A little bit of whimsy

There once was a princess who lived in a tower. She lived in that fairytale construction of protection and safety, where little girls go when they are afraid. She had lived there so long that she didn’t even know why she had gone there in the first place. The tower was large, it was grey and it had a large and prickly hedge surrounding it.

For a while she enjoyed the life she had there. People came to her and she could talk to them. Sometimes she gave them very good advice. She could watch the stars rotate around the universe at night. She could think about the deep questions of life. The trees that grew close to her tower were magnificent and she recognized the beauty that surrounded her. But, there was something missing. There was a missing piece, a part of herself that she didn’t understand, and she became aware that there was a life outside of the tower.

So, she sat and she thought. She exercised her arms and legs to that they would be strong. She tried to make a plan, but eventually she gave up. The only way to know what was beyond the tower was to leave. One day, on a day that seemed like any other, she got out of bed and walked to the window, climbed over the edge and began to lower herself down, down, down. At the bottom, she fought through the prickly hedge until finally she was free. She was scratched, bruised and confused but she was free. Slowly, she walked towards the forest…

What happened to the princess when she entered the forest? I do not really know.

I know that she had people with her. Good people, people who would fight for her. Because, in the forest there were lots of battles, there were a lot of ugly things. Many beasts, dragons and witches came after her and tried to cut her soul. Sometimes she bled. Many times she cried. But, she found a pair of arms that would hold her. She found a prince who told her she was lovely, and he was glad that she had left the tower. Together she, her prince and her friends made their way through the forest. They were going towards something, a vague hope, an idea that life was made to be better, and along the way they invited other people to join them. This belief in life was like golden water. When they spoke about it, it made them stronger. They had many stories that I cannot write here. And in the end, it was enough. At the end of her life it was enough that she had lived life to the fullest.