The Princess and the Frog

Occasionally there are real perks to being a stay-at-home mom.  This morning was one of them. :)

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a beautiful young Princess lived in a castle with her mother the Queen, and her brother, the Young Prince.  The Beautiful Princess spent her days cleaning the castle with her mother (for this castle tended to attract dirt like no body's business) but one day dreamed of being carried off to a perpetually spotless castle by the Dashing Prince of her dreams.


One day while cleaning the Queen opened the door to clean a particularly small and long neglected dungeon when a quick, small movement caught her eye.  Afraid that the Dreaded Spider may have returned to wreak havoc on the castle, she called for the Young Prince to bring a torch to light the way, determined not to let the Dreaded Spider escape.  However, the Young Prince was very frightened and too scared of the perils that may present themselves, so the Queen hurried to get a torch of her own.  Lighting it and proceeding with caution into the small dungeon the Queen was pleasantly surprised to find, not the Dreaded Spider, but instead a small, perfect Frog.  The Queen was puzzled.  How did the Frog get into the dungeon and how long had he been there without her knowledge?  Being too tall to fully enter said dungeon, the Queen called for the Beautiful Princess to enter and retrieve the little Frog.


Happily, the Beautiful Princess complied, ever watched by the fearful Young Prince.  After a few failed attempts and amid much giggling on the part of the Princess, she was able to cup the Frog in her small hands to take him outside the castle where he may be free.  She kindly set the little Frog along the rocky pathway and wished him well, returning to the castle.  Only when she was fully indoors did she realize that this Frog may in fact be the Dashing Prince of her dreams.  Oh no!  She quite possibly had missed her opportunity!


Hurrying back outdoors, the Young Prince and Beautiful Princess searched far and wide, finally finding the Frog hiding under a watering can.  The Beautiful Princess carefully picked him up, certain that her dreams were about to come true.  Tenderly, she raised the little Frog to her lips and gave him a small kiss. . . . . . 


But there was not change.  Slightly confused, the Beautiful Princess bestowed a second kiss on said Frog.  To her chagrin, the little Frog remained trapped in his tiny, amphibious body and refused to transform into the Dashing Prince of her dreams.  The Beautiful Princess was disappointed.  Who ever heard of a Frog that refused to turn into a Prince?  With slight melancholia, the Beautiful Princess gently set the Frog upon a stately rock and turned to reenter the castle.  Apparently, this Frog was not her Dashing Prince.  The Beautiful Princess dwelt upon the discouragement of the mornings events until a little while later when she heard the comforting sounds of the Frog, having returned to his grateful family in the bog, singing a song of thanks to the Beautiful Princess for rescuing him from the dungeon.

Maybe not every Frog was destined to become a Prince, but she would keep kissing them until one did.