped her favorite toys in the snow and ran up the steps with her invitation held tight in her little hand.

                                                                  Miles

Miles and his mama lived at the edge of a forest. Miles and his dog, Simba, loved to go hiking in the woods. Today he was on his way to gather some flowers for his mom. She loved flowers and always had a smile on her face when he brought her some. It was snowing outside today so he bundled up to keep warm. He grinned to himself. There probably wouldn't be any flowers blooming in the snow, but it was a good chance to play and get some fresh air.

As he and his dog walked through the forest he saw and heard such fun things. He couldn't wait to tell his mom all about it. There was a dove and a thatcher that were in an argument. Evidently the thatcher didn't think the dove should have any of the seeds that he had found. The thatcher was giving the dove trouble with a lot of squawking. But as Miles watched, the dove just sat there and listened. Simba stayed by his side and didn't make a sound. He was such a good dog.

It seemed strange to Miles that as the further he walked the weather started to get a little warmer. It had stopped snowing. He came upon a creek where he noticed that there were tracks of deer and other wild animals. Some were good to eat. His mom had taught him how to figure out the good animal tracks from the dangerous ones. As he walked he could hear both the calls of birds, the chattering of a squirrel whose dinner with a beautiful doe he had interrupted and the chuckling of the water in the creek seeming to sing a little song as it traveled over the rocks and down the hill.  He missed his mom today. It was a perfect day for a hike.

As he got closer he was surprised to see some wildflowers after all. He was so happy. As he stooped to pick some he noticed some stuffed toys that had fallen by the wayside. He had some girl cousins that liked to play with those. He had some himself. They were nice to talk to and play with when his mama was busy working or at night. 

He had his hands pretty full. He had picked some flowers and now he had these little toys. He needed to see if he could find the person who dropped them. He noticed a sign pointing to Wefunland. He had heard of that place. The family was known for their wealth but also for their kindness to others. He would follow the sign and see if the princess that lived there knew who the toys belonged to.

After some time he did arrive at the castle. The princess was outside with her little dog. He grinned, so did Simba. He had never seen a dog with a crown before. He told her about the lost toys he had found. The princess was glad to see him. She had been feeling lonely. She said that her parents had a search party looking for a lost little girl. Maybe these belonged to her. She invited him into the castle to warm up and offered him a cupcake that her cook had made.

What the princess and Miles didn't know was that the search party was now at the creek. They saw hoof prints from Kane's horse, and footprints from both Miles and Kane as well as Whitlee Jo. The discussion was which way did the smallest footprints go.

Could Unicorns Be Real?

                                                       Johnnie Belle

Johnnie Belle had been included in a shopping day with her mama. She loved her brother, Bradshaw, but a girls' day out was wonderful. Her brother was older and had already started preschool. Sometimes she would get lonely and would feel a bit sorry for herself, but her mama would often take her to see her cousin, Oakley. She loved Oakley. They had the same grandparents and sometimes they would get to play together at their house.

The first place she and her mama went that day was a store that sold little girl headbands and sunglasses. She giggled and said, "Oh, Mama, may I try that on? It is so pretty. I think it would match my sunglasses. What do you think? It looks just like a unicorn. I love unicorns. I heard that they are magic. I think they might be real. Are they real, Mama?"

 As Johnnie put the head band on she got a little dizzy. She looked in the mirror then she heard a lady asking for a boarding pass. She looked all around her. Where was she? She was in an airplane! Then she looked out the window.  As she squinted her eyes and looked really close she thought she could see a beautiful castle peaking through the clouds. "Oh, Mama! Look! There goes a unicorn. They must be real!"

Queen Kennlee Ann

Even though she lived in what looked like a castle, she actually lived in the servant's quarters connected to the main palace at Wefunland. Kennlee wasn't a real queen. Her mama called her a queen and her daddy called her princess, but she had no loyal subjects, just stuffed animals that she had gotten for gifts. They were all in her bedroom in case she got company, but she never did. Each day she would go sit out by the sea hoping someone would come to play with her. One day while she was outside she looked up and there was the most beautiful airplane she ever saw. She wondered who the people were in the plane and where they were going. As she watched the plane it disappeared in the clouds; another day without someone to play with.

As she continued to look up into the sky imagining the wonderful places she would visit and things she could see she could hear the head cook calling her. It was time to go to work. It seems that the real princess was going to have a party and needed special treats for her guests. She had missed seeing the beautiful unicorn that had been flying beside the airplane that Johnnie Belle was riding on.

