The Naughty Princess

Once upon a time, long ago, there lived a king and queen who were blissfully happy with their sweet little princess daughter. 

Every day the queen would say, “Goodnight little girl, my princess so dear, I’ll love you forever and I’ll always stay near”. And the little princess would reply, “Goodnight noble queen, my mother so dear, I am your darling and you’ll always stay near.” One day the king returned home from a long journey. He had brought a parrot with him. “This bird can talk,” said the king but no matter how they tried, the bird would say nothing. The little princess, who found it a fun game to play, began to mimic everything people said. Everyone soon grew tired of this but the little princess wouldn’t stop, so they called the doctor. “Doctor, she repeats everything we say,” they told him. But the doctor couldn’t help and he advised the princess to take a long walk in the woods. 

Along the way the princess ran into an old woman. “Hello, little girl,” said the old woman. “Hello, little girl,” said the princess. She couldn’t help copying what the old woman said and even imitated the way she walked. “What a naughty girl you are,” said the old woman, “you’re just like a parrot!” The old woman waved her stick and spoke a strange incantation. In a flash the princess was turned into a parrot. The old woman was a witch and the princess flew back to the palace as a parrot. Everyone was looking for her but, of course, no-one recognised her now that she had feathers and a beak. Fortunately, she could still mimic people but would it all work out for the best?