Sleeping Beauty, the One Who Took the Really Long Nap Read Free Page B

On my way to my secret rosebush, I stopped at the swing that had hung from the old oak tree for generations. I climbed up on it and imagined my father and grandfather swinging from the same spot when they were boys. Below me was a small, cracked fountain with a marble mermaid on the top. Father said water used to come out of her mouth. Mother said the gurgling sounded too much like music, so it had been drained long ago.
    The mermaid looked sad, and I did not want to ruin mygood mood, so I moved on. When I reached the rosebush, I bent down and rubbed the petals between my fingers. I smiled when I saw the stain they left behind. Even though I spent much of my time alone, I was not unhappy. I played with the petals for a few more minutes, then realized that since no one was watching me, I might as well try to find the old building I had heard whisperings of. Supposedly the mysterious building was so overgrown with ivy and leaves as to be virtually indistinguishable from the forest around it. No one knew exactly where it was. The servants heard from their grandparents, who had heard from their parents, that the building was haunted and that no good would come to anyone who went near it. But I had a mother who was part ogre; I was not scared of a ghost.
    â€œDon’t move,” a voice growled from behind me. I froze in my tracks, one foot already in the forest, one still on the lawn. I had never heard a voice like that. Had a strange man wandered onto the grounds? Where were the castle guards? Surely we still had some guards.
    I slowly turned around, and let out a sigh of relief when I saw Mother standing there. I smiled and reached out to her. But she did not embrace me. I could see her shaking as she spoke.
    â€œRun into the woods. NOW!”
    Her eyes, usually a light brown, were now as black as mynightmares. I ran. I ran farther into the woods than I’d ever run, not paying the slightest attention to where I was going. Squirrels darted out of my way. Startled birds filled the air. Eventually I realized no one was behind me. Mother had controlled her ogre urges to keep me safe. I leaned against a tree, panting hard. The tree suddenly gave way, and I fell backward and landed in a thick brush. What I thought was a tree had actually been a huge overgrowth of vines and leaves. I tried to stand, but my feet were stuck.
    I wrenched my feet free and took a closer look at my surroundings. A stone wall was barely visible through layers of vines and entwined branches. I had found it! The mysterious building! I scratched away at the thick growth, but it held firm. I pushed harder, but it did not budge. The hunting bugle rang through the forest and I jumped back, almost falling again. Father would be very worried if he knew what had happened today. I needed to get back to my bedchambers before running into either parent.
    The very top of the castle tower was visible from where I stood, so I knew which way to head. Luckily Mother was still out hunting, so I made it safely to my room and pushed the dresser in front of the door. At suppertime, one of the maids came to fetch me and escorted me down the back stairway, to the private dining room, which is where Father and I always ate on the second and fourth Thursdays.
    Father was there when I arrived. “Did you have a nice time at Percival’s?” he asked, polishing off his second mug of mead.
    Unsure what to say but hesitant to lie, I merely coughed.
    â€œGood,” he said, seemingly satisfied. “I think you need to spend more time with boys your age.”
    I nodded. When you’re a prince who will someday be their ruler, the other boys aren’t very anxious to be your pal. And since the staff knew better than to bring their kids to the castle, I didn’t have any real friends.
    That night at five past midnight, I heard my door open. I knew it was Mother. She came to check on me every second and fourth Thursday at this time. Usually I didn’t even