 It would be so nice to go to a party as a guest someday. She did like the kitchen staff though. They laughed and had a good time while they were working.

That night after her work was done, she heard a knock at the kitchen door. When she opened the big wooden door there stood a little girl. She had things covering her eyes and a leopard skin on her head and for a coat. The poor thing looked dirty and confused.

"Hey, I'm a little cold. I'm looking for Unilan'. I lost my Uni somewhere. Have you seen him?  Can I come in? I'm hungry. Got any cookies? I think I smell cookies. Oh those look good. We should have a party."

A Royal Search Party Is Being Created

                                                   Kane: Son of the Royal Stable Groomer

 Kane was out in the timber one winter day. It was cold, but he had a feeling that the horse called Aires, had gotten out of the corral and ventured into the timber. She had a sore hoof and it made her limp. Kane needed to get her back to shelter so he could help put some birch wood ointment on her hoof. Maybe he would help wrap it up to keep out the dirt and snow. He had heard his father, the head groomer say that it was a good healer for things like that. His mother also worked with the horses and had taught him well. As he looked through the trees there she was. Oh he was so glad to see her. "You are coming home with me, Miss Aires. We need to get you all doctored up." As he gave her a hug he looked down and there lay a little stuffed toy. "Hmm, wonder who dropped this. It looks like a little one's well loved stuffed toy."

Even though Kane spent much of his time mucking stalls and helping the stable hands caring and feeding the horses, Kane knew about young girls and their favorite toys. He had some sisters and they each had had them when they were little.

He looked around the little creek and saw little tiny foot prints and two old wooden signs laying in the snow. "Oh this doesn't look good at all. Aires, I need to get you back home and send out some folks to look for a little girl. I can tell by her footprints that she is lost in the woods. The only thing is, I don't know where she is going; Wefunland where we live, or a strange land called Unilan. I'll let the grownups search. We need to get back as soon as we can."

*******

Carter, the butler, had saught and found the Princess Marlee's grandmother. He told her of the situation concerning the Princess's request that he plan a party for her. He explained to Grandmother Weaver that he had no experience for that sort of thing and could he be excused from that particular duty.

Oh the dowager was so excited. "That's just what that girlie needs. "Of course, I will help her. Get on with your duties, Mr. Carter, but alert the staff that there will be a party within two weeks time for at least ten young ladies."

"As you wish, countess, as you wish, And might I thank you."
The Princess and her grandmother set to work to find suitable guests for the princess' first party. She had summoned Princess Marlee to her sitting room. It was a beautiful room with lots of windows. The sun would shine in and her two beautiful cats would sit in the warmth and survey the kingdom of Wefunland at great length. 

Grandmother Weaver called for tea and together they decided that it would be a Valentines Day party. Therefore there was much to plan. First the guest list. Since Countess Weaver had lived in this land for many years she knew of several young ladies that should be put on the guest list. The first was Harper. She was a bit young, but her parents were good hard working people and well mannered. She just knew that she  might be a friend to her granddaughter in the future. 

                                                           

                                                                  Harper

Harper's invitation to Princess Marlee's Valentines Day party came by special messenger, however, Harper was asleep and her parents wouldn't disturb her. They put the invitation on her windowsill for her to see in the morning Her mother put it  right beside her favorite stuffed toys; Minnie and Mickey.

                                                                           Regan

The next invitation that was sent was to Regan. Regan was an only child and was well liked by her friends in preschool. Her parents and grandparents loved her very much and gave her everything she needed and most of what she wanted. She loved stuffed animals as well as other children, but her favorite was unicorns; she had fifteen of them. She even had a robe that looked like a unicorn which she was wearing the evening that her invitation came from Princess Marlee.

Regan's parents were so pleased that the Royal princess had invited their little girl to a party, but they were a little worried. They looked at the invitation and said, "What do you think? Why would she invite our little girl to the castle for a party? Do you think we should let her go? Does she have anything to wear to such a party? Regan's mom said, "Well, why don't we let Regan decide. Let's call  and wake her and see what she says."

Before they had a chance to talk to Regan there was a knock at the door. It was a man from the Royal search party. Evidently there was a young child probably a little girl that was lost in the forest. They asked Regan's father for help in the search. He immediately left to help and there was not a discussion about the party that evening. She went back to bed wondering what they had wanted to talk to her about.

