My name is Makayla Anderson. I'm a ten-year-old girl who lives in the village of Dunwiddie with my Aunt Gretchen and Uncle Theo. Today is a perfect day: the village fair has come to town.
I always loved going to the fair, especially with my friends Madeline, Holly, Sabrina, and Princess Sofia. Even before Sofia became a princess, we'd go out and have fun together.
After I ate breakfast, I went up to my room to get ready for the day. I came down a few minutes later and helped Aunt Gretchen clean up the kitchen. Uncle Theo leaves for work a few minutes later. I let Aunt Gretchen know that I'll be with my friends, she tells me to have fun, and I'm on my way.
"There so many things to do!'' Sabrina smiled as she looked around.
"What do you guys want to do first?'' Holly asked.
I point at the Ferris Wheel. "What about the Ferris wheel?" I suggest.
We all agree, and before we know it, we have a birds-eye view of the entire fair. Sofia smiles, telling us about how she went apple picking with her Aunt Tilly, and how they helped a giant, who helped them cross a gorge.
"I wish I could have seen that!" I smile. I love going on adventures, and Uncle Theo has taken me on a couple of them.
"I'll have to ask her if I can bring you along with us next time," Sofia smiles.
I sit between Madeline and Holly as the Ferris wheel starts. "So Maddie," I begin as I turn to her, "How are Elena and Gabby doing?"
"Good," Madeline smiles, "They sang in their kindergarten music program, and they did a fantastic job! Elena made one mistake, but she got to sing again, and she was great!"
"I could never do that," Holly shudders beside me. "I love to sing, but not in front of people!"
"I'm glad she got to do it again," I agree, "She loves singing too, and she always has fun."
Hey Makayla,'' A mean voice says as we get off the ride. I turn around to see a girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes. I knew who it was: Rachel Harris, a mean girl who always hated me.
I glare at her and cross my arms. "What do you want, Rachel?"
Rachel and I have never gotten along. She loves teasing me about one big thing that wasn't even my fault. I can't remember anything about my past, or that I lost my memories. I was cursed a long time ago by a wizard. Every time she and I get together, she has to say things like "Do you remember when this happened" or "How could you not remember this?"
"Didn't you remember we were supposed to meet today?" Rachel smirks. "Oh, that's right, you can't remember what you were doing a few minutes ago!"
I ignore Rachel, and my friends and I walk away to do something else. I wish that wizard hadn't cursed me, and I want to know how to be free from the curse!
"How did you say you were cursed?" Holly asks me with concern.
"I was cursed by a wizard," I explain uneasily. "But let's not talk about it now; we're here to have fun."
"You know you can tell us more about that when you're ready," Sofia smiles.
"She's right," Holly agrees. "And I'm sorry I say this, but just remember, we're here to have fun."
I smile a little. Aunt Gretchen and Uncle Theo say things like that too, and like my friends, they're not joking. Aunt Gretchen always says "Remember, sweetheart, we love you" while Uncle Theo says "Don't forget to do your best."
Soon, we run into Sofia's siblings. She introduced us to Amber and James when we went to a Wassalia party two years ago, and we accepted them into our group.
We then get lunch because I got hungry. As I eat, I couldn't get what Rachel said out of my mind. "She's right," I mutter to myself as tears go down my cheeks.
"Makayla, you're among friends," Amber smiles. "It's going to be all right."
"Amber's right," James agrees, reaching over and squeezing my hand. "We'll help you any way we can." He looks over at a booth. "And to help you feel better, after we eat, do you want to sing with me? There's a booth where you can make a CD of yourself singing."
I smile at the thought of singing with James. I have an idea that I'll play the CD for my music class. The song may be familiar, but the class will flip when they hear me singing it! And with Prince James too! That ought to be worth a little extra credit! And Rachel will be so jealous!
Sofia sees my smile and after we eat, leads the way to the booth.
"This is so cool'' holly smiles as she looks at the CDs.
In a few minutes, I'm in the booth, and I'm starting the song, In my first year of rule
I've made some mistakes
But I've learned from each one
Now I've got what it takes
Being in charge is hard
But with all I've seen
I've figured it out
And I'm prepared to be Queen
James grins as he joins me, There's blue skies ahead
Our Kingdom safely led
I know what it means to wear the Crown
So put your doubts aside
We're in for an easy ride
Because I've finally got it down
I smile as I sing with James. Sofia told me about his stint as king for the day, and I can tell he's thinking of everything that happened. He knew he made some mistakes, but he learned from them.
I take the next verse, Duendes gone
Bye-Bye, farewell
Made sure that Moth Fairy was repelled
Evil Wizard
I broke his spell
Even those jewel thieves were expelled
So now it's clear as a bell
James joins in, There's blue skies ahead
Our Kingdom safely led
I know what it means to wear the Crown
So put your doubts aside
We're in for an easy ride
"Something tells me I'll be singing this song myself when I get the hang of being queen," Amber whispers to Sofia.
