Princess Marigold

“Princess Marigold.”

That is what they called her. It wasn’t her nickname until one day when they had gone to visit her great-aunt for the summer. The old woman lived far away in a house on the outskirts of the forest, and all of the neighboring houses were spread out from each other a great distance. As their car drove by endless fields, she could already feel dread, but when they eventually reached the house, she looked out of the window and was amazed by what she saw.

The house was white with a brown roof, and along the walls and windows were rows of golden flowers. She was immediately captivated by the sight. They shined under the afternoon sun like dainty specks of gold, and as the wind blew through them, they shook ferociously like pom-poms in a cheer-off. They were beautiful to her, and as they continued to dance in her eyes, she wanted to know everything about them.

“Those flowers,” she said to her father. “What are they called?”

“They’re marigolds.” he answered her. “Your great-aunt loves them. They’re her favorite flowers.”

“Marigolds…” she repeated after him. “That’s what I’m going to call myself. Marigold.”

Of course they laughed at her, but not her great-aunt. No, her great-aunt thought that it was the most delightful thing, for it was true, she really did love marigolds. She loved the bright colors and the flower’s big and round shape, and so as soon as she knew how much her great-niece loved them, she was eager to tell the young girl stories about them.

“They say that at night, the flowers come to life.” she began as the two walked through the quaint garden at the side of the house.

“They do?” Marigold exclaimed. “That’s wonderful!”

“Especially on a full moon, you’ll see the garden at its full glory.” the great-aunt said. Then her eyes became sad, and she got on her knees and parted some of the plants to reveal a group that had not yet bloomed. The stems were gnawed at, and for the ones that did manage to flower, their petals were shriveled and dull.

“What happened to them?” Marigold asked.

“Mice, I suspect.” The old woman shook her head as she spoke. “It’s a shame because I put so many traps for them. But they are too smart, and so my poor garden suffers. As for the others…” She motioned towards some that hadn’t yet bloomed despite their good conditions. “Others are just stubborn. I tend to them in just the same way as the others, but still, they will not bloom.”

“What will you do to the flowers?” There was concern in Marigold’s voice.

“I’ll have to pull them out and get rid of them.” her great-aunt answered. “Same for the ones that weren’t chewed on. I’m beginning to lose patience with them.”

“No!” Marigold shouted. “Leave them be, at least for one more night, and I’ll find a way to make them grow.”

The old woman smiled at the young girl’s confidence. “And how will you save them?” she asked in an amused tone.

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Marigold answered. “But I’m certain that there’s a way, and what better person to find out than me? For I am Marigold, Princess Marigold, and these flowers are my royal subjects! So, I’m sure I’ll find a way.”

And with that, she was determined to stay awake all night. She stayed by the window, where she could see the garden by the light of the moon, and she leaned against the glass with the hope of seeing the flowers come to life. But as much as she waited, nothing seemed to happen. They just continued to move against the gentle wind, and growing tired of waiting, Marigold slowly began to nod off…

… and suddenly, she heard a tapping sound. She sat up immediately, eyes wide with curiosity, and there on the windowsill, the flowers were tapping against the glass. She opened the window, her heart giddy with delight, and to her surprise, a tiny fairy jumped out of the closest flower. Nearby, the winged creatures were hopping out of their flowers before jumping back in. The flowers are their houses! Marigold smiled at the realization, and too excited to question it, she carefully climbed out of the window and ran barefoot towards the garden.

And what a sight that it was, for with every flower that there was, there was a fairy to accompany it. They slid down the leaves and ran along the pathway, and others jumped from flower to flower, making the petals bounce with each dainty hop that they made. Marigold stood there in awe. Her great-aunt was right. The flowers really did come to life, and beneath the full moon, the entire garden had become a carnival of playful creatures running and jumping about. She waved as they smiled and pulled at her white nightgown, and as they pointed at the stubborn flowers, she followed their motion and touched the delicate plants.

And with just the touch of her index finger, the flower bloomed. Her eyes grew wide with surprise. It followed her command; she really must have been a flower princess! With that, she brushed her hand through all of the dying flowers, and immediately they brightened with color. The buds grew and burst into a million petals, the shriveled stems became thick and green, and any signs of being gnawed at quickly vanished with just the magic touch of her hand. Marigold squealed with delight, and as new fairies ran to the flowers-brought-to-life, she realized that those were their houses. They had been waiting for their homes to be restored before returning to them, and as she observed their playful nature, she soon came to learn that all of the flowers served as a house for the fairies, each as unique in coloration as the winged creature that it belonged to, and the only thing that kept it from growing was if its fairy was no longer occupying it.

