Entries

Mary? I mean, Miss Warner?

Discussion of the childbirth/bearing issue has been moved to the section of this site reserved for subscribers to the Tyrtle Mumbles list and is continuing to be quite interesting. If you’d like to subscribe, you can find out how here. Originally I’d intended to post a story I wrote in college called “Depths” and talk about what it was like to grow up in apartment complexes but in the midst of looking through my filebox of old writings I found a story that was too apt to pass up using instead. The picture to the right is the one I drew at the time to go with the story; it’s not scanned in, but my graphics tablet has a tracing capability and my graphics program has a crayon brush, so it’s almost identical to the original drawing. I wrote the story while going to Kellogg school, in Mrs. Hoag’s third grade class. I remember being in that class quite clearly, Mrs. Hoag was my first public school teacher and was very patient with my complete lack of knowledge on desks, calling teachers Mrs. or Mr. so-and-so instead of by their first names and asking to leave the room instead of leaving when I felt like it. After two years of Montessori school going to public school was a shock. I mean, I’d never even seen a desk until my first day of third grade.

This assignment was one of the few she ever gave that I attacked with gusto. I’d written one other story before this one, about a mischievous prince named Nicholas whose parents despair of finding him a girl to marry until he meets one who’s as mischievous as he is, but also highly responsible and practical, and they become best friends, get married, and rule the kingdom together. I’ve always been big on equality.

When the entire class had written their short stories Miss Parker, the student teacher, typed them up and xeroxed them. We were given a copy of each story and stapled the lot together, then made a cover out of a large piece of white construction paper. I’ve been chuckling over what I did with my collection of stories all morning (not to mention the story itself) because it seems I was concerned with getting things right and being in control even then. I remember being upset when we were handed the typed up stories because none of them had page numbers on them, and of course it couldn’t be a real book without page numbers. What I didn’t remember until I found it this morning was that I’d also put an entire table of contents on the first page, complete with page numbers. I must have been a joy to teach. Ahem.

The themes I’ve talked about here are present in this story as well, although I hope my life doesn’t come across as such a soap opera. But you can see the beginnings of the future Galactic Web Empress in this story, if you look hard enough. You can either read “Hail For The Queen” below, or listen [link broken] to it (that is, if I can read it aloud from beginning to end without laughing).

---

Once long, long ago in London there lived a beautiful maiden. She lived in a nice tidy cottage right next door to the castle. Now, her name was Ann Rosecock. But everyone called her Annie because she was so friendly. In the olden days there was no school and so everyone worked. The children usually worked for their neighbors. But Ann worked for the KING!!!! She made the clothes for him. There was talk, even, that she would marry the King’s only son for the PRINCE looked at her like he loved her. All the girls were always asking how she ever got her hair that long but she was always very, very patient when they asked. The only strange thing about Ann is that she has a small nose and small ears and she was thin and very tall.

It’s time I told you about her family and friends. I’m not ashamed to tell you that Mrs. Rosecock had a deep secret that we will learn later in the story. Mr. and Mrs. Rosecock were deeply in love. They had already had 2 sets of twins and Annie. The first set was Mary and Maria. The second set is Barney and Bally. I’ll tell you about Ann’s friendship with Michelle now.

Ann loved Michelle and Michelle loved her. Ann could never have been separated from her. Michelle lived right next to Ann’s house. (I’m sorry I haven’t even told you how old Ann is. She is 10 years old.). Her friend Michelle is 10 and she lives in London, too.

Ann is very talented in singing. I guess the reason that she could sing so well is that she always woke up early in the morning at dawn and heard the birds sing. Ann also loved ballet and she used to sing for her dolls and have them do ballet. She just loved operas. She also likes exploring and climbing trees. There was a big tree in her front yard. And it was a Maple tree.

Ann grew up and it was on her 11th birthday that it happened……. Ann’s birthday was on Dec. 11th. The party was in the town square. Guess who came to the party?????? The King and His Son… His name is Prince Ryan and he was 12 years old. Everyone was having a great time and Mrs. Rosecock made an announcement. NOW HEAR THIS!!!! Ann’s great, great grandfather is Sir Nicholas II. A gasp went up from the party. For Sir Nicholas was The King.

Well some time passed by and Ann was 13 now and Prince Ryan was 14. Ann’s parents had died of old age. Sir Nicholas was dead of old age, too. Prince Ryan was King but he had to find a wife. Now, that isn’t as easy as you’d think. For he had to marry a girl of royal blood. He asked every girl in the kingdom. He couldn’t find one.

His page said “Oh master King. Your Majesty will you please answer this one question?”

“I will for you are very responsible.”

“Why did you tell us to skip Annie?”

“I did no such thing,” he roared. “Who is the traitor who said this?” He was almost yelling now.

“It was a wise old man.”

“He will be called that no more. He will be called Dead Man! Now I will ask her at once myself and see that nothing goes wrong.” The King himself went! Well meanwhile Annie was making some pies and Annie didn’t know what was happening when the KING knocked at her front door. The king said…… “Was what your mother said at your 11th birthday party true?” Oh your majesty I do not know honestly I think it might be true for when the party was over she heard her crying in the house. The King believed her and told her all that happened but his counselors didn’t believe her. So they decided to pray to her mother and father. They prayed for them to hear and speak to them. But finally the King heard it so the men believed it.

Those wonderful words were a blessing to everyone and Annie agreed to marry him.