A Modern Fairy Tale
Lennie Briscoe heard the screams of his small goddaughter and hurried to where she was having a nightmare. Her brown eyes were full of fear and her curly brown hair was matted with sweat.
"It's all right, Gracie. It's all right." He hugged her until she stopped screaming. "Nothing can hurt you. You're safe."
"When are Mommy and Daddy coming back?" The little girl asked, looking exactly like her mother.
"Soon." Lennie's two friends had been called away to Albany for two days, leaving their twins under the care of both himself and Nora, but those two days already seemed like a lifetime.
"Gracie, you're a scaredy-cat." Grace's brother, Austin, said, sticking out his tongue at his little sister. Lennie tried to hide a smile; sometimes Austin was as impossible as his father was.
"What's going on in here?" Nora Lewin asked, coming to check on them.
"Grace had a nightmare."
"Aunt Nora!" Grace exclaimed as Austin threw his teddy bear at his sister.
"All right, you two." Nora sat on the bed beside Grace. "Lennie, why don't you tell a story so these two can get back to sleep? It's way past their bedtimes."
"Yeah! A story!" Austin said, forgetting his sister for a few minutes.
Lennie gave Nora a look and saw that she was as excited as the children were. "Oh, all right. Years ago, there was a place named Camelot with a prince and a princess. They were very happy until the princess died." He paused, trying to get the wreckage of the car and Claire's non- existent pulse out of his mind. "When the princess died, a spell was put over the entire kingdom until the prince could learn to love again."
"Just like Beauty and the Beast!" Grace exclaimed, referring to her favorite Disney movie, and Nora smiled.
"Over many long years, it seemed like the spell would never be lifted. No one ever laughed or smiled and the prince grew very bitter and very angry. Nothing ever happened except work, work, and more work. There were no friends; everyone drew inside themselves." Lennie couldn't find the words to tell how bad the situation had been. "One day, a young woman moved into the castle. She quickly and easily captured the hearts of the whole kingdom and she was the perfect choice for a new princess: funny, beautiful, and smart."
"What about the prince?" Austin asked although he'd been trying to act unaffected by the 'girl' story.
"Well, he tried to fight it. He yelled at her and he tried to push her away like he had everyone else, but there was nothing that he could do. He thought he was fine on his own and that the kingdom would be fine too. One day, he had to admit to himself that he had fallen in love."
"Happy ever after?" Grace asked.
"Yeah, Uncle Lennie. What happened then?" Austin asked.
"Well, the woman became the new princess and she had two beautiful babies named Gracie and Austin."
"Hey, that's us!" Grace said, looking at Austin.
"Mommy was the princess?" Austin asked.
"Yeah, your mom is the princess." He looked at Grace, who could barely keep her eyes open. "Now both of you go to sleep. No more bad dreams, huh?" He and Nora crept out of the room and went back to the couch.
"Well, my queen, are you getting sleepy?" He asked Nora.
"A little. You know, I never thought about what happened as a fairy tale. I guess it fits though. Abbie is a princess."
"Well, you know, if Jack and Abbie are prince and princess, that makes you the queen."
She laughed. "I like the sound of that."
Lennie Briscoe heard the screams of his small goddaughter and hurried to where she was having a nightmare. Her brown eyes were full of fear and her curly brown hair was matted with sweat.
"It's all right, Gracie. It's all right." He hugged her until she stopped screaming. "Nothing can hurt you. You're safe."
"When are Mommy and Daddy coming back?" The little girl asked, looking exactly like her mother.
"Soon." Lennie's two friends had been called away to Albany for two days, leaving their twins under the care of both himself and Nora, but those two days already seemed like a lifetime.
"Gracie, you're a scaredy-cat." Grace's brother, Austin, said, sticking out his tongue at his little sister. Lennie tried to hide a smile; sometimes Austin was as impossible as his father was.
"What's going on in here?" Nora Lewin asked, coming to check on them.
"Grace had a nightmare."
"Aunt Nora!" Grace exclaimed as Austin threw his teddy bear at his sister.
"All right, you two." Nora sat on the bed beside Grace. "Lennie, why don't you tell a story so these two can get back to sleep? It's way past their bedtimes."
"Yeah! A story!" Austin said, forgetting his sister for a few minutes.
Lennie gave Nora a look and saw that she was as excited as the children were. "Oh, all right. Years ago, there was a place named Camelot with a prince and a princess. They were very happy until the princess died." He paused, trying to get the wreckage of the car and Claire's non- existent pulse out of his mind. "When the princess died, a spell was put over the entire kingdom until the prince could learn to love again."
"Just like Beauty and the Beast!" Grace exclaimed, referring to her favorite Disney movie, and Nora smiled.
"Over many long years, it seemed like the spell would never be lifted. No one ever laughed or smiled and the prince grew very bitter and very angry. Nothing ever happened except work, work, and more work. There were no friends; everyone drew inside themselves." Lennie couldn't find the words to tell how bad the situation had been. "One day, a young woman moved into the castle. She quickly and easily captured the hearts of the whole kingdom and she was the perfect choice for a new princess: funny, beautiful, and smart."
"What about the prince?" Austin asked although he'd been trying to act unaffected by the 'girl' story.
"Well, he tried to fight it. He yelled at her and he tried to push her away like he had everyone else, but there was nothing that he could do. He thought he was fine on his own and that the kingdom would be fine too. One day, he had to admit to himself that he had fallen in love."
"Happy ever after?" Grace asked.
"Yeah, Uncle Lennie. What happened then?" Austin asked.
"Well, the woman became the new princess and she had two beautiful babies named Gracie and Austin."
"Hey, that's us!" Grace said, looking at Austin.
"Mommy was the princess?" Austin asked.
"Yeah, your mom is the princess." He looked at Grace, who could barely keep her eyes open. "Now both of you go to sleep. No more bad dreams, huh?" He and Nora crept out of the room and went back to the couch.
"Well, my queen, are you getting sleepy?" He asked Nora.
"A little. You know, I never thought about what happened as a fairy tale. I guess it fits though. Abbie is a princess."
"Well, you know, if Jack and Abbie are prince and princess, that makes you the queen."
She laughed. "I like the sound of that."