The Last Flower in the Kingdom

Once upon a time, there lived a princess in a large gray castle.

The castle was drafty and empty; only the princess and a handful of servants lived there.

The large gray castle lay in the center of a large gray kingdom.

In the center of the castle, on a pedestal, stood a single pot with ordinary soil in it.
In the soil of the pot grew a single flower, the only flower in the entire kingdom.

It was the last flower that anyone knew of. The kingdom had become very dry and lifeless and this one flower was maintained by the diligent care of the princess and her retainers.
They held out hope that someday their land would be filled with flowers again, but in the cold nights in the gray castle, sometimes they feared it never would.

It grew colder, the nights grew longer, and maintaining the last flower grew harder.
At last it began to snow.

It snowed inches an hour, it snowed hills in a day. It snowed a mountain of snow over the entire kingdom in a month.

The princess and her servants invited the village into the castle and there they shared their meager food and lit a fire to keep everyone alive.
After many months, a boy who was playing in the top of the tallest tower of the castle looked out over the snow and called down to everyone, "It's melting! the snow is melting!"
The sun had come out at last, with a vengeance. The mountain of snow melted, slowly at first, and then in rivers. The village was built upon a rocky hill and the castle too, so they weren't flooded as water cascaded everywhere, in increasingly warm rushes.

On the last day of winter, the last of the snow melted away and the earth was infused with water, so that it was mushy to walk on.
And lo and behold, when the villagers came out of the castle, when the retainers came out, when the princess emerged,
they found the ground was green and growing in the warm sun. The light, the water, and their hope had finally brought Spring, and with it life. And to their surprise and amazement, the hills surrounding the village and the large, gray castle were covered in beautiful flowers of every description.

The end.



And friends, Spring is coming.

Princess of the White Fields

Once there was a princess who lived not in a palace, a castle or a tower, but rather in the wide green fields.  She lived with the horses, riding on the open plains.  She had many brown horses, some white ones, and some black horses.  They rode together in a herd, roaming from field to field.

She loved her life and she loved her horses.  She also kept in touch with other princesses who lived in other lands.  They all, to the very last one, lived in beautiful palaces with high white towers and pointed roofs.  The princess loved visiting her princess friends and staying in their soft guest beds and talking with their delightful servants and family, but she always longed to return home to her horses and her fields.

Many of her princess friends didn't understand why the princess lived and slept in the fields.  They were used to their own palaces and the many human friends they had and didn't see how much the princess loved her fields and her horses and her life.

Sometimes, one of the other princesses would come to visit the princess in her fields and ride with the horses.  They loved riding together with the horses and they loved breathing the refreshing outdoor air.

When night came and the princesses bedded down near each other on the grassy ground, the other princess would ask her, "Where is your comfy bed?  Why are we sleeping in the grass?"  The princess didn't know what to say!

Then, one day, the princess was riding with her horses, on the back of a beautiful white mare, when the herd became nervous and uncertain.  The horses could smell something in the air.  After a moment, the princess smelled it too: rain!  She could see dark, dark clouds gathering in the hills, heading towards them.  It was not just a little shower that was coming, but a great storm! 

Gathering together her herd, on the back of the beautiful white mare, the princess led them away from the storm.  As she rode, she could feel the storm grow.  Wind whipped up and tousled the horses' manes and the princess's pretty hair.  Some raindrops landed on her arm.

She led the herd up a hill to the foot of a tall mountain with smooth slopes.  They rode up, up, up the mountain until the green fields were tiny and distant behind them.  As they got near the top of the mountain, they were surrounded by white fluffy clouds.

The princess rode her white horse through the whiteness and at last came out above it, and above the storm!  They were safe!

Lightly, her mare reached forward with a white hoof and tapped at the cloud.  What a wonder!  The cloud was solid and light and fluffy.  Cautiously, the herd of horses stepped off the mountain and on to the cloud!  The cloud was like her green fields and stretched on for a great distance.  Filled with happiness, the horses whinnied and pranced about.

The princess decided that this would be their new home!  It was wonderful, soft, clear and bright.  The horses loved it and they had plenty of space.  Above the clouds, they were safe from storms.

Whenever her friends came to visit her now, they didn't wonder about how the princess lived differently than they did.  They loved the white open space, they loved the clear air, and they loved the view!  Never a week went by when the princess didn't have a guest.

That is the story of the princess of the white fields.

Testing

Once upon a time there was a bold writer who set up a new blog, and wanted to test it! He set forth on a long and perilous journey to his writing desk, whereupon he picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and set down a story on paper. And this was it.