"You'll be a great queen, Amber," Sofia smiles back. "I know James made a few mistakes when he was king for the day, but he came through for everyone when it mattered."
James and I finish the song together, Because I've finally got it down
Everyone is safe and sound
Across the land in every town
Because I've finally got it down
I've got it down
I've got it down
Go Makayla!'' Holly Madaline and Sabrina cheer.
"Great job, Makayla!" Amber cheers.
"And James!" Sofia agrees.
"Princess Elena sings that better than you!" Rachel calls as she comes over to us.
"Rachel, we didn't ask for your opinion," Amber frowns.
"And do you know how long it's been since we've heard James sing in public?" Madeline adds.
"Don't reply to her, but Rachel, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," Sofia assures her. "Would you like to sing something with me later?"
"No thanks!" Rachel frowns as she walks away.
"Ever since I lost my memories, she been like this,'' I frown as I put the microphone down.
"Makayla, you and James were ah-mazing!" Sofia smiled, watching as James collected two CDs of us singing.
"Here you go, Makayla," James smiled, handing me one and keeping one himself. "You said you want to play this for your class, and you're right that they'll love it! I did something like that with a CD I made once for my Music Appreciation class. We all had to bring in a song that nobody knew, but I still got extra credit when I brought mine in. Everyone knew the song, but nobody knew that I was the one singing on the CD!"
"You've always been so great at music," Sabrina agreed as they went off to play some games.
"Welcome one and all to the ring toss!'' the owner shouts as he hands me rings. Your goal is to make three ring shot, and whoever gets it wins!"
"Ring toss, huh?" I smile as I play the game. I've been a master of ring toss since I was very young. I smiled as I tossed my first ring, landing it on a really cute scarecrow doll. However, I saw Rachel out of the corner of my eye.
"Don't worry about her," Amber smiles. "Just ignore her. It's like she's not even there."
I take her advice as I toss my next ring and land a really cute little plush beaver.
"You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" Rachel yells, but I ignore her and land my third prize, an adorable stuffed koala bear.
"Makayla, that was brilliant!" James smiles as we go on our way.
"I can give the beaver to Gabby once we get back,'' I say as I hold the prizes. "I just need to win a prize for Elena now."
"Okay," Sofia smiles, "You're as good at water gun games as you are with ring toss games!"
I smile in agreement and play against her. I just barely manage to win, and I win Elena a really cute teddy bear.
"You won that for me?" Rachel smirks as she comes over to us. "You're so kind!" She grabs the bear out of my hands and takes off with all of us in pursuit.
"Give it back, Rachel!" Madeline shouts.
"Hey, that's not for you!" I shout angrily, "That's for Elena!"
James and Holly corner Rachel, and Amber manages to grab the bear back. "Thank you, Rachel," James smirks. As we come up to them, he gives me the bear for Elena, and we notice that he's lowered his voice. "But in all seriousness, it's time you left. I see one of the castle guards over there," he points off in the distance, "And it would be a real shame if I were to have him come here and arrest you for stealing."
I notice that some of the girls are hiding smirks. I can't help but smirk myself. Never in all my life (and I mean this; it's not the curse talking!) have I ever had anyone stand up for me like that! As I watch Rachel leave, I feel the heat rising in my face as I hug the bear to calm myself down. "Thank you, James! That was so brave of you!"
"That was really brave," Holly smiles as the others nod.
"Thanks," James smiles, "Now, does anyone want to go on another ride?"
We all cheer in agreement, and go off to the Wave Swinger swing ride.
At the same time, I notice that Sofia is lost in thought. "Are you okay, Sofia?" I ask.
Sofia smiles. "I'm fine, Makayla; I was just thinking about how brave James was to face Rachel like that," When I nod and find my seat on the swings, she murmurs, "I wish there was a way I could undo that curse of hers."
A few hours later, we all left the fair.
"Do you think I can give Elena and Gabby their gifts?" I ask as we leave. "And do you think they will love them?"
"Yes you can," Sofia smiles. "And of course they'll love them!"
As we go back to the castle, I can't help but notice that Sofia's mumbling something under her breath. (I don't blame her for that; I talk to myself all the time!) But then, I notice that her amulet, which she told me, Holly, Madeline, and Sabrina about, is glowing. I watch as a bright blue light surrounds me and my friends. When it clears, I feel a wave of memories about me flood over me. "What just happened?" I ask.
"Surprise, Makayla!" Sofia smiles. "You know that my amulet is magical, right?"
"Yes," I nod.
"Well, I was thinking about something I could do to thank you for such a great day, and it hit me," Sofia smiles. "I wished for your curse to be lifted."
"You mean…the curse got lifted?" I ask, a big smile forming on my lips.
"That's right," Sofia smiles.
When I hear that, I can't help it. I'm so happy that the curse is lifted that I break down in tears right then and there.
"We'll have to tell your aunt and uncle about this," James smiles as he hugs me.
"Yes, but we'll also have to tell them how it happened," Sofia agrees. "Can they keep the secret of my amulet?"
