Once there was a Princess who lived alone and far away. One day close to Christmas she had a strange visitor. The visitor was a tiny person with long silver-blue hair and wings of crystal. Although it was winter time she wore only a tiny dress of sparkling silver, and her feet were bare. She was holding a mother-of-pearl pot with a golden flower bud in it. Behind her it was snowing. The moonlight shone upon the snow and the fairy-like creature with a creamy luster. "This is for you," she said, and before the Princess could say a word, the fairy vanished. "Now that is strange," thought the Princess as she held the white pot in her hands. The bud was the color of sunshine and oranges and lemons and autumn leaves and butter and daffodils and honey and amber and topazes and flax and wedding rings and saffron and Spanish coins all mixed together. Its petals were soft as the fur of a baby rabbit. Its fragrance was like no other. The Princess could hardly take her eyes from it. Just gazing upon it filled her with warmth and happiness, and made her forget the cold outside. As she set it in a sunny window, the bud began slowly to open. It unfolded one petal after the other, and each was lovelier than the last. Finally the heart of the flower was revealed. It was like a golden star that glowed brighter than the sun. But it did not hurt the Princess?s eyes. Soon she saw the face of a Prince. She recognized him: the Magic Prince who haunted her dreams. He was the handsomest Prince that ever was seen in all the land. He was a shape-shifter: sometimes he was a dashing fighter, sometimes a melancholy musician, sometimes a clown, sometimes a brooding and dangerous figure, and many other things. But through every guise, his dark eyes smoldered and looked straight at the Princess as if he knew all her secrets. The Flower seemed to understand. Whenever the Princess was feeling sad, she would go to the Flower and breathe in its wondrous fragrance, and for a time her sorrow was eased. When she felt silly, the Flower laughed with her. When she dreamed about the Magic Prince, the Flower made him seem even more beautiful. And from time to time, when she least expected it, the Flower would suddenly open its petals and drop a gorgeous gem into the Princess's lap. Each gem was different from the last, and like none others ever seen before. She strung these gems together and wore them everywhere. And the naughty gremlins who often visited her would flee at the sight of the sparkling jewels, and not come back for a long time. The Princess knew she must find the Friend who sent this wonderful gift. So she sailed across the sea, through dark clouds and pouring rain, until she came to the place where the Friend lived. And there she was, standing small and lovely in the sunlight to greet her, with an armful of golden flowers just for her. The Friend lived in a realm of gardens and white lace and windmills and castles. They sailed on a boat in a shining lake, climbed high towers and looked upon many roofs, saw white swans floating on the river and heard bells and many songs. They drove through the countryside and heard the voice of the Prince singing to them, and they sang with him and laughed. They visited a fairy castle and walked through cities and forests arm in arm. They tasted many delicious foods and saw many odd people, bought pretty things and laughed. They played with children and dogs in the yard. And they visited with the Magic Prince in the starlight, and drank wine and ate candy and sighed and laughed and laughed, and perhaps that was the best thing of all. But finally the Princess had to go back. "Shall I ever see my lovely Friend again?" she asked the Flower weeping, when she returned. And the Flower opened up its petals once more, and behold, the Princess saw the face of the Friend right in the heart, as clear as she remembered. And the Friend talked to her and spoke words of comfort and cheer. And the Princess wrote songs and poems for her, and the Friend made stories and pictures for the Princess. And even when the Princess was going through sore troubles and could not have been very good company, the Friend was always there right in the heart of the Flower. And the Magic Prince saw it all and smiled upon them. And the Princess knew then that even if she never met the Friend across the sea again, she would ever see her face in its heart and hear her voice. And the gems continued to fall from the petals. "What did I do to deserve such a Gift?" she often wondered. And then the Prince would appear to her saying, "Do not question that, my Dear. It was sent to gladden your heart and increase your own loveliness. If you allow it and take care of it, it will make you worthy." And the Princess did what he said and the Flower grew even lovelier still. Over the years, other Princes came along, and other Friends as well, and by and by the Princess had other Flowers. Some bloomed for a time then faded away, others remained and grew in their splendor. And all were beautiful and made her glad to look upon them, and they filled her house with a fragrance like none other, and dropped enough gems to fill a treasure chest. But she knew there would never be another quite like this golden Flower the mysterious Fairy had brought for her that winter night. Click on card to enlarge. When I am down and oh my soul so weary When troubles come and my heart burdened be Then I am still and wait here in the silence Until you come and sit a while with me. You raise me up so I can stand on mountains You raise me up to walk on stormy seas I am strong when I am on your shoulders You raise me up to more than I can be. Du hebst mich auf so kann ich auf Bergen stehen Du hebst mich auf, dass ich auf st?her See laufen kann Ich bin stark, wenn ich auf deinen Schultern bin du hebst mich auf, so dass ich mehr sein kann als ich wirklich bin ~~*~~ View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook ~~*~~ Previous | Next Homepage