The Very Little Princess: Rose's Story (9 page)

He kept pace alongside her, too, never riding out ahead. He didn't call her pip-squeak, either … except once when she had to stop for the third time on their way up the big hill behind the Methodist church.

After their bike ride, they got ice cream sandwiches from the freezer in the back of the grocery store. And then, to Rose's delight, Sam suggested that they go swimming at the quarry. The quarry was where all the big kids went. Sam had never taken Rose there before.

At the quarry, he held her up when the water was too deep and never called her pip-squeak even once.

It was nice, Rose had to admit to herself, not to have to worry about Regina for a while.

Rose was tired when they got home for supper, but still, she hurried upstairs to see her doll.

She let out a sigh of relief when she stepped into the room. There the princess sat on the window seat inside the dollhouse, looking right at her. Her ankles were crossed neatly, and her tiny hands were folded in her lap.

Everything was fine. Regina even looked happy, sitting there in her own little bedroom.

“Have you been having fun?” Rose asked, crossing to the dollhouse. “I've had the best time. First, Sam and I went biking. We even went up the hill behind …”

But her voice trailed off. Princess Regina didn't seem to be listening. In fact, she didn't seem to be doing anything, not even moving.

She was just sitting … staring … as deaf and dumb as any other china doll.

“Oh!” Rose cried, and she scooped the tiny doll into her hand. “Oh … don't! You can't go off to sleep.” She shook Regina gently. No response.

This was so unfair.
She
hadn't forgotten this time. Regina had told her to go. The princess had practically dismissed her!

After a moment, Rose laid the doll down very gently on the dollhouse bed and backed away until she bumped into her own bed. She sat down abruptly.

She would not cry! She would
not
!

Rose sat for a long time watching Regina, but she didn't pick her up again. After a while, she wiped away a tear. Only one. There would be no more.

Princess Regina was safe now. The princess
had her own little house, and she was perfectly safe.

To tell the truth, Rose didn't know how to feel. She was almost as glad as she was sad not to take care of the princess any longer. She didn't have to take constant orders. She didn't have to protect the doll from every kind of
accident. She didn't have to keep her hidden from grabby hands.

But still …

Rose cocked her head and studied Regina. The tiny doll's expression had changed since Rose had discovered her. She no longer looked down and away as though avoiding too-friendly hands. She looked directly out into the world like someone who was waiting for something … for someone.

And so this story ends. Princess Regina is tucked away in her own house. Rose is free to be Rose, a challenge enough all by itself.

Will Rose ever learn the secret of waking the doll? Or will she wake her accidentally without knowing how it happens?

Either way, if Regina does wake, the two of them are sure to have more adventures, more
disagreements. And eventually, because Rose is Rose and because caring for another waking creature is very hard, Regina will be left to sleep again.

Perhaps when Rose grows up, she will even forget about Regina's power to wake. The truth is grown-ups do forget a lot.

But all this lies outside the story I'm telling. A story, any story, contains only the smallest part of a life.

There is one thing that I can tell you for certain will happen, though.

Rose will have a daughter one day, not a china doll but a real baby who breathes and eats and, yes, poops. And Rose's ideas won't be so grand when it comes to naming her. She'll not call her Regina. Queen. She'll go for something shorter, more ordinary.

Like Zoey. Not Princess Zoey. Just Zoey.

It's a good name.
Zoey
means
life
, in case you didn't know. And what is more sweet, more painful, more miraculous than life?

Rose will try hard, very, very hard—though it's an enormously difficult thing to do—to take care of Zoey every minute.

And if Rose is still Rose and can't always manage? Well, her mother, the good Hazel, will be there.

And at Hazel's house a tiny doll will be waiting to waken.