Ellen's Curse
By: Nikki Fischer
Greenwood
Period 2

When I was born, this stupid, stupid fairy came. Not Lucinda (a fairy that cursed my mother). She had already learned her lesson. Mother would already have not allowed her in there anyway. No, it was Lulu, Lucinda's sister. Apparently, Lucinda did not teach her sister a valuable lesson, one that she learned herself. If only she did, I would not have had this problem.
My mother was unconscious when I came out into the world. If only she wasn't, then I would not be cursed. She would have stopped this, because it had happened to her before. She fought the spell and won, but I am not as strong as her.
My mother's curse was obedience. Anytime someone told her to do something, she had to do it. You couldn't ask her, you had to tell or order her to do whatever you wanted her to do. She finally found the cure, and married my father, Prince Charlie, in the process.
My spell is much different. Lulu gave my grandfather a wish, and now I am forever watched by my grandfather, my father's dad. He is the king, and thinks that everything I do is a sin. My mother said that he used to be jolly and kind, but now he is grumpy, since he is arguing with the other kind, the Ayorthian king. My grandfather rules over all of Kyrria, but mainly a city in Kyrria called Corosia. This is where the palace is. Such a temptation to break the rules is now gone. Even moments in my sleep are being watched over. If he were still the nice grandfather that I want, he wouldn't watch me every single second of the day. You see, my grandfather has a special looking glass that is like a camera that follows me everywhere. If he's not watching, then he would make his servants report my every move. Such a life of cruelty.
I can't even skip down the halls. I can't slide down the stair rails like my mother used to. I have to walk elegantly, each day taking a stack of books on my head and practice floating around the room. It is torture.
I can't stand it anymore. Every single day, I get a bad report, even though I try my hardest. I stroked one of the kitchen cats once and my grandfather wrote, "She touches the most horrid, dirty, animal fleabags there ever were. She is princess. She should be waited on hand and foot, and then practice dancing and singing, and other princess things." Every day I am punished. Sometimes, I have to spend hours inside sewing, while the winds whistle and call out to me. I stab the quilts in rage, but end up in stabbing my own finger instead. My only friend is my dance teacher. She makes me dance elegantly, so my grandfather's servants won't give me to much of a bad report, but when it was her turn to watch the looking glass, she lets me do what I want. Now my grandfather has figured out what she had let me do, so now her looking glass time is limited. When the old clock rings five times though, she gets ten minutes at the looking glass.
Well, I'm not usually one to complain, but one day I thought enough was enough. "I don't have much time," I told myself, so at five o'clock on a Sunday evening, I planned my way of escape. I thought I would try and find the glass orb and break it, but where to look? Well, I thought to myself, and a little light bulb came into my head. A secret passage, but where would one be?
I pondered on that question for quite some time the next day. I thought about it when I was doing my sewing, (I made quite a few mistakes, so I had to undo some stitches), and while I was doing some of my dancing. My dance teacher noticed I was not completely focused, and asked me what was wrong. I was just about to tell her, when I remembered the looking glass. So, I told her it was nothing. Later that evening, while I was at my desk, I asked myself, "Why can't I figure out where the secret passage is? It should be in a subtle but obvious place, why can't I figure out where it is?"
The next day, which happened to be Tuesday, and also one week before my birthday, I thought to myself, "I know an even better idea! I won't break the orb; I'll just cheer my grandfather up!" I didn't know why I hadn't thought of that sooner but, what would cheer him up? That was another very puzzling situation that I had gotten myself into. So, I just went about my day as usual, I did my sewing, my arithmetic, and my dancing. My only difference was, I didn't try and stay away from my grandfather. He had obviously noticed something was wrong, and told me to go memorize the first page of the dictionary. I bet he thought it would be a horrid punishment, but luckily he made a mistake. His mistake was, he told me to learn the first page, and the first page was the title page, and so the only words were, The Rolland Dictionary, by: Robert Rolland.
