The Fairy Tale
"And they lived happily ever after," Laura read to Grace as she closed the book. She didn't even have to look up; she knew her little sister was fast asleep.
She placed the volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales on the floor next to her and tucked Grace in tightly. She gave her a kiss on the forehead, picked up the book and headed to the common room, where Caroline sat in her favorite rocking chair, knitting a pair of mittens for Grace.
She looked up as Laura exited her parent's bedroom. "Looks like you got her to calm down."
Laura smiled as she sat down at the dining room table. "Yep," she said as she quietly placed the fat collection of stories next to her. "I have to thank Mrs. Wilder for lending me her book. I told her Grace was having trouble sleeping, so she gave me the book. She said Cinderella always worked for her and it seems to be true. I'm going to try another one tomorrow at nap time."
She looked at her mother. "Calmed me down a bit too, I guess," she said. "Although, princess is not really something I'd be good at."
Caroline smiled. "Never know until you try, Laura. What happened to all that talk about Almanzo and you getting back together? Or is it really over?"
"Not sure," Laura said. "Since I saw him with that woman, I don't know what to think. I might lose him now.0 I just wish that Pa hadn't told me to….."
Caroline frowned. "Now wait one minute, Laura Ingalls. Your pa is in Sleepy Eye right this minute trying to sort this thing out. He's angry at him at him too, especially for hurting you. We'll find out soon enough. And anyway, you still have to go back, no matter what. You promised to help Mary and Adam with the Blind School."
Laura nodded and stood up. "Yep," she said. "I know. We're lucky now that the rent's been paid off."
"Well, we have it for next month. Maybe Mr. Pims dropped the price. I wouldn't worry about it."
Laura shook her head. "Don't know, Ma. Mr. Pims doesn't seem the type to do that." She looked at Caroline. "I just don't …." She never finished the sentence. She grabbed the book of fairy tales and climbed up the ladder to the loft.
Minutes later, Caroline heard Laura's sobs. She wanted to go up, but she knew better.
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Laura had cried herself to sleep and she had a strange dream. In it, Laura was Cinderella, but the evil stepmother became Pa, forbidding her to marry her Prince Charming until she was eighteen. Ma became the fairy godmother, the woman who approved of her marriage to Almanzo. The stepsisters became Mrs. Oleson and Nellie. They were teasing and making fun of her because Almanzo had left and wasn't coming back anytime soon. And now that Nellie could cook and manage the restaurant, the taunts were worse. And Almanzo, well, she wasn't even sure if he was her Prince Charming anyway, especially now that he had moved to Sleepy Eye without her, had had an argument with her and didn't even come back to make up with her. Not to mention that woman who had thrown herself at him.
It was just getting dark when she heard a wagon turning into the driveway of the little house. Laura, almost awake, shot up and turned to open the window in the loft. She heard Pa apply the brake to his rig and heard him as he jumped to the ground. She watched as he ran to the door. Something had happened, she thought as she sat up. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it or not.
"Where's Laura?" she heard him ask Ma.
She heard whispering and minutes later, she heard footsteps climbing the ladder to the loft.
"Laura, listen. I was wrong about that young man."
And then the whole story came out. Charles explained that he didn't know about the woman, but he did know that Almanzo must be a very special person who must be very much in love with her. Not only had Almanzo been paying Houston the rent money, he had taken two jobs, back to back to help her out. Laura wasn't convinced until Charles explained that Almanzo was very sick. He was unconscious and he was willing to return to Sleepy Eye tomorrow morning with her at his side. Charles wanted her to be there when he recovered.
And so they set off Sleepy Eye and Laura was at Almanzo's side when he woke up. Almanzo was surprised at first and the two almost had another argument, but when Laura told him that she loved him, he realized that he could no longer be angry at her. Almanzo, shivering cold from the ice that had brought his fever down, grabbed both her hands and looked into her eyes.
"Oh, I thought I could forget you, but I can't," he told her. "Even if I have to wait two years or twenty years, I'll wait. 'Cause there's nobody else in the world for me but you, Beth. I love you."
And they both lived happily ever after, just like Cinderella and her Prince Charming.