There once was a princess named Gwendolyn Rose, who was flawless and fine from her head to her toes. Her father was king, and her friends’ dads were not, and that made G.R. just a bit of a snot.
Her mother had died when she’d been just a baby, so her father felt bad, and he never said “maybe”—never maybe, but YES, to whatever she asked, no matter how silly or costly it was…
-Yes, to the ship with a swing from the mast,
-Yes, to the Friesian that galloped too fast,
-Yes, to all dresses, no matter how fancy,
-Yes, to huge parties with music and dancing,
-Yes, to no bedtime, and riding out late,
-Yes, to no veggies, just cider and cake,
-Yes, to a theater, right there in the castle,
-Yes, to it all—didn’t matter the hassle.
Sometimes his men took it, and sometimes they bought it, but whatever she wanted, he made sure she got it.
“But I thought that you wanted a raven, my sweet?” So meek was her father, she thought he would bleat.
“A raven?” she scoffed. “What a stupid idea.”
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“But I’ve already brought it! It’s already here!”
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Nearby, in a cage, perched a huge soot-black bird, with eyes that looked human, even though that’s absurd.
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“I must have that broom!” Gwen cried out in a tizzy. “It’s my birthday tomorrow, so you’d better get busy!”
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The king took a breath, then let out a sigh, and sent his men out for the broom that could fly.
One night, very late, while out riding her Friesian, who she’d named Speed of Lightning for very good reason, she came upon something that gave her a fright—something whizzing like fire through the dark of the night…
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Up in the sky, in the light of the moon, flew a shameless old witch on a sleek ashwood broom. She flew down from above, and then rode alongside her, then winked and shot up like a cannon had fired her. She said nothing at all and was gone in a flash, leaving nothing behind but the smell of hot ash.
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Gwendolyn Rose, her eyes wide with envy, felt her heart skip a beat and take off in a frenzy. She kicked Speed of Lightning, gripped his reins in her hands, then galloped right home to start making demands.