Woooow! Six reviews this time! I am positively faint from happiness!
Thanks to. . .
Aerinha – Yeah, real bummer. . .perhaps pink frogs are cute. I wasn't aware that green frogs were cute. . .
Dragonblade Goddess – I like your screenname. Squee away
Miss Piratess – Yes, I made it as random as possible. Knew you would like it. I hate being bored. . .it's so boring. . .
mythicalmemory – Reading rocks! Yay! I so call all the Jane Austen books!
rainkisser – Hence, why the title of the story is. . .Curses and Kisses. The kisses will come in later, though I think there are only three. . .or four. . .or five. . .I really have no idea, as you can tell.
Sirenic Griffin – I'm glad you like it and sorry your server was such a pain. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to think you would do all that just to read something I had written. Basically, the point of this story is to make you laugh. The orange fairy (named Egnaro, which is orange backwards, in case that helps you remember) did say she was a fairy. . .and then I called her a witch. . .oh dear. I just don't know how to remedy this. Here, have a cookie since you were so clever as to find a mistake.
Summary: She's a doctor's daughter under a spell of an evil queen. He's a prince with nowhere to rule and the worst luck of all. Even with the sometimes useful interference of two fairies with nothing better to do and the constant companionship of six giants, a runaway dog, and a girl who was once a fly, how will the Frog Prince and Sleeping Beauty ever hook up? Many fairy tales rolled into one silly, very mixed-up one.
THIS FAIRY TALE IS ABOUT: Curses and Kisses
THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT: Meetings and Search Parties
At the castle of Mahaska, something was going on that was not at all pleasant. Well, it led to a rather pleasant thing, but it itself was not a pleasant thing. King Pitch, who was old and sick to begin with, had caught a worse disease and was so close to dying, Princess Midnight was all ready being called Queen Midnight. The whole of Mahaska was glad, because they realized how bad Raven had been. (After Raven had left, Midnight realized how big a responsibility being queen was, so she stopped reading books all the time and started doing things - and became quite a well-rounded young lady, I am told.) The last I had heard about it, Midnight was having her third child, and all the Mahaskens were absolutely overjoyed.
Kokie and Menon lived happily together for the next three years. They reserved Saturday to look for sleeping servants for the first year, but after a while, Menon was pretty happy being a frog. The third year, something happened to everybody, but that comes later.
Kokie, now 17, was very pretty. Menon, 26, was getting to be a very old frog. He was not pink anymore, which thoroughly thrilled him. Kokie did not wear the big coat anymore, she killed a few animals and shaved a few skins, and had quite a handsome wardrobe. Kokie was looking around for somebody to marry her, but she did not find anyone. She was the happiest she had ever been, living with the greatest older brother she never had, even if he was a frog.
Kokie and Menon were out for their evening stroll. It was exactly 5 years ago that night that Menon had been turned into a frog. Menon saw a fly and after asking it if it was really a person (it wasn't) ate it. Kokie picked an apple to eat.
"Kokie?" Menon said. "Do you think I could be stuck a frog for good?"
"May-be," she said slowly. "But I bet you'll find a servant someday."
"And if I do find one, how can I kiss her? I'm a frog!" yelled Menon.
"I know," sighed Kokie. She had heard this before.
"I suppose I could just lick her. Yuck! I wonder if that will qualify," Menon said.
Kokie knew he meant about the end of the curse. "Well, if it doesn't, you can just kiss her again."
On the other side of the forest, Fa-sud and Prudence were also going on a walk.
"It's been a long time since Mera left. A long time. I wonder why she never came back. She sounded like she wanted to come back, don't you think so, Pru?" Fa-sud-ig mused.
"Woof, woof, yip, yip, yip, bark," Prudence stated.
"Oh, I guess you're right."
"Yip, woof, woof. Bark, bark, yip, bark, woof, woof, snap!" She retorted.
"Well, I'm sorry! I didn't even mean it like that!" Fa-sud said.
"Yip! Growl, snap!" Prudence yelled.
"Oh, stop your grouching. I didn't even say that."
"Yip, woof, yip," she finally said.
"Good."
On the other side of the universe, Yhpar was helping out an unfortunate fairy who had lost her way from Andromeda to the Milky Way. Yhpar looked at the space-map.