The next day, I was more careful about being subtle, because the second page of the dictionary had twenty-seven words and definitions, and that would truly be an appalling punishment. While at dinner, I asked my grandfather how his day was. Well, I had just made a very awful decision, because he clearly did not like being bothered during his dinner. Well, what did he do to me? Well, he sent me up to my room, and had a servant bring dinner to me. I thought to myself (I have noticed that I think to myself very often), "I wondered why was Grandfather such a wretched old kook?" I didn't like calling names, but I had felt that this was the right time to do so, so I did. After my supper, I lay in my four poster bed, and thought of ways to cheer my Grandfather up. I unfortunately fell asleep before I could think of any ideas, but if one wanted to, it would come.
The next day, I put my plan to action. I brought my grandfather to a very nice party that evening, hosted by the king and queen of Ayorthia. He seemed still angry about what ever they were arguing about. (I don't know why he's mad, because I don't want him to mad at me.) After the party, he seemed even angrier. So the next day I tried again. I took him to see the knights training, he usually really likes that. It seems to cheer him up for quite a while, but then he, had the sudden urge to go and eat, and he tripped over a sword, and got really mad after that.
I didn't have much time left until my birthday. I was running out of days. Well, I tried again with a party, but this was a party hosted by the Duke of Ratiki (a very rich and powerful country). This time, by the end of the party, he didn't seem too angry with anyone, but me. You see, I spilled some of this strange drink, and it drew attention to that I was his granddaughter. So, back to the old drawing board. I was running out of happiness ideas! So, a couple days later, I decided to do a small something to make him happy. I gave him a small ring. It had a bright shiny ruby in a gold ring outside. I don't know how, but a miniature smile seemed to come to his face. Well, I just had to grasp this opportunity, and asked him if he liked it. Well, I just saw his face, and the smile told me so, but I wanted to make sure. Anyway, how the ring worked I don't know, and I didn't dare ask, maybe it brought back a fond memory, or maybe he just liked it period, but why he liked it I'll never know.
The next day, which happened to be the day before my birthday, Grandfather seemed to be still in a good mood. That little smile was still on his face. On the day of my birthday, Grandfather was the happiest I've ever seen him. So I went up to him, I had obviously looked terrified, so Grandfather, Grandfather of all people asked what was wrong. So, I dared to tell him what I wanted to say. "Grandfather?" I asked in a timid voice. "What's the matter?" Grandfather asked. "Well, I was just sort of wondering," I began. "Speak up, and say what you're going to say. Princesses do not act timid," Grandfather sternly said. "Well," I began again. "Could you please not always watch me through the looking glass?" "Why shouldn't I? You have always been the troublemaker of the family. You act like you mother when she was young. Do things properly, and not the way you have been, and I'll give you thirty minutes of free time." Grandfather negotiated. "I'm not the troublemaker!" I blurted out. "Well, at least not as big as one as you think. I also am proud of my mother, and proud to be like her!"

"I know you are proud, but you act too proud." Grandfather told me. I wondered why he was telling me this now, and I also wondered to myself why I was blurting out my feelings to someone who acted like they hate me. "I also need more that thirty minutes away from you! How about you don't watch the looking glass at all?" I asked hopefully. "I don't think, that I will totally do that, but I will certainly not watch you as much," Grandfather said. I couldn't believe what I was saying but, I asked the most astonishing question. "Grandfather? Why did you like the ring so much?" "Oh, it's just something that reminds me, of things you are too young to know." My grandfather quickly said. I could tell he didn't want me to know something, but I didn't ask, because I didn't want him mad at me again. "Will you break the looking orb?" I just burst in saying. "I might maybe when you are older" Grandfather replied. "How much older?" I pushed. "I said older!" Grandfather thundered. After that I just said okay, and left to do some dancing, and tell the good news to my dance teacher. My birthday was finally here when I woke the next morning. I flew down to the dinning hall where there were breakfast treats to feed a rather large town! My grandfather came in with a rather large box that a servant was carrying in behind him. I could only imagine what was inside. Grandfather came in and told me to open it. It was a glass orb about the size of the breakfast plate (approximately, with a radius of four inches). I asked what it was, and my grandfather said that it was the looking glass that was used to watch me. I gasped. I was more beautiful that I could have imagined. The base was gold, with rubies and diamonds in it. Reluctantly, Grandfather said I could have it, if I promised not to destroy it. I promised, and just gazed at it, for I don't know how long.
So there you have it. This is how I broke the curse, sort of. I didn't really break it, because it is still bestowed upon me, for when my grandfather doesn't trust me, but it is better that nothing right?