The school day was just about over at Royal Prep. The fairies were handing back the creative writing class's most recent writing assignment, but they held some back. The class knew that some students were absent that day, or they'd forgotten to put their names on their work, so the anonymous papers were put on a table at the front. But one was still in the fairies' hands. When the nameless papers had been claimed, and before the students could ask who else hadn't gotten a paper back yet, the bell rang, so they left for the weekend.
"Prince James, we need to speak to you," Miss Flora requested before James could reach the door.
"What'd you do?" Hugo asked.
James just shrugged as everyone else left. "Close the door," Miss Flora instructed.
At that moment, Sofia, who was about to walk off with Amber, paused, searched her bag, and gasped, "Oh no! I forgot my new library book!"
"Go on, Sofia; I can wait," Amber said as Sofia went back to the class.
Sofia went back to the classroom and found the door closed. "It won't take too long to find it; it's under my desk. In and out in a minute," she mused as she knocked on the door.
Miss Fauna opened it and quickly ushered Sofia inside. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but I forgot my book," Sofia started, then she saw James still at his desk. "James, what's going on? Is everything all right?"
"She can stay for this," James said to the fairies. 'It might be nice to have a witness,' he added silently.
Miss Fauna smiled. "Like we were about to tell you, Prince James, congratulations!" she said as she handed back the single paper she'd held onto for the whole class.
James grinned as he saw the gold star on the paper. "Brilliant!"
Miss Merriweather smiled. "It's more than brilliant," she and the fairies raised their wands, and a medal appeared around James' neck.
Miss Flora also smiled. "In honor of your fiftieth consecutive gold star in Creative Writing, we present you with this very special medal! Congratulations, dear!"
James blushed as everyone cheered. 'The fairies always make such a big deal over this,' he thought. He couldn't help joking, "Wow. Fifty already? And I wonder what'll happen when I get to a hundred!" As he spoke, he tucked the medal inside his shirt.
"This latest tale of yours was so exciting! I ended up making a copy of it!" Miss Fauna smiled.
"How do you come up with such thrilling stories?" Miss Merriweather asked.
James shrugged. "I don't know; sometimes I get a word, phrase, or song in my head, and I play around with it until I have my story idea," he admitted.
"Well, whatever your writing strategy is, don't stop doing it!" Miss Flora smiled as she ushered James and Sofia out.
"Congratulations, James!" Sofia cheered when she, James, and Amber were on the way home at last.
"Let me guess: James got a gold star on yet another writing masterpiece," Amber said when she saw the smile on her brother's face.
"The story wasn't that good," James rolled his eyes, but the girls saw him blushing and smiling at the comment.
"So tell me, James, what adventure did Andrew Harmon and Julie Melody have this time?" Amber asked, not buying James' attempt to sound modest.
"Andrew Harmon and Julie Melody?" Sofia repeated.
"Two spies that James made up. They're always having some adventure or another," Amber explained. "He used our middle names as their first and last names."
"That's really clever!" Sofia grinned.
"And they could use a partner, or another friend," James looked toward Sofia.
"I'm making it into your story? Thank you, James!" Sofia grinned. "And if it helps, my middle name is Amanda."
"Thanks, Sof," James nodded.
"But I wonder about something," Sofia continued. "Why wait until everyone's gone before you get a paper back if it's so good?"
James looked a little sad now as he recalled the memory. "It was my first time in the class. I was eight, and I was the youngest person in the creative writing class, since it was for people ten and up, but I must have really wowed them with my stories and poems, at least that's what Dad said. I got my first gold star on a story. One of the older princesses, Deidre, got so jealous, that when class let out, she grabbed the story out of my hands, ripped it up in front of me, and threw the gold star away. The fairies were able to fix everything, but I asked them that if I ever wrote another great story or earned another gold star, they'd wait until everyone was gone before they handed my paper back."
"That's a good idea," Sofia mused. "You avoid trouble, and nobody rips your papers up."
"Yeah," James sighed as they dismounted the carriage. But he soon smiled as they entered the castle. "I'm going to put this with my other stories. And Sof, later on if you want to, you can come to my room and read them."
"I'll take you up on that offer, James, but right now I want to read my new book," Sofia said as she and Amber walked off.
James was on his way to his room to celebrate when he passed the throne room. A few people were with King Roland, so James kept his door closed so as not to disturb them, just like he'd promised at the karaoke party.
"Party time!" James grinned as he put on some music and took up a notebook.
Just got home from Illinois lock the front door oh boy!
Got to sit down, take a rest on the porch.
Imagination sets in, pretty soon I'm singin'
Doo doo doo lookin' out my back door.
There's a giant doing cartwheels, a statue wearin' high heels.
Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn.
A dinosaur Victrola list'ning to Buck Owens.
Doo doo doo lookin' out my back door.
James was so involved in his song, and writing something down, that he didn't notice Roland and Miranda enter.
Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band.
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon?
Doo doo doo.
Wond'rous apparition provided by magician.
Doo doo doo lookin' out my back door.
"I thought he was singing with his door open again," Roland murmured.
"He only closes it when you're concentrating on royal business or if you need quiet," Miranda reminded him. "He probably didn't know you finished early."
Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band.
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon?
Doo doo doo.
Bother me tomorrow, today, I'll buy no sorrows.
Doo doo doo lookin' out my back door.
Forward troubles Illinois, lock the front door oh boy!
Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn.
