The Missing Key

Here is the story that I wrote. I know, it really isnt the best ever. But hey it may be an entertaining read at least.

The Missing Key

Once upon a time there was a Princess…
This Princess was unlike other princess, she did not have very long hair, or was asleep, or had a bad family. She was simply a princess. She had her own tower with a great wall around it. If she stood halfway up the tower and looked out the window she could see over it to the beautiful green forest beyond. She was very happy in her tower. She had many books which, through them she learned about the outside world. She had her gardens and her animals. She had friends too; her family and friends would come and visit her. She spent her days in happiness and contentment.
Of course there were boys, and princes who came by her tower to try to lure her out. While she did enjoy their company for a while she did not want to leave her tower. She would watch them from her windows for a while but always went back to her books and animals.
One day there was a different boy who came by her tower. This one was new so she went out to greet him. There were slats in her wall that she could look through. He had a beautiful white horse that even though she could tell it was a long journey they both seemed to be unaware of their fatigue. At first because she was human she scoffed at his white horse and clean appearance. Although she was nice on the outside she was skeptical on the inside. But through talking she learned that he was intelligent and did not seem to mind that she was in a tower, he did not try to lure her out.
Soon the day started to wane so they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. As the Princess made sure her animals were in their places and climbed the stairs to her room at the top of her tower, she thought of this mysterious man, for he was not a boy as she had first thought. Happy with how the day had gone and with the intelligent conversation she had had, she fell asleep.
The next day she went about her duties with keeping up her tower, she fed her animals and weeded her garden. She noticed a vine of roses had started to grow on her wall so she watered and fed it and sang to it, hoping it would continue to grow. She took in some of the fruit and vegetables and as she was climbing her stairs she stopped at the window to look out at the forest beyond. It was so pretty that time of day, the sun shining through the trees the smell of the warm air. “Delicious!” she thought as she continued on up. Little did she realize that she was a flight of stairs lower than the middle of the tower….
The days continued in this same happy way. She continued to learn things from reading and was happy with the upkeep of her tower. For a week the one interesting man had not come back. But of course she thought nothing of it, being so busy and all. Then when he did come she willingly met him down at the wall. They again talked until sunset. He told her of things outside her wall, and stories of the far off places that he had been to. They said their goodbyes and happily she skipped off to her tower. Was it just her or was the sunset more beautiful than when she had seen it before? What was that smell that greeted her? It was the scent of night blooming roses. “Delicious!” she thought and went off to bed to fall promptly asleep.
The next morning she went about her usual day, but something was different. Everything she saw sparked her imagination more than usual. She was delighted at little things like the green of the grass and the blue of the sky. She laughed and sang all day. She remembered the night roses she had smelled the night before. She went over to where the little rose plant was growing on her wall. The scent that met her even before she saw the plant was powerful and delightful. She caught sight of the plant and look! It had grown to almost as tall as she was! It was beautiful and she grew to love it, she fed it and watered it and sang to it for a long time hoping that it would continue to grow.
Up the stairs of her tower she went carrying the day’s harvest. She stopped as she normally did and looked out on the forest. It was beautiful as usual, and she spent many minutes looking out on its grand splendor. She loved watching the squirrels and birds climbing or flying from the top down to its darker branches under its canopy. “But wait! Something is different” she said, “I was not able to see under the canopy before. How am I seeing it now? My wall is much too high for that” In confusion she went out and looked at the wall surrounding her tower. It was shorter! But how could that happen? It had been the same height ever since she was a little girl. Puzzled by this she went back up to her room deep in thought. “Well no matter, I will figure it out tomorrow” she told herself and fell soundly asleep.
By morning with so many other things to think about the puzzle of the wall fled her mind. The day’s continued the same as usual. Time went on and the man came back. She happily went out to meet him wanting to share things that she had learned in her reading and upkeep of the tower. He in turn shared with her new stories, and thoughts he had since the last time they had talked. They enjoyed themselves thoroughly. She was no longer skeptical of him and his white horse. In fact the more she saw him the more beautiful him and his horse became. He became one of her closest confidantes. As she was walking back to her tower she thought very hard about her newfound friend. She wandered around her tower in the moonlight until the familiar smell of roses met her. She looked upon the rose vine with loving eyes. She had put a bench in this very spot so that she would have a place to sit while she enjoyed this bush. By now the roses had spread all the way up the wall and were starting to branch out along it. She sat down and continued to think about this man that came to visit her. “Why” she told herself “he is not just a man, he is a prince! How could I not have seen it from the beginning?” But she knew why in the deepest part of her heart. He had become more of a friend to her than anything. He was not like all the other princes, calling to her during the day to come out of her tower, serenading her with songs or poems trying to win her heart. He had not even tried to climb the wall, and never did he ask to come inside. She was amazed at these deep thoughts that had for so long escaped her. She realized that when she thought of this prince a dull ache slowly came into her chest. The days he visited she did not want the night to come. “Very strange thoughts,” She thought to herself as she climbed the tower up to her room.
