The Magically Maligned

Consider from the perspective of that forgotten fairy godmother, who arrived late to Sleeping Beauty's christening.

So Easy to Displease, Part One by Paula Gail Benson

How much trouble could it be,

To prepare for an unexpected fairy?

Their protest that they thought me dead,

Left them with something horrific to dread --

A death sentence upon the new baby!

When? Who knew? Wait and see.

My spell, once cast, could not be rescinded,

However, a meddling godmother tried to mend it.

Rather than death, the kingdom would sleep,

Waiting for a true love to creep

Through the brambles and past the slumbering,

To cure with a kiss the family’s bumbling.

In a hundred years, they’d awake in joy

To celebrate the curiosity of an intrepid boy.

© Paula Gail Benson, all rights reserved

What's Your Dream?

The Shadow of a Dream by Paula Gail Benson

“The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.” -- from Hamlet by William Shakespeare

While hunting through the forest, I heard about a hidden kingdom, now lost in overgrown vines and dosing subjects. All winnable by a single kiss.

Being an enterprising sort, I hacked my way through the overgrowth and entered the castle, passing by those slumped in perpetual slumber. Reaching the tower room, I found the princess lying in regal splendor, her hand pricked by a spinning wheel’s spindle resting beside her cheek.

All asleep one hundred years. All waiting to resume. What?

Princess, do you know your nap’s length? What do you expect when you wake? Might you dream of me?

©  Paula Gail Benson, all rights reserved