Once upon a time, there was a princess with two pigtails that stuck straight up into the air.
One day, she set out to hunt for colorful eggs in the sunny land of Sunroomoparry.
They weren't very hard to find.
And they made a delightful sound when she shook them next to her ear.
Soon, she discovered that the eggs contained hidden treasures: chocolate raisins, m&m's, and jelly beans. To her dismay, every time she tried to put these in her mouth, a giant snatched them away.
"Those are for me to consume," he said. "Here, take these to eat instead." And he offered the princess some cereal squares. "It is the cereal of Life."
Although she was a bit suspicious of the giant's advice, she agreed to partake of the specified food.
"What other treasures can be found in this land?" Princess Pigtail asked the giant. "If you stay here a while, you will hear voices of several sages in a great
conference. Each of them offers precious treasures of wisdom if you will but listen to their counsel." "I will stay," said the princess, "but I cannot promise to remain awake the entire time."
Sure enough, near the end of one session of counsel, the Princess was fast asleep. Upon awaking from her slumber, the giant offered to escort her to a distant land by the Daffodil sea. Although the princess was only down to one pigtail by now, she felt that her adventures should continue. So away they went, to the Daffodil sea . . .
. . . and the princess found that it was a beautiful place to behold.
Princess Pigtail enjoyed the sights on the giant's tour, but she soon grew bored. "Are there any barking beasts nearby that you might show me?" she asked. "I will see what I can find," said the kind giant.
. . . and the giant was successful. "Here I've found a black barking beast," he said.
The princess was delighted, and she stroked the beast's fur before continuing on their way.
The travelers eventually made it back to the sunny land where their journey began, and the princess received further counsel from the wise sages. "Thank you for accompanying me on this part of my journey, and for showing me so many wonderful things," she said to the giant, "but I must be on my way. I've been invited to an Easter feast ."
This Easter feast was to be held at Carol Palace, in a land even further than the Daffodil sea or the land of the barking beasts. When Princess Pigtail arrived, she was greeted by the hostess of the feast and promptly presented with two baskets of treasures. "The basket full of edible treasures you must save for your mother and father," advised the hostess, "but this larger basket is all for you."
The princess, however, ignored the larger basket and began putting teeth marks in the chocolate treasures intended for her parents. As soon as she did, the smaller basket disappeared and two furry, long-eared animals were sitting before her.
"These are to be your companions for the remainder of your journey," said the hostess.
"Thank you," said the princess, and embraced her new long-eared friends. "I appreciate all of these gifts, but I've come a long way and I am terribly hungry. Does this feast include any actual food that does not disappear when I touch it?"
The hostess laughed. "But of course. Let the feast begin! Arrange for a special chair to be brought to the table for Princess Pigtail."
At the feast, the princess ate until she could eat no more, and then ate some frosting off of a cake. "I've enjoyed so many Easter treasures this day," declared the princess. "Perhaps next year I will be able to enjoy even more. But for now I must say goodbye."
The tired princess, who had lost both her pigtails by now, returned to her small castle home and rested from her adventures for a time. And she still lives there happily this day.