"Yes, perhaps," she was saying. "I do believe you went left there when you should have went straight."
"No, no, I did go straight there," the fairy said.
"Oh. Well, well, well, I think I see the problem. Did you turn there?" she asked.
"No," the fairy said timidly.
"Aha! You were supposed to turn left there," Yhpar said confidently.
"Oh, I see that now."
"Of course you do." Yhpar had heard that line at least 1,002 times.
"Thanks." The fairy took the map back and flew away. Yhpar disappeared, she hated flying.
Back on the this side of the universe, Kokie and Menon were still out on their walk.
"Menon," Kokie said. "I think it's time I got married."
"Oh?" Menon smiled. "Got anyone in particular in mind?"
"Oh!" complained Kokie. "You never take me seriously."
"I'm sorry," Menon said, honestly.
"I am 18, you know!" cried Kokie.
"17," Menon corrected.
"17 and 10 months," Kokie corrected. "Anyway, it really is time for me to get married."
"Really, Koke. Who are you going to marry?" Menon reasoned. "There's nobody around here."
On the other side of the forest, Fa-sud was reasoning, too.
"After all, it's been five years. Five years is a long time, Pru. Wa-kod-if was 13, now he's 18! And I'm 40. Wow, time just flies."
"Woof, woof, yip," Pru said.
"Right. You're 6 years old now."
"Yip, yip, bark. Woof, yip, bark," Prudence pointed out.
"Right. Mera is probably gone by now," Fa-sud-ig sighed. "It's too bad. If she were still alive, she would be 24. Wow, that seems pretty old. I've been thinking Wa-kod-if should get married. Why, I had a few proposals by the time I was 15. But who is available? I haven't seen anybody living here."
"Yip, woof, woof, woof, woof, yip, yip, yip, woof, bark," Pru said nonchalantly.
Fa-sud glared at the dog. "What do you mean, 'except that girl and a frog?'"
"Yip! Woof, yip, bark, yip. Bark, bark, yip, bark? Snap, yip, growl," Prudence explained.
"Oh. Do you remember where they lived?" Fa-sud asked eagerly.
"Bark! Yip, yip, yip!" Pru trotted down a path Fa-sud had never explored.
"Okay. . ." Fa-sud drawled. "I guess I'll trust you." Fa-sud trotted after her. She was looking at a big old tree when she realized she didn't see Pru anywhere. She started running, and ran straight into. . .Kokie and Menon!
"Oh, my, the girl and the frog!" cried Fa-sud.
"Oh, my, another person!" cried Kokie.
"Oh, my, a giant!" cried Menon.
"Who are you?" asked Kokie. "What are you doing here?"
"Me?" asked Fa-sud-ig. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here!" cried Kokie.
"So do I!" cried Fa-sud-ig.
"What?" cried Menon. "Where were you before!"
"What?" shrieked Fa-sud. "A frog that talks!"
"Okay, okay. Let's all be calm, please." Kokie cleared her throat. "I'm Kokie, and this is Menon. He's really a prince under a spell."
"Oh. How do you do, Kokie?" They shook hands. "I am Fa-sud-ig Wa-jif."
"Fasu-dig Waj-if?" asked Kokie.
"No. Fa. . .sud. . .ig. Wa. . .jif."
"Ah. Fa-sud-ig Waj-if."
"Wa-jif."
"That's what I said, Waj-if."
Fa-sud sighed. At least she said her first name right. "You can call me Fa-sud if you want. I'm looking for a big, yellow dog, who has an attitude." Far off, she heard the retort she wanted to hear.
"Yip, bark, woof, yip, yip, 'woof-woof-snarl'!"
"If you'll excuse me. . ." said Fa-sud, starting to leave.
"Wait. . ." Kokie called after her. Maybe she has a son! "I want to come with you. Ah, we want to, I mean."
"We do?" asked the clueless frog. Kokie nodded. Menon figured she had some sort of plan. "Oh, right, now I remember."
So, Kokie, Fa-sud and Menon started walking towards Prudence's bark. When they found her, they started back to Fa-sud's house, she leading the way.
"Do you live alone?" asked Kokie. "Or do you have a family? A husband? Children?"
"Sadly, I never got married, but I live with one older brother and one younger brother. My brothers Aifii, Sa-jawi, and Da-jooa have left home to get married." Fa-sud explained.