Bother me tomorrow, today, I'll buy no sorrows.
Doo doo doo lookin' out my back door.
He finally looked up when he heard applause. "Mom. Dad!" he sounded surprised. "You were busy, and I didn't want to disturb you."
"That's very considerate of you, James, but you know what happens when you sing with your door closed!" Roland said as he pinned him down and Miranda put on another song as they started to tickle him.
Seems everything I buy these days has got a foreign name
From the kind of car I drive to my video game
I got a Nikkon camera, a Sony color TV
But the one that I love is from the U.S.A. and standing next to me
"I love this song! This is so not fair!" James started laughing under their fingers as he tried to sing.
My baby is American made
Born and bred in the U.S.A.
From her silky long hair to her sexy long legs
My baby is American made
"What's not fair about it? You said you wouldn't sing behind a closed door again, and what did we have to do to hear you?" Roland teased him. "Open the door!"
"You were busy!" James protested.
Suddenly, Miranda noticed the ribbon of James' medal under his shirt. She stuck a finger under the ribbon and pulled it out.
She looks good in her tight blue jeans, she bought in Mexico
And she loves wearing French perfume everywhere we go
But when it comes to the lovin' part one thing is true
My baby's genuine U.S.A., red white and blue
My baby is American made
Born and bred in the U.S.A.
From her silky long hair to her sexy long legs
My baby is American made
"A gold medal? James, when and where did you get this?" she asked.
My baby is American made
Born and bred in the U.S.A.
From her silky long hair to her sexy long legs
My baby is American made
"Probably today at school," Roland said as he looked at it. James confirmed it with a nod since he was laughing too hard to speak.
My baby is American made
Born and bred in the U.S.A.
From her silky long hair to her sexy long legs
My baby is American made
"And this is another thing we wanted to talk to you about," Roland said as the song ended. "How come you didn't tell us about your medal?"
"Surprise! I got a gold star on a story and the fairies gave me a medal!" James laughed under them.
"Fifty gold stars! Already? I thought it was more," Roland mused as he read the medal's engraving. "But we're very proud of you."
Suddenly, they heard a female voice at the door. "Begging your pardon, your majesties, but you're needed in the throne room."
"Thank you, Dorrie. And would you mind helping us with this?" Miranda asked, motioning toward James.
However, before they could go any further, or Dorrie got the chance to raise her wand, a long dark blur rocketed into the room, claws tapping rhythmically on the floor, and leaped on James' bed. "Then again, your majesties, never mind; Spike's been found!" Dorrie grinned as she watched James double up under Roland's fingers and the dog licking him all over his face.
"James, we're going to be dog-sitting Spike for a few days as a favor to our friends in Orillia. You remember them, don't you?" Roland asked as he let him up.
"Oh, sure. Ezekiel unmasked me during my first Secret Singer performance, Sandra's in the creative writing class with me, and I only know Zoe through them," James said as he got his breath back, sat up on the bed, and started scratching the dachshund's ears. To James, it felt really good to see a dog in his room again. His dog Rex died of old age last year, and even though he still had his pet baboon Eddie Monkey, he missed having a dog of his own. Sure, he let Lucinda's dog Rex sleep in his room sometimes, but it wasn't the same.
"Well, we'd better tell King Robert and Queen Patricia that Spike's been found," Miranda said as she and Roland left the room. However, Roland paused at the door and mouthed, "This isn't over!"
James grinned as he and Dorrie were left alone, and Spike started crawling around on the bed, possibly exploring a new place to sleep. "Thanks for the distraction, Dorrie," James said as he watched the dog burrow under a blanket.
"I didn't know I was distracting them, James," Dorrie didn't have to be formal in private, "Spike got out of his crate and I wanted to quickly find him before he made too big of a mess."
"Still, thanks. And for helping me out like this, what's your middle name?" James asked.
"Sofia told me about how you name your characters. That's very clever, using real people's middle names as your characters' first names!" Dorrie grinned. "Second, my middle name is Evelyn. And I'm honored to be included in your story. I didn't know you wrote!"
"Yes I do, Dorrie, you can look at the stories whenever you want, and thanks again!" James said as he wrote down another character.
That night, Lucinda entered James' room to see how he was doing, since she hadn't seen him since dinner. She knew he'd been working on some story, according to Sofia, and she had an idea on how to make it more exciting for him. As she watched him sleeping, with Spike snuggled up next to him, Lucinda went over to his desk and aimed her wand at the notebook. "Fictitia Animata!"
A golden glow surrounded the notebook, and golden mist floated out of the book and surrounded everyone in the castle. Lucinda grinned as she watched everything unfold. James would be sure to love this adventure she was sending him on, and she was happy that everyone would get to be part of it as well.
Author's Notes
Thanks to Niagara14301 for letting me use their famous character Dorrie in this story, for giving her the middle name Evelyn, and letting me use Sofia's middle name of Amanda.
Princess Deidre also belongs to Niagara14301
Spike, Ezekiel, Sandra, Zoe, and Queen Patricia are all from my story The Secret Love Song.
King Robert is my own character.
Lookin' Out My Back Door by Creedence Clearwater Revival and American Made by the Oak Ridge Boys are not mine.
James's promise to sing with his door closed only when Roland is busy or needs quiet is from chapter 9 of The Secret Love Song.
Fictitia Animata is a spell I made up for Lucinda, and it allows the caster to bring a story to life.