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Glory Bound Books
presents
~ Once Upon A Twisted Tale ~
BOOK ONE
The Pimpled Princess
by
Leah Berry and Cindy Knowlton
~ Storytellers for THE KING! ~
Copyright © 2002
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
***
CHAPTER ELEVEN
~ The Secret Revealed! ~
***
...The BIG question...
With tears in his eyes, Uncle Max whispered the question again. "Why is this so important to you?"
"Because the law makes me an outlaw, too," Pashzmeenie whispered back as she lifted the veil to reveal the brownish-purple bumps and the giant yellow split-ends that covered her entire face and body.
"Oh, my child!" he cried, hugging Pashzmeenie to him so tightly that she could barely breathe! "I never meant to hurt anyone! I only wanted to protect them... and spare them the pain that I have felt," came the agonized reply.
"What pain, Uncle Max?" asked Pashzmeenie. "What happened to you?"
Slowly Uncle Max released her and went to sit on the parapet wall. He sent for The Royal Family and Professor Whienstein, dismissing The Pages from attendance. When everyone had arrived he began.
~ And this is the story he told ~
"Long ago, when I was a boy... and in the years before that, people who were 'different' in some way from others were an accepted part of our kingdom. They lived and worked among us, and whatever was 'different' about them was simply one of the pieces that made up the whole of who they were... like a puzzle with its many pieces. And this was part of the strength of our kingdom because it made us into a family where everyone had value, in their own eyes and in the eyes of others."
...The search...
"When it came time for me to marry, I was happy to let my father choose a bride for me because he had such love for me and knew me so well that I trusted him to make a wise choice."
"It must be very difficult for a parent to decide what is right for their children... knowing that some of these choices will effect their whole lives." Thoughtfully Uncle Max looked at Pashzmeenie's parents.
"And while I have never been a parent, for a time I was the father of this kingdom and had to make choices that effected its future."
...The evil...
"As I waited outside of the mountain lodge on my wedding night, I discovered the true nature of my bride. She was indescribably beautiful... but I found in her a very cruel spirit... one filled with nastiness, spite... and evil. Such terrible, terrible evil!"
"You see, I overheard her talking with her Ladies-in-Waiting about her plans for our kingdom. In the realm of The Cracker Islands there are never any people who are 'different'. There is a rigid inspection system that begins at birth and lasts for a lifetime. When any defect is found... whether physical or emotional... that person is put to death. She planned to begin the same practice here."
...The secret...
There was a shocked silence on the rooftop as The Royal Family waited for the rest of the story.
Uncle Max continued. "Following the birth of our first child she planned to start with me."
Pashzmeenie gasped!
"I too, am 'different', Little One." said Uncle Max.
"You, Uncle Max? But... how?" asked Pashzmeenie.
...The injury...
"There was an accident when I was a child." explained Uncle Max. "I was playing in the kitchens and I watched as Cook prepared hot chocolate for me. I stood on a tall stool so that I could see everything. The water had to boil so that the cocoa would dissolve properly. Then the Cook dropped the marshmallows in... and I reached in
with my left hand to grab one out."
Gently he pulled off the glove... the glove he always wore... the glove whose presence was such a part of Uncle Max that no one had ever questioned it. Tears fell from the family's eyes when they saw the blackened, scarred and twisted flesh.
"Through Professor Whienstein's tender care, he managed to save the tendons and muscles. But damage to the skin itself was so extensive that it was never able to recover."
...The compassion...
"Oh, Uncle Max!" cried Pashzmeenie as she ran to his side. "Does it hurt?"
"No, child. As painful as it was at the time, it could not compare to the pain of witnessing the evil that I met face to face at the mountain lodge that night."
"You see, I had to remove the glove for the ceremony because the wedding ring must rest on the finger. And when she saw my hand... and the many who were 'different' among the wedding guests, she made her plans."
...The HORROR!...
"Beginning with me she would purge the kingdom. My death would be a secret undertaking that allowed her to reign as Regent for our child until he or she was of age. And in our child's name she would begin to 'cleanse' the kingdom of imperfection."
"Genocide... extermination!" whispered Grampa Gus.
"Yes." The sadness in Uncle Max's voice was terrible to hear.
The Professor's voice shook as he said, "Forgive me, my friend. All these years... I didn't understand. Forgive me... forgive me."
"It was a burden I could not put on another. I've shared it only with GOD. You couldn't have known why I did what I did. There is nothing to forgive, my friend," replied Uncle Max.
Grampa Leo cleared his throat. "I have always wondered what happened to her," he said softly, glancing at his older brother.
...The consequences...
"It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. That night I sent for The Castle Guard to escort the Queen and her Ladies to a faraway secret place. I spared her life... as she would not have spared mine. She has shelter, food and clothing. But she is exiled from the world of men because she is filled with such monsterous evil. You see, she has no love for others. Perhaps she had never been told of GOD's love for her, so she cannot share it with others."
"You speak as though she were still alive," said Gramma Hermie. There was an uncomfortable silence as all waited to hear the answer.
...The result...
Finally Uncle Max said softly, "She lives, though she passed long ago into a world that would have condemned her to death among her own people... a world of insanity. But strangely enough, even now... at so great an age, her beauty remains. And I still find it hard to believe that anyone so heartbreakingly beautiful could be so utterly evil inside. I go sometimes to see her... to try and share GOD's love with her... to make sure that I've done everything possible to help her to understand not only her need of GOD's love, but also of His forgiveness... both of which He offers freely to any who will ask, no matter if they are 'different' or not."
"Uncle Max... what happened to the Queen's family from The Cracker Islands? Didn't they ask about their daughter?" wondered Pashzmeenie's father, the King.
...The condition...
It was quite awful really, because her family had taught her the ways of this evil. But I did not hide the truth from her father. He threatened to make war on our kingdom, though once he understood that his daughter's life would be the first casualty of that war he agreed to let it rest. Since his daughter's whereabouts are secret, he had an interest in not harming me because I see that she is cared for. Were I to be injured in a war, that care would end."
"The old king has passed away now, and things are beginning to change there. Sapphira was their only child and the crown has passed to a distant cousin who has stopped the murder of innocents. I pray that one day the kingdoms bloody past will be left far behind."
...The choice...
"But, Uncle Max!" cried Pashzmeenie. "Only you can change our kingdom's future! It's in your hands!"
There before him was the choice he must make... hidden truth or truth revealed. An agonized cry escaped him as he fell to his knees in the anguish of sudden realization.
~ "GOD forgive me! What have I done?" ~
***
~ The Tale Continues ~
CHAPTER TWELVE
~ What Does The Future Hold? ~
***
The exciting conclusion of The Pimpled Princess!
***
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