"Yes they can," I smile.
"We won't even tell Rachel about this, but won't she be surprised!" Holly grins.
I run home and told my aunt and uncle that the curse has been lifted.
"You here that, hon?" Theo smiles, "our niece got her memories back!"
"After all this time," Gretchen smiles as tears of happiness formed. "And don't worry, sweetheart," she continues, "We'll keep the secret of how it happened."
"But what about Rachel?" I ask, "I know my friends and I promised Sofia we wouldn't tell anyone about her amulet, but what if Rachel starts asking why I'm remembering again?"
"You can tell her that you ran into a different sorcerer who understood what you were going through, and he lifted the curse," Theo smiles. "But if you really want to tell her the truth, that's fine too."
"Maybe I'll go with your first idea," I agree. Suddenly, I see that I still have the gifts for Elena and Gabby in my arms. ''Oh snap; I forgot to give the girls their gifts!" I show them the bear and the beaver.
"So go ahead and give them to them," Aunt Gretchen smiles. "In the meantime, we'll start getting a celebration ready for you. And of course all your friends are invited!"
"That's right," Uncle Theo smiles, "You must have been so excited to tell us your happy news that you forgot you still had those little animals. But go ahead and give them to the girls."
"Thanks," I smile as I run back to give the twins their gifts.
As we expected, Elena and Gabby love their respective teddy bear and beaver. We even invite them, and their parents, as well as King Roland and Queen Miranda, to the party. Elena, in particular, is excited to hear that James and I sang one of her namesake's songs, so I promise her that we'll play it.
"It was pretty cool hearing them sing that," Holly smiles.
"Welcome to Makayla's recovery party," I hear my aunt say as we all went to the party. "Feel free to enjoy yourself with music and food!"
"And no Rachel," I sigh in relief.
Everyone is having a great time, especially me. I go over to Sofia, who's talking with her mom and dad. Sofia waves me over and explains how my curse was lifted.
"We're so happy for you, Makayla," Queen Miranda smiles, pulling me into a hug.
King Roland pats my shoulder. "Indeed," he smiles. "And thank you for keeping Sofia's amulet a secret."
"You're welcome, King Roland," I smile.
"Would you like to come to the castle tonight for a sleepover?" Sofia adds, "You know, so we can continue the celebration?"
"I'd like that...if it's okay with Aunt Gretchen and Uncle Theo," I smile.
"Of course it is," Aunt Gretchen smiles.
"Go ahead, sweetheart," Uncle Theo agrees as he hugs me.
"I can ask my mom and dad if I can come too," Holly smiles.
"Okay," I smile.
When we all get permission to sleep over, I run upstairs to pack my overnight bag. This has been, without a doubt, the greatest day of my life!
I hug my plush frog before I tuck him into my bag. I used to tell him all my secrets when I was little, and I tell him about what happened today. I come back downstairs, and before I know it, my friends and I are off to the castle.
"I just hope we don't run into Rachel," I get a little anxious, but I shake the feeling off.
"Let's not worry about her now," Amber smiles. "Tonight is all about you, and friends!"
"We didn't tell her about the party, so she won't know about this," Holly adds.
"That's true," I nod
"And later on, if you want Rachel to know about the curse being broken, we'll tell her," Sofia adds. "It might stop her from being mean to you, and if not, at least she'll know there's one less thing for her to tease you about."
"You're right," I agree.
"And if you want, she can come to the sleepover too,'' Holly adds.
"We'll see," I say at last. "Like Aunt Gretchen says, we'll just take it one day at a time with Rachel. She also says friendships weren't built in a day."
"She's right about both of those," Sofia smiles as we get ready for bed. "If we see her tomorrow, we'll ask if she wants to join us. If she says yes, that's fine, but if she says no, that's fine too."
"Night," I say as I drift off to sleep. For the first time in a long time, I sleep peacefully. Thanks to Sofia, the curse is broken.
The next day, after breakfast, we go back to Aunt Gretchen and Uncle Theo's house. And just like I'd thought, there's Rachel, waiting for us.
"Makayla, why didn't you remember that you were supposed to help me with our homework?" Rachel smirks.
"First, I wasn't paired up with you for the assignment, and second, great news, Rachel! I remember everything now since that curse is now broken! Including what a brat you've always been to me!" I tease her. I notice Sofia's frown, and she's right. I don't want to sink to Rachel's level, but for a moment it feels wonderful to get one over on her! "But I digress," I continue, "We're going to the park later today. Do you want to join us?"
Rachel thinks for a moment. "Uhh..no.''
"Okay," I smile. "See you later, Rachel!" When she's gone, I turn to Sofia. "Sorry about that, Sofia, and you're right. Next time we see her, I'll be nicer to her."
"I know," Sofia smiles. "But like you said, we're going to have fun, not worry about Rachel."
At the park, I smile as I breath in the fresh air. "What a beautiful day!"
"It is, Makayla," Sofia smiles. "It really is."