An Uncompleted Story

The scullery maid was sweeping the ashes out of the fireplace in the princess’s room when she heard a soft sound of footsteps. She shuddered. The dark was the enemy of night , this was not the first time she had heard a eerie noise. She stooped over and dimmed her lantern. The Princess let out a moan in her sleep. “She was probably having that dream again” thought the scullery maid. She quietly stood up, and taking her lantern in hand, walked over to the window. She drew the curtains and cringed as they let out a slight scratching sound.  Startled, she raised her glance towards the bed. The princess was still asleep. She quickly peered out of the window. She saw nothing. But is the corner of her eye she saw a pinprick of light. She strained her eyes to see through the mask of darkness. In the far corner of the front courtyard he stood. Hunched over with a cloak whiter than snow.

The girl let out a strangled gasp. She grasp the curtain pull with a grip like death and yanked the curtain shut. She darted out of the room leaving the bucket of ashes and rags behind her.

The Princess was not having a good night. She was having the dream again, and she didn’t like it. Suddenly she woke up with a start. She felt the urge to look out the window. She got up and whispered “Pricilla!”  Pricilla woke up immediately. “Your highness needs me?” she asked. “Bring me my lantern and robe.” whispered the princess. Pricilla got them and helped the princess put her robe on. “Now go back to bed.” ordered the princess. Pricilla was happy to obey. She climbed back into bed and fell asleep.

The princess silently glided down the hall. Then she stopped short.  The sound of footsteps. Nearer every second. She hid in the shadow of the corner. A boy not older than twenty came dashing  down the hall. When he started to round the corner, the princess grabbed his arm and yanked him back. “What are you doing ?” She whispered with a voice as sharp as steel. “That’s a question I think you also need to answer dear sister” whispered her brother. The princess ignored him and came up with a compromise, “ This event did not happen. I saw no one, you saw no one.” She whispered fiercely. Then she darted around the corner, leaving the prince in the dark.

The prince strode down the hall, cursing under his breath every time he ran into a cabinet. Up a stairway he climbed, stopping at a plain wooden door. He grasp the bird shaped key around his neck and fit it in the lock. It turned with a click and the door creaked open. The prince silently disappeared behind it.

The room was dimly lit by a single candle and the prince could barely make out the chest of drawers and stool in the small room. He walked over to the drawer and reached under his shirt for a second key, identical to the first except for one detail. The bird on the key was weeping. He fit the key into the lock when he heard a shuffling behind him. That was impossible. No one had another key to this room. He turned around and felt an icy pain in his back. Wincing , the last thing he saw was a white cloaked figure yank the key out of the lock and slam the door behind him. Then he saw nothing.

The scullery maid pulled the trapdoor on the floor open with a heave and walked down the steps into the shivering coldness of the cellar. She  sat down among the potatoes and carrots and looked around the dark, earthy, room.  She would have preferred even her room to this place. Suddenly someone covered her mouth to muffle her scream that came. He whispered “It’s just me.” She breathed a sigh of relief. He took off his white cloak and draped over his arm. They got up and headed past the empty kitchen and into the night.

The clock chimed four o clock. The maid froze. She had been gone too long." I have to go." she whispered to the man. The castle would be waking up soon and if she wasn’t in her bed when Head Housecleaner woke, she would get double laundry and no food. Not that she got anything besides scraps. She slipped quietly into her bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The kingdom of  Weldannor was a large one, but no one ever visited it. The day the first visitor in 35 years visited, the queen was busy in her throne room. Playing card like every other day. She always played solitaire, and always lost. The throne room was elegant, decorated in red and black. There was a space where there should have been two thrones. There once were two thrones sitting there, outlined in gold roses . People awe at their greatness. Long ago, they had seated a handsome king and a beautiful queen. But after that fated day, when the king departed the world for good, the queen ordered  the thrones were burned, the gold used to make thousands of gold playing cards. The queen was playing with 52 of those glimmering cards when the guard rushed in.  “ Your, man, don’t, permission, not, coming.” He wheezed.  A high pitched noise , a mix between a scream and a laugh, came from the queen. “ Well, send him in.” She whispered quietly. “  Sorry?” murmured the man back, trembling. “ You bumbling fool! “ screamed the queen, her face red. “ Can you not hear me? Is my whisper not good enough, not loud enough for you?!” . Then with a wave of her hand the guard was dragged off.  The queen was obviously mad.

~Manna R