The Queen's Necklace

Once upon a time in a country far away from the world we know, lived a girl of fifteen together with her mother and her dog in a little cottage near a dark forest.

Her father went to the big town around the king’s palace to earn money he could send to his wife and his daughter. That happened over one year ago and yet he didn’t send any money. The girl named Sophie didn’t miss him because he never had talked to her much.

Her mother was a very gentle person. Her greatest passion was baking. And that she did all day long. From bread to pies she could bake everything. She always said: ‘What do we need else?’ With that sentence she meant that the only money the little family got was from the mother’s bakery service.

The dog Sophie got when she turned seven wasn’t just a normal dog. Her mother told her that she bought him from an old wizard. The dog could talk and he would die the very same day Sophie would die. The dog was called Kappy even though he never liked that name. He was Sophie’s best friend because there weren’t any other children her age around. Indeed there were no other houses around.

 

One day when the sun already left the sky and the stars were blinking from above Sophie and Kappy left the little cottage for a last walk on that day. Her mother stayed at their home baking for the next day. The next day they would go to the town around the palace for market day. A great event where they could earn the money they urgently need to fix the broken roof.

Sophie and her dog went to the forest but before they could go into it an old man spoke to them. ‘Beware of the danger in the forest.’, he told them.

‘What danger?’, asked the girl. She and Kappy always went at this time of the day through the forest. They never heard of a danger.

‘The banshees are dancing tonight.’, he explained. Then he vanished into the shadows he came from.

Sophie looked puzzled at her dog. He just went on into the forest. So the girl followed him.

It didn’t take long until they saw a bright light between the trees and they could hear some music. The banshees., Sophie thought but she went on to see what was happening in the middle of the night in the dark forest.

With every step they came nearer the music grew louder and the light became brighter. ‘Weren’t banshees creatures of darkness?’, Kappy whispered next to her. Sophie nodded without looking at him. She was watching that light. When the two of them were close enough they could see though the trees on a clearing were about twenty banshees dancing in a big circle. Some of them played an instrument while they were dancing. Above their heads in the middle of that circle was a bright shining object. Sophie and Kappy where sure that those women were banshees because of the white skin, the white dresses and the white hair. And no woman on the clearing touched the ground.

While the dog watched the dancing women the girl was more interested in the shining object. She was sure that it was a necklace of pure gold. The queen of the country had lost her golden necklace two weeks ago and the king promised a great reward to that person who would return exactly that necklace.

‘Who are you?’, asked a melodic voice and both of them turned around in horror. One of the banshees was standing there in front of them.

‘Are we going to die?’, Sophie whispered low that she feared the banshee didn’t understand it. Her parents and grandparents told her that only those people who were about to die could hear what a banshee was saying.

‘You are not going to die, dear girl.’ The banshee smiled gently. ‘This is the night of nights. Tonight you can hear us without dying.’ she explained. ‘Come with me on the dance.’

The girl and the dog followed the banshee to the circle. There another banshee took Sophie’s hand and danced with her in the circle around the golden necklace. She had another look at it and saw the king’s symbol. So it was that necklace the queen had lost. Sophie stopped in dancing and stared at it.

‘Isn’t it beautiful?’, one of the banshees asked.

The girl nodded and finally found her words: ‘It’s the queen’s necklace, isn’t it?’

All banshees nodded at the very same time. ‘You can take it back to her when the night is over.’ And everyone started dancing again.

Kappy went next to Sophie. ‘We have to go now. Your mother will be in a worry.’ So the girl followed him out of the forest and into the house and went to sleep.

 

The next morning started with bright sunshine on Sophie’s face. When she set up and looked around in her room her eyes caught sign of a golden object on her nightstand. It was the queen’s necklace. Next to it was a little notice. As promised.

‘Sophie, hurry up.’, her mother called out of the kitchen and the girl jumped out of her bed. The necklace in her hand she went into the kitchen to tell her mother what had happened to her in the forest the night before.

 

On the way to the market in the town Sophie held the necklace hard to her chest. She didn’t want to lose it. When they arrived she kissed her mother good-bye and ran to the palace. She was dressed in her best clothes but she still felt like the poor girl she was. Kappy was on her side to make sure everything would be good.

‘Were do you think you are going, young miss?’, a guard asked her when she past a gate.

‘I would like to speak to the queen.’, Sophie said a little hushed but the guard understood her.

‘I’m afraid you can just speak to the king.’, he told her and showed her and her dog the way into the throne room where the king was sitting. The throne next to him was empty as the guard had told them before.

Kappy and Sophie bowed down before the girl started speaking. ‘Your majesty, I found this last night in the forest.’ She pulled out the golden necklace. ‘And I think it is the one your wife is missing.’ In that moment a woman entered the room and everyone bowed again. It was the queen. She looked at the necklace.

‘In the forest you found it?’, she asked and took it from Sophie’s hands to have a better look on it. The girl nodded. ‘Is that true?’, the queen addressed Kappy.

‘Yes it is true.’, he answered in a clear voice. Then the queen nodded and turned to sit on her throne next to the king. The necklace was still in her hands.

‘You are too young to marry my son so we need to find something else.’, the king said. ‘What do you need?’

‘My mother and I live in a little cottage near the forest but the roof is damaged. We need money to fix it.’, Sophie told him.

The king nodded. ‘I will send people to repair the roof. And whenever something is damaged or broken again let me know and I will send someone to fix it.’, he announced. ‘You may go now.’

Sophie and Kappy bowed again and left the palace.

 

One day later came three men to fix the roof. Sophie always came to the palace whenever something was broken or damaged and the king sent someone to fix it. It all ended when Sophie turned eighteen. That was because she married the king’s son and moved together with her mother into the palace. Of cause Kappy got a room for himself as well.

 

 

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 17.03.2012

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