Marigold took care of any problems relating to that, though, by restoring them to the beautiful forms that they were meant to be. For what kind of fairy would want to live in a flower that was shriveled and ugly? Everyone knew that they were vain little creatures, and so although Marigold had no idea how she was able to – perhaps she was dreaming? – she did all that she could to make these flowers beautiful in their eyes. And it worked. As soon as the flowers bloomed, the designated fairies would jump in and giggle with delight. They all circled her with glittery eyes and sparkling wings, and as the massive flowers spun and danced in a frenzy, they pulled at her to follow them until they came to a flowery throne made just for her.

She gasped at the sight, and as she sat down in it, taking in the scent of sweet marigolds as she did so, she thought about the wonderful dream that she was in. With arms entwined and their pale skin glowing, the fairies danced around her, praising her as their new princess. Afterwards they broke apart, splitting into groups and separate performances dedicated just for her, and Marigold laughed and clapped her hands with joy the entire time. It was the best night she had ever had.

Then, the ground shook.

Marigold could feel it before she saw it coming. A swarm of mice burst into the garden through the white picket fence, and just as quickly as the fairies had welcomed their new princess, the festivities came to an end. The dainty little creatures hid behind their flowers and clung to their princess, and as the mice rummaged through the gardening tools and began chewing through the flower stems, the fairies cried out in horror. It was terrible. These were her loyal subjects that welcomed her without hesitation, and now they were being terrorized by mice. Of all creatures! As the screaming grew stronger, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Stop!” she shouted.

She stepped forward with one raised hand, and immediately, the mice stopped what they were doing and looked up at her. They hadn’t noticed her before, but as she stood there unwavering in her resolve, the swarm quickly made way, and walking through the path was a single mouse. Marigold was surprised, for not only was the mouse bigger than the rest, but he was also wearing a crown.

She got on her knees and greeted the Mouse King, and when he opened his mouth to speak, she was surprised to understand him. He spoke in a diplomatic tone, and through their brief conversation, Marigold was able to learn that the mice had come from the forest, and seeing that her great-aunt’s house was the closest, they had decided that it was the best place to get their meals. Of course, they knew that all of the food reserved for them was a trap, and so the king told her about how his insulted subjects would simply ignore it and go after the garden instead.

After his explanation, Marigold nodded with understanding, and she quickly came up with a solution. “If the humans left you a lot of cheese every week, will you promise to leave the flowers alone?” she asked him. “The fairies would be very grateful, and you all will be well-fed.”

The Mouse King thought about it for a long time, and after much thought, he replied, “I will take you up on that offer, Princess, so long as there are no more traps. I expect there to be a basket full of cheese, right by the front door of this very garden.”

Marigold laughed. It was funny to see such a small creature making big demands, but after managing to contain her laughter, she finally looked at the Mouse King and nodded in agreement. Then, he turned to his mice and spoke to them in a language that Marigold could not understand, and in the blink of an eye, the entire swarm left the garden and quickly disappeared into the dark forest.

She watched in amazement as it all happened. Then, as she noticed the lighter skies and sunbeams peeking out from the horizon, she realized just how much time had passed during their little celebration. She quickly ran her hand through the flowerbeds, restoring any flowers that had been damaged, before running to her bedroom window as quickly as she could, and before climbing through, she gave one last glance at the garden. All of the fairies were there, sitting on their flowers or standing at the door to the fence, waving their little arms to bid their princess farewell.

After waving to them, she quietly closed the window and climbed into bed. She could already hear the sound of her parents waking up and getting ready for breakfast. When it was time for her to get up, she went to them and told them all about what had happened. They laughed and told her it was just a dream, one that she told so well. Her smile faded, and she insisted that it was real, but still, they wouldn’t believe her.

To her surprise, though, there were no more complaints about the flowers. The garden was flourishing, to the family’s amazement. But it must have been a coincidence, and as the days went by, Marigold began to wonder if that unforgettable night really was just a wonderful dream. She stopped waiting by the window every night, and eventually she stopped thinking about the fairies altogether until one evening, she walked through the hall to see her great-aunt at the door to the garden. She held a basket of cheese in her hand, and in the brief moment that the two made eye contact, the older woman winked at the young girl before quickly going outside with it.