From the mouths of babes

Poisonous Princess

By Vanesa Larsen

North Sanpete Middle School, seventh grade

There once was a beautiful princess named Princess Lyrio, who lived in the highest tower in her castle. After trying to escape to her one and only love, she was grounded to her tower. Of course, she still had feasts with goblets of pure gold and the maids came by often to check on her, but it wasn’t the same.

And the worst part was she couldn’t see the Duke. Duke Douglas was his name and never was there a more handsome duke in all the lands. She needed to tell him her situation so that he may come and rescue her from her awful father. Princess Lyrio wanted to send a note using a dove.

Really, The princess had many doves, but she decided she would send her favorite dove named Grace. So the princess tied the small piece of paper to Grace’s leg and sent her on her way. Smiling, the princess lay down on her bed to take a nap. She was abruptly awakened by the sound of chomping. An owl had taken the dove, an eagle had eaten the owl and finally a dragon had eaten the eagle.

The fair princess huffed and scowled up at the dragon, licking his chops atop her tower. No doubt her father’s idea of a funny jest. Swiping another dove, she started again. But this time she attached porcupine quills. “Hopefully,” she whispered, “the owl wouldn’t catch the dove now.”

But the moment the dove flew away with another note on one leg and five porcupine quills on the other. “Be careful.” And the dove flew away only to be captured by an owl who nipped at the quills until there were none. The eagle then caught the owl and the dragon caught the eagle. But the princess only huffed once more as she formed yet another plan in her head.

“That’s it!” she cried with glee. She carefully grabbed a leather ball the princess and her sisters would play ball with. She then rushed to her dresser where she hid a bottle full of Puffer Fish poison she had stolen from the Potion Master down in the dungeons. She took a paint brush she used for makeup and dipped it into the substance. With a concentrated face Princess Lyrio worked, covering the brown leather ball with the poison. She then tied a string to the ball and the other end on the bird. This bird was a bit stronger, and Princess Lyrio knew the dove would be able to carry the ball as well as the message. And she sent her masterpiece out her window. With a gleeful smile she watched as the owl, eagle, and even the dragon swerved at the smell of the foul poison. She twirled around and hummed a merry tune.

Princess Lyrio flopped down on her bed and sighed a happy sigh. “Duke Douglas will finally get my message!” she breathed as she fell asleep. Douglas the Duke died the next day from poisoning.