Mr. Eagle Makes A Proclamation

 The king woke up in the kitchen rubbing his eyes. He looked around and the kitchen was empty. That was very unusual. The cook and his helpers were always in the kitchen unless it was late at night. "Why am I sitting on a stool in my kitchen? Where is everyone?" He yawned and thought, "Well, I had better see what is going on." He went through the kitchen door and to his astonishment he saw several of his servants napping! Napping! He couldn't believe his eyes. There was his gardener surrounded by puppies sound asleep with a straw in his mouth. He was drinking pomegranate juice! His cook was sound asleep with a kitten on his lap. "This will not do! I must find Princess Marlee and make sure she is alright. I have a feeling my sister, the Wicked Witch has something to do with this. She is playing games that I do not appreciate. Not one little bit!

The King looked all over the castle and could not find his daughter. He decided he had better look outside. When he arrived to the clearing where Princess Marlee had fallen asleep the bed was empty. "Oh my beautiful little girl. What has happened to you? Has my sister, the Wicked Witch done something terrible to you? I will find you if it's the last thing I do!"

The Wicked Witch had kept her promise. She indeed had put sleeping powder in the pomegranate. Princess Marlee had fallen asleep in the beautiful bed she had made for her in the forest. She put a spell upon her alright. She had said she was going to make her poor. She did just that. The Wicked Witch thought it would feel good to make others as unhappy as she was, but it didn't. She found herself sitting on the floor of the forest with her cat, Sharpie. They were all alone and without a friend in the world.

When Princess Marlee woke up she found herself in tattered clothes and dirt on her face. She no longer wore a beautiful gown or a crown of diamonds on her head. She was all alone in the forest or so she thought It seemed to her like she had walked for hours and was so very lost. She looked down at her little bare feet and thought, "I need to rest. My feet are tired and sore from the rocks and twigs. Just as she decided to sit for awhile she felt a gentle touch and heard kind words. "Hello, I am the farmer's daughter. Would you like to come home with me and play with my chickens? I have a rabbit too, because the Wicked Witch changed one of my chickens into a rabbit, but he is fun to play with. What do you think? I could use a friend. How about you? I'm sure my mother has something for us to eat. Are you hungry or thirsty? What do you think? Our farm is not far and we have been invited to a birthday party for a little horse. I think that is so funny. If you come home with me you can stay overnight and we shall have lots of fun and go to the party."

Jordan said, "Grandma Lu didn't Charlie and Princess Marlee recognize each other? They were good friends remember? Princess Marlee would invite Charlie to the castle for swan rides and she would visit Charlie on the farm."

Grandma Lu said, "I'm sorry to say that they did not recognize each other. Often times folks fall on hard times. They don't have a home to sleep in or nice or clean clothes. They even lose weight because they don't have enough food to eat. Often they can't comb their hair or take a bath. In this story though, the Wicked Witch just might not be recognized by her own brother, the king, or her sister, the farmer's wife.

High in a tree Mr. Eagle grinned to himself. "Oh this is getting good. Buzz and Winston are just now discovering that some of the gnomes at the RV park are not made of stone. I need to let Moss know that Adalynn is indeed planning a party for Lightfoot. Hopefully, the Wicked Witch doesn't find out before the party starts. The King is steaming mad at his sister, the Wicked Witch and poor Waddles is still eating bugs for breakfast. This is one story that Grandma Lu will never be able to tell the children at Marleewood. It's too bad really, but what goes on in the forest must stay in the forest."