Once upon a time, there was a childish young princess.
This princess spent her Sunday afternoons underneath the tall tree in her palace garden, listening to the rustling leaves and occasionally a bird would pass by. The air was always fresh, the grass cool, and the sunlight that sometimes filtered down past her magnificent tree's mighty branches was warm and gentle. There was nothing else in the world that she could want.
Nothing else except for her prince, who lived in a faraway kingdom. Before, the two of them would always work on putting together puzzles, for they both loved the feeling that they got when a piece fit perfectly.
The princess had everything she wanted in her life: good food, kind parents, faithful friends, substantial riches, excellent education, beautiful dresses, and many toys. But she dearly missed him.
So the years passed. The childish princess still wanted to see him again, even though they hadn't met for so long.
|VV|
Felice's eyes flutter open as the summer breeze passes by. She blinks a bit as she sits up, letting her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight filtering down from the treetop. Still a little out of it, she gets to her feet and watches the children running around, some playing tag and others racing each other to see who can swing the highest. After a while, her head starts functioning properly again and she remembers that she fell asleep beneath the apple tree near the playground.
"How long have I been asleep?" she asks herself. As if on cue, Felice yawns. She hadn't slept until 3 a.m., and then she had to get up at 7 o'clock since her mother wanted everyone to eat breakfast at the same time for once. If only her mother had understood that not everyone was an early bird like her.
But Felice has already decided that every day of summer break, she would come to the park and spend her time here. Not only is it good exercise, she honestly has nothing else to do over vacation. Besides, she wants to find something. More like someone, to be exact.
Truth is, Felice is looking for a friend of hers. She once had a friend, who had brown hair and blue eyes, that she would spend countless hours a day with. Well, until he moved away. If I still remember properly, his name was Ethan, wasn't it?
Felice and Ethan used to come to this playground every day, their favorite spot being the apple tree that they would always rest under after playing. While it was not theirs entirely, it was special. Felice really liked Ethan back then. They even talked about getting married, although no one took it seriously since they were only seven.
Felice did, though. It may have just been a silly childhood crush. But Ethan had said he would be back when the apple tree started to bear fruit. This year, Felice finally saw small, light green apples hanging alongside the green leaves.
She closes her eyes and leans against the smooth trunk of the large apple tree she had just been sleeping on. "I guess he's not going to be back today, either..." Felice sighs.
|VV|
One day, the childish princess was bored. She decided to go to her favorite tree to play and brought with her a puzzle set, even though she was of marrying age and should've been inside studying.
She spent hours putting together all the pieces. When she had finally put everything in place, she discovered that one piece was missing.
|VV|
Just as she was about to doze off again, Felice hears a soft sound coming from above her.
Felice tilts her head back, and spots a small, furry head with a tiny pair of delicate ears on the sides of its head. "It's a kitten," she says, dumbfounded. Her eyes grow wide as she adds, "It's stuck..."
What should she do? Call 911? The poor thing looks like it's going to fall any moment now.
Felice glances at the kitten a second time, and gazes into its large amber eyes. Then, she makes up her mind.
With one hand she reaches for a low-hanging branch, and pulls herself up. To be honest, Felice had never climbed a tree, before. She thinks of all those times she had watched monkeys scale a tree without breaking a sweat, and attempts to mimic their actions.
Felice tries to grab the tough branch above her, but her arm isn't long enough. This is definitely harder than it looked. I guess it was a good idea to wear shorts today... she thinks to herself as she tightens her grip on a closer branch. Don't look down.
"I know," Felice mumbles; glad to finally be at the same branch as the kitten. The branch was thick and sturdy, but the kitty was at the very tip. It eerily reminds Felice of a person on the edge of a cliff. She tries not to think about that; it isn't a very pleasant topic.
"Here, kitty," she calls, unsure. How are you supposed to rescue a cat from a tree? Felice racks her brain for an answer. Offer it some food? She doesn't have any. Shake the tree? That would scare the life out of the poor thing, and probably send her sprawling to the ground. Grab it? Felice didn't want the animal to tear her arms to shreds.
She gulps, and inches closer. "Come here." Felice extends a hand, but the kitten backs away. That isn't good. "I'm not going to hurt you," she pleads. The branch shakes a bit, startling both the cat and Felice.
Felice shivers a bit and urges herself not to glance at the ground that is so far away from her. There's no need to frighten herself any more, after all. When Felice scoots herself closer to the frightened animal, she can hear its terrified mewing as it stares down below. "I'm here to help you," Felice says softly.
Suddenly, the kitten jumps into Felice's unsuspecting arms. The abrupt impact causes Felice to lose her balance, and she can't feel the tree branch beneath her feet anymore.
|VV|
The princess was upset. Where was the last piece? She had worked so hard to finish the puzzle, but it was impossible now. In her disappointment, she didn't notice the boy who had appeared behind her. He bent over and picked up something small from the ground.
That day, she met her prince.
|VV|
When Felice recovers from her shock, she feels strange. She can still feel the soft fur of the kitten in her arms as it meows gently. This was confusing. After falling from such a high place, she should be feeling much more pain. Instead, it is as if something had cushioned her fall.
She opens her eyes, and finds herself staring into a pair of bright blue eyes. That is when Felice realizes that she has landed on someone.
Not just anyone.
"Ethan?" she whispers breathlessly.
The boy beneath her beams. "I'm home, Felice."
Finally, after all those years. He was back. Felice couldn't help but grin back.
There was a thud! as a small apple falls from its tree, and rolls around on the grass, unnoticed.
|VV|
"Is this yours?" the prince, who was around her age, asked. In his hand was the missing piece.
"Yes," the princess said happily, taking the last piece and sliding it into place. The prince smiled, and it was then that she realized who this boy was.
He was her prince.
The childish princess and her prince were soon wed, and that puzzle was forever their dearest possession as they lived happily ever after.
I'll be honest, this story isn't one of my best works. I was just trying to finish it as soon as possible, since it's kind of like a school project. I have actually never climbed a tree before, so the whole climb-the-tree-and-save-the-cat thing was kind of strange to write about. I would understand if you found the fairy-tale thing kind of stupid, because I kind of did while I was writing this. Oh well! Now I know that I don't do well under pressure.