The next morning she suddenly remembered the wall. She went outside not knowing what she would see. But there it was, shorter. Now it was only about 4 feet tall. She could easily see over it into the forest. She worried about it all morning. What would happen if some other princes came by? Would they try to come in? She went to sit on her bench in her garden to again think things through. The rose bush was all the way around the wall now, giving off its wonderful scent all around her tower. She marveled at how quickly the bush spread. “This must be a good thing” she thought, “for nothing bad could smell and bring such delight to my life. The roses have spread giving off their scent around my tower, and the wall is lower so I may observe the outside world more fully. I have learned and gained so much by not needing to strain to look over my wall, and by not having to look through a tiny slat window. Yes,” she decided “this must be a good thing.”
The next day the Prince came to see her again. She was curious to see what he would do now that her wall was so much lower. He respectfully stayed on his side of the wall. This surprised her and her apprehension about the wall being lower fled quickly. As they talked and laughed the day away she marveled at how beautiful he was, not just in physical appearance but in mind and soul too. Again she felt a deep ache in her chest. “Oh my Prince wont you come back tomorrow? I do love to talk and tell stories with you; we can have a picnic in my beautiful garden. Your beautiful horse can roam around the tower where the grass is sweetest. Please come tomorrow?” “My dear Princess, anything you ask of me I shall do. I shall be here tomorrow” he said with a smile. With that they waved goodbye.
The next day the prince came as he promised. His horse roamed around her tower eating the sweet grass. The Princess showed the Prince all around her tower. She showed him her animals, and various gardens. At last she lead him to her favorite rose bush. She explained to him how marvelous it was that it grew so big and beautiful and how much joy it had brought her, to smell its sweet scent and to sit under its peaceful roses to think. He did not confirm its beauty as she had thought he would. Instead he was looking over the wall at the other side; it was easy for now the wall was only about two feet high. “What is it my prince? Do not you marvel at this beautiful creation that has blessed my wall?” My dear Princess,” he said almost breathlessly “I do marvel at it, more than you know. Please let us sit here while I tell you my story. I was a happy prince at my home. I had been many places and had many friends and had a wonderful family to support me in anything I did. At long last, I grew lonely. This feeling bemused and frustrated me for I did not understand the source. One evening I was reading my horse to go home after dinner at a friend’s house and I found a box on my saddle. I was confused for I did not see any person place it there. I opened it and found a key. To myself I asked where the key came from. The key answered me and said. “ From the depths of the earth I was forged, a Princess whose love she scourge. Into my very metal to wait, her love to come he will not be late.” Amazed I asked “ Who is this Princess who so put her love into a key?” The key answered “ This Princess is in a far away tower, surrounded by a great wall, that only loves power will free, this fair princess, and now you, young man shall take up this quest.” I tried to ask what lock itself turns but it would not answer me. Finally, I said I would go on this quest. The key softly said “Very wise this man to go to the tower, only then will he learn loves true power” Ever since then it has been silent. I traveled far to this land. I heard of your wall in the town and walked along it for hours to find a way in. I heard you sing and talk to your animals and heard you taking care of your tower. I saw the princes that came and went, and grew in respect for you that you would not come out of your tower. The night after we had talked until sunset I remembered the key that led me to you. I thought about it for many hours and decided to hide it outside your wall until a time when I needed to regain hope for this quest I was on. I found a loose stone and put the key into the middle of the wall. But look dear Princess! Right over your wall, this rose bush is growing out of the crack where I put the key. This is why I am speechless.” The Princess took his story in with growing amazement. “At first when I saw that my wall was shrinking I was afraid” She said. “Afraid? Afraid of what my dear Princess?” “I was afraid that those other boys would climb over my wall. I did not want them to come in and spoil and make fun of my beautiful tower and gardens.” “Oh my Princess if only I had spared you this fear and worry. Those princes and boys are long gone; they were fools and could not see you or your tower and your gardens for what they really are. I told them to go away; they had no place being here unless they could stand in appreciation of what you have created and what you are.” With that the Princess started to cry for the love and respect he had shown. “Please do not cry my Princess, they are gone and I will make sure no one will mock your tower and gardens again. My Princess this is what I can give you, I can give you my love and my devotion, will you have it?” The answer was clear in her mind. “My Prince, what other answer can I give but yes? You have made me love you, and there is no one else that my wall would have come down for, I am sure of it. In all your dealings you have shown me love and respect, and I only hope that I will be able to show you the same in the many years to come.”
The Princess and Prince were very happy, they got married, and enjoyed staying in the tower taking care of the animals and gardens and the upkeep of the tower. They traveled to foreign lands and learned different languages. They grew in happiness and love for each other every day. They truly lived happily ever after…..





The End