The Butler: Mr. Carter

 There weren't very many children that Princess Marlee knew. She was royalty after all and didn't associate with the lower class. She knew that some of the trades people had children. Did she want them for friends? She had to think about this. She was really lonely and had no one to talk to but the butler and some of the other help in the castle. The cook and the dishwasher in the huge kitchen seemed to be friends. They were always laughing and talking to each other. She didn't have anyone to laugh with. Whenever she went to the kitchen they quit talking and laughing and asked her what she wanted. The butler just kept a straight face and didn't seem like he wanted to visit with her either. He always said, "Yes, your grace, no your grace, right away your grace." 

                                                                  The Butler: Carter

Mr. Carter's father had been the previous butler, and his father before him. Being a butler was all that he knew how to do. He supervised the staff in the huge castle. He would answer the doors for visitors. He liked most of the staff.                                  

The cook and the dishwasher always seemed to like him. They would put out snacks for him without saying anything. He slyly put them either in his coat pocket or let them be until his duties for the day were over. Then he would take them to his tiny room that was on the third floor. On his way to his room he would see the princess in her room with her silly little dog. Her room was always a mess. "She doesn't take care of anything." The bureau drawers were left hanging open and the dog was inevitably on her bed. "Disgraceful; that's what it is, just disgraceful." That dog has a crown with jewels and all I have is a cold and tiny room with an occasional treat from the kitchen staff. It's not right."

"Now she says that she's going to have a party and wants me to help her. I have never helped with a child's party before. That's something I can't even imagine doing. That's something for the Queen to do or perhaps the King's mother. She seems to bend to her every whim. Perhaps I shall speak with her about this situation."

Grandma Lu started reading out loud. She grinned this was great. It would make a good story. Marlee said, "I don't like it. You need to do it over. I'm not spoiled like that."

                                                                             Whitlee Jo

 In the corner, Whitlee rolled her eyes, and said to herself, "I'm outta here. Grandma Lu has it right! I think I like that lady. I have some plans to make. I have decided that I will have a party of my own. Pretty soon I'm going home and get all dressed up and get it started. I'm going to Unilan' and find a friend of my very own. I don't need to write it down. I don't know what the big deal is about a book. I'll take my uni with me and we will have lots of fun. I think my party will be better than Moo's."

"Hmm, I wonder which way I should go. Maybe I should go back home for a little while, I'm starting to get a little cold. I forgot my mittens and a snack in case I get hungry.  Now which way did I turn...."

Parties Are Like Life; So Many Details

 The next day Marlee and Grandma Lu started to gather up all of their notes to decide if they needed more things and people to add to their story. They had the castle, the princess who Marlee decided would be Princess Marlee, and they had decided that the name of the land that the princess lived in was to be called Wefunland. Grandma Lu had suggested that the princess have a party to make new friends. They had decided on the party to be a sleepover. So Grandma Lu said, "Well, the invitations should say when the party is, and to bring your own blanket or stuffed animal. What do you think about it being on Valentines Day, Marlee? You could have the boys and girls make Valentines boxes. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Marlee said, "No boys! I just want girls at my party." Grandma B and Grandma Lu laughed and Grandma Lu said, "Why don't you want boys? They make really good friends and if you remember, you always wanted a Prince Charming in your other story that we wrote together." "Nope, I'm all bigger now; no boys." So Grandma Lu said, "Okay, we are partners so I'll help you write a story with no boys, but I think you just might change your mind. Anyway, you have to decide who to invite and how many to invite. You know when you have a party you have to have food. What are you going to have them eat? Are you going to have a cook in your story or are you going to do the cooking?"

"Yes I need a cook. I want to have steak. I want my cook to be a girl. They can cook better." Whitlee thought to herself, "I think Mah can cook good too. She makes good corn dogs. Have corn dogs to eat in your story, Moo. Lots of corndogs!"

Grandma Lu grinned at Whitlee and said, "Okay, Marlee, are you ready to start the story? I think we should start with the princess sending out the invitations. What do you think?"

Marlee, said, "Yes, I can just see it now. Princess Marlee writing out her invitations. Oh she has such a beautiful blue dress....."

Whitlee thought, "I'd rather sit on my daddy's lap than write any silly story."

But Grandma Lu was getting out her computer just itching to get this story started.