selling the most unique, handmade wares.
And just the
appearance of their Princess had caused all this?
They were
amazed!
How was it
possible?
Where had she
come from?
Who was
she?
Why hadn’t she
spoken?
How had she
reassured them all despite not saying a word?
They asked these
questions, of course. Asked themselves. Asked each
other.
But they weren’t
really bothered abut receiving any answers.
They were happy.
That was the main thing. And they were sure that, at last, all
their worries were over. Yes, there would be minor problems to deal
with, as there always would be; but they would be dealt
with!
Why, look at how
their magnificent palace stretched towards the heavens themselves,
showing that anything was possible! Look at how it glowed in
the sun, like a vast beacon of hope!
As night fell,
the palace continued to benevolently watch over them, the warm glow
from its brightly lit rooms like gloriously large lanterns that
spread and shared their light with the peacefully sleeping
townspeople.
There were no
dark carnages that night.
There were no
copies of illustrations waiting to be viewed in the
morning.
For the first
time ever, it seemed, the town awoke as any other town awakes; full
of hope and expectation, and wondering what challenges and triumphs
the new day would bring.
*
When the sun was
at its brightest, another fanfare of trumpets sounded out across
the town.
Everyone glanced
up towards the balcony. But there was no movement there.
Their Princess
didn’t appear.
This time it was
the gates that opened.
From inside the
walls, there came the snort and whinnying of proud horses, the
clatter of wheels on cob stone.
The driverless
carriage unhurriedly pulled out through the gates. The prancing
horses were of purest white. The carriage itself, even its wheels,
could have been made of porcelain or mother of pearl, it gleamed so
wondrously white, reflecting the tones and shades of everything it
passed as fluid rainbows. (In fact, people would later say, the
main body was so perfectly spherical that it could only have been
formed from a gigantic pearl, skilfully hollowed out from
within.)
It was their
Princess, everyone was sure, even before anyone began to catch
glimpses of her behind the brightly shimmering windows. She leaned
forward in her seat, gaily waving at each and every person she
passed. She smiled. She giggled with joy as children playfully ran
alongside her carriage, easily keeping up with its languid progress
towards the town square. The townspeople followed it too, waving at
their Princess, waving at each other as more people joined their
steady progression towards the square.
In the very
centre of the square, the carriage pulled to a halt. A thin central
band of the carriage began to wheel forward, while also sliding
open at its rear, slowly elevating the Princess up through the roof
until she was standing on its very top. A flaring safety rail
formed around her, but it was invisible against the innumerable
layers of lace of her resplendent dress, such that she appeared
like a queen proudly standing astride the globe she
ruled.
The whole crowd
gasped in awe. She was even more beautiful than they had imagined.
Her skin was as perfectly white, as indelibly flawless, as
astonishingly smooth, as luminously glistening, as a
pearl.
There was
something about her, those closest to her realised, that wasn’t quite real. But who could quibble about that, who would
care? That just made her more magical than ever, didn’t
it?
Some of the
people gathered around her even recognised her for who she really
was; she was the Porcelain Child. The Porcelain Child come to life,
as the stories had foretold. And what could be more magical, more
amazing, than that?
The crowd
stilled and quietened as it dawned on them that their Princess was
about to speak.
‘ You
may think that I’m here to tell you that there will be no more
Fading, no more illustrations.’
Her voice was
clear,
And just the
appearance of their Princess had caused all this?
They were
amazed!
How was it
possible?
Where had she
come from?
Who was
she?
Why hadn’t she
spoken?
How had she
reassured them all despite not saying a word?
They asked these
questions, of course. Asked themselves. Asked each
other.
But they weren’t
really bothered abut receiving any answers.
They were happy.
That was the main thing. And they were sure that, at last, all
their worries were over. Yes, there would be minor problems to deal
with, as there always would be; but they would be dealt
with!
Why, look at how
their magnificent palace stretched towards the heavens themselves,
showing that anything was possible! Look at how it glowed in
the sun, like a vast beacon of hope!
As night fell,
the palace continued to benevolently watch over them, the warm glow
from its brightly lit rooms like gloriously large lanterns that
spread and shared their light with the peacefully sleeping
townspeople.
There were no
dark carnages that night.
There were no
copies of illustrations waiting to be viewed in the
morning.
For the first
time ever, it seemed, the town awoke as any other town awakes; full
of hope and expectation, and wondering what challenges and triumphs
the new day would bring.
*
When the sun was
at its brightest, another fanfare of trumpets sounded out across
the town.
Everyone glanced
up towards the balcony. But there was no movement there.
Their Princess
didn’t appear.
This time it was
the gates that opened.
From inside the
walls, there came the snort and whinnying of proud horses, the
clatter of wheels on cob stone.
The driverless
carriage unhurriedly pulled out through the gates. The prancing
horses were of purest white. The carriage itself, even its wheels,
could have been made of porcelain or mother of pearl, it gleamed so
wondrously white, reflecting the tones and shades of everything it
passed as fluid rainbows. (In fact, people would later say, the
main body was so perfectly spherical that it could only have been
formed from a gigantic pearl, skilfully hollowed out from
within.)
It was their
Princess, everyone was sure, even before anyone began to catch
glimpses of her behind the brightly shimmering windows. She leaned
forward in her seat, gaily waving at each and every person she
passed. She smiled. She giggled with joy as children playfully ran
alongside her carriage, easily keeping up with its languid progress
towards the town square. The townspeople followed it too, waving at
their Princess, waving at each other as more people joined their
steady progression towards the square.
In the very
centre of the square, the carriage pulled to a halt. A thin central
band of the carriage began to wheel forward, while also sliding
open at its rear, slowly elevating the Princess up through the roof
until she was standing on its very top. A flaring safety rail
formed around her, but it was invisible against the innumerable
layers of lace of her resplendent dress, such that she appeared
like a queen proudly standing astride the globe she
ruled.
The whole crowd
gasped in awe. She was even more beautiful than they had imagined.
Her skin was as perfectly white, as indelibly flawless, as
astonishingly smooth, as luminously glistening, as a
pearl.
There was
something about her, those closest to her realised, that wasn’t quite real. But who could quibble about that, who would
care? That just made her more magical than ever, didn’t
it?
Some of the
people gathered around her even recognised her for who she really
was; she was the Porcelain Child. The Porcelain Child come to life,
as the stories had foretold. And what could be more magical, more
amazing, than that?
The crowd
stilled and quietened as it dawned on them that their Princess was
about to speak.
‘ You
may think that I’m here to tell you that there will be no more
Fading, no more illustrations.’
Her voice was
clear,
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