The Fullness of Quiet Read Free

she had said any young man could try so she accepted him and said he had one day.
    “At first the young man said nothing but gazed at the beautiful Princess before him. After a while he asked her to take a walk with him. They walked out of the palace door and through the cherry trees underneath her bedroom window. The young man asked her questions about herself and she answered, wary at first but gradually she found she was enjoying herself and even asking him questions in return. He was not a very rich man and he did not have any family still alive but despite that she liked him. They walked and talked some more before returning to the palace.
    “By this point the sun had set and dinner was being laid so they made their way to the grand dining hall. They talked and laughed over dinner and the young man had not once asked about her secret. The Princess thought this was odd but soon forgot about it as she found she was having such a good time. When it was time for them to go to bed he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and retired to his room.
    “For hours he desperately tried to get to sleep but no matter how much he tossed and turned, it was impossible. All he could think about was the beautiful, laughing Princess. In the early hours of the morning he crept out of bed and into her room. He approached her bed and took her hand in his. She looked so peaceful sleeping, but her eyelids flickered open and she looked up at him.
    “He told her how he could not sleep and desperately wanted to know what her big secret was. He lay down next to her and told her all the wonderful things he could think of. He told her how beautiful she was, how magical her laugh was and how charismatic her personality was...”
    “What is charismatic?” signed Helen. I quickly explained and waited to see if she would understand. She thought for a moment and nodded. I smiled. “Please keep telling the story!”
    “Sorry,” I signed back and picked up from where I left off. “They lay there until the sun came up and still she had not told him what her deepest secret was. During that afternoon the young man was called to the throne room where the young Princess sat with her Mother and Father. The Princess told him that he had failed to find out her deepest secret but the young man begged her to give him another day and every other day for the rest of his life. He told her that he would not rest until he knew her secret and would go to the ends of the world for her if he could only know.
    “The King smiled down at this young man that had no fortune of his own and he nodded. The Princess told him that there was no secret but she wanted to find a true husband who would listen to her and love her. She said that he had been so loving and kind that she chose him to be her husband. The young man jumped up and took the Princess in his arms. He gave her a long kiss and they lived happily ever after.”
    Helen’s flow of questions was so fast that her tiny little hands could barely keep up. I signed to tell her to slow down and for the next fifteen minutes she asked a complete array of questions. I answered each one with patience and before I’d even finished, she had a second one lined up for me. I eventually got her to settle down and kissed her goodnight, leaving her door ajar enough for a sliver of light to fall across her bedroom floor.
    I padded downstairs to find Daddy watching the TV. The motorbikes were on, so of course, he was watching. I liked it when he watched them. He muted the sound, not interested in what the commentators had to say about the race and for a short time I don’t feel so alone as I know that he has nothing to listen to either.
    I gave him a kiss on the cheek and signed to tell him goodnight. He asked about Helen and I told him I’d told her a story and she was all tucked up in bed. He smiled gratefully. I trundled upstairs and flopped down on my bed. I was so unbelievably tired and for no reason. I guess it had been a long