"Oh." Kokie smiled. One left. "What are their names and ages?"
"Qa-ja-ci is 43. I am 40. My youngest brother, Wa-kod-if, is 18."
A smile spread across Kokie's face.
"I'd like to meet them." Kokie smiled the whole way to Fa-sud-ig's house. She would finally marry! Providing this Wacko-diff was as kind and good-looking as - maybe even kinder and better looking (though Kokie knew that was a lot to hope for) than - his older sister.
Doctor Leou Wuos was out riding in the Golden Forest on his mare, Sierra. He was, in truth, out looking for Mera. Again. Two years ago, when she hadn't come home when she said she would, he became worried. Almost every spare minute he spent looking for her, although I must say he did not have much hope left. His other daughters, Toli, Shana, and Ruza were looking for her, too, on their horses, Maple, Aspen, and Oak. Pine, Mera's horse, was riding with Ruza and Oak, because Oak was the fastest. Toli and Shana, who were twins, went looking together, Ruza and 'Doc' both went alone.
"Toli," said Shana, giving Aspen an extra nudge. "There's a fork in the path. Which way do you want to go?"
"I'll go left," said Toli, veering Maple towards the dark path. Maple shuttered at the sight of it, but trotted forward.
"I guess I'll go straight. C'mon, girl, let's find Mera!" Shana and Aspen disappeared into the blackness. The moon would arrive soon, and when it did, they would have to go back to Smoke-Stack.
Ruza, Oak, and Pine, plodded down the hill. I should say, Oak and Pine plodded, and Ruza rode. Ruza was younger than Mera, being 22 presently. The twins were 28, and Toli was married to Koplu, the carpenter. Koplu was away on a business trip to Elephant Pass, where the philosophers of Mahaska lived. They wanted a new table and 35 chairs, plus a bed and 3 chests. Shana was betrothed, or engaged, to Gossai. Gossai was a doctor under Doc's apprenticeship. When he was a full fledged 'doc' himself, that is, in 2 years, he would marry Shana. Toli and Shana both and long brown hair and green eyes, because they were identical.
Ruza was not married, or betrothed, but she did have a suitor. That's sort of the old age equivalent to a boyfriend - to some extent. His name was Sir Bythe; he was a knight. He fell madly in love with Ruza the first time he saw her soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and vice-versa. They were going to be betrothed soon, as soon as Sir Bythe got the nerve – he was very, very shy.
Oak galloped at a moderate pace, and Pine was puzzled at the whereabouts of her usual mistress (though it was not the first time, Pine had just realized it. Horses are not the cleverest animal under the sun.) Her and Aspen's foal, Echo, was not coming along, either. Yes, there was something very wrong about this late-evening ride. Something very peculiar indeed. Pine whinnied to Oak (who was always more knowledgeable than she, but not by much,) "Do you understand why we are out here?"
Oak neighed back, "I think we are searching for your mistress."
"What? Did you hear that from your mistress?" Pine snorted.
"No, from Doc. He said she was 'lost' and had to be 'found,'" Oak whinnied importantly.
"Oh. Where is Echo?" Pine whinnied.
"We need to 'found' your mistress soon, and Echo doesn't go very fast." She snorted.
"I guess not," neighed Pine, sadly.
"Where did everybody go?" whinnied Echo, who did not echo anyone but was called that because she looked exactly like her mother, Pine. "How come I didn't get to come? I love to ride. Oh, where is Mummy? She left, too. She left with them. When will she come home?" Echo snorted. "I'll go find her. I'll get out of here!" She nimbly jumped over the gate and took off to find her Mummy.
She had never felt so free. She neighed and whinnied as loud as she could, "Mummy! Mummy! It's Echo! Come back! Come back home." She sped past the creek (Kokie Creek, in scrutinizing). Not very fast, indeed!
Pine heard Echo whinnying and snorted in return. Ruza and Toli heard it, too. Toli and Maple galloped towards the 'Mummy dear!' Pine tried to turn around, but Ruza saw Toli going for it, so she prodded Oak and Pine on.
Echo was still whinnying, "Come back home, Mummy."
Maple neighed softly, "Echo, it's okay. Come on, I'll take you to your mummy."
"Mummy!
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