The Prince and the Princess.............by Julianna Rowe

 

Once Upon a Time......deep in the forest of life there was.... hiding in a room all alone a greenish brown frog. He lived by himself with the exception of a few of his frog brothers and sisters who visited on occasion.   They all knew he was "The Great Storyteller" of the family.  Some of them ignored him but others relished in his creative drama about everything from his adventures outside to his meeting a cute little frog next door.  The Ugly Frog loved being the center of attention.  Friends called him "The Great Pretender."  That being a fact he would make up stories for his frog friends and family that made him a bigger frog then all the rest. The only problem was his stories were gossip. And they were not happy stories. He would talk about one frog brother when the other frog brother wasn't there.  Mr. Ugly Frog would talk about anything and anybody just to be the top Frog in the room. And when he went out and about, he strutted like a Big Dog Frog. He wore his finest vest and most expensive cologne. Smiled at all the ladies, yet he walked alone.

 Big Dog Frog didn't really have much confidence in himself and by strutting and telling his tall stories he hoped no one would notice.  But they did anyway.

 

 

One day Mr. Ugly Frog was taking his garbage out to the garbage hole in the yard where it fermented and grew the best worms and bugs for everyday holiday dinners.  That is the day Mr. Ugly Frog bumped into the Princess. She was dancing in the yard and singing the most beautiful tunes he had ever heard. He stood there with his mouth hanging open enamored by her beauty.  She reached down and touched his head as she giggled and twirled about.  Mr. Ugly Frog was immediately smitten.  And then she did something strange.  Something he had never experienced in his Ugly Frog life.  She bent all the way down to the ground and gently lifted him into her hand, raised him up and looked directly into his large ugly eyes as she kissed his forehead with a love that made him shiver, quiver and quake.  He closed his eyes and breathed in the one and only time he had ever felt truly loved and cared for.

 Suddenly yet gently there was a flash of light. With his eyes still closed he suspected he was dreaming or had died and moved to the next life phase. But when he opened his eyes, he was standing face to face with the beautiful Princess who then kissed his handsome delicious lips.  It was as though he had never been the ugly frog.  The ugly frog still lived in his mind but he totally dismissed and chose to forget because he was now the handsome Prince.

 Princess Pia took him by the hand leading him to the large pond on the other side of the property.  She told him to look down into the magic water.  He did and he gasped at his own handsomeness.  He started asking who he was and where he came from.  Princess Pia told him not to worry or think on such things rather to enjoy his new gifts. Her included.

 She adored him. She baked him his favorite pastries and pies.  She sewed his clothing from beautiful fabric from abroad. She read stories to him and held him when he had bad dreams from a past, he couldn't recall. She washed his face with the warmth of fresh clean cloths laced with pure love.  When her hands passed over his body, he could sense all negative vibrations leave and pure energies come in.  She doted over him like a mother might dote over a child.  For he was but a child mentally.  She was trying to help him grow through pure love and honor.  But so many times Mr. Ugly Frog would come forth from his mind and speak unforgivable words to her.  He would leave her alone when she needed him.  He would tell the help at the mansion she didn't treat him well. How she was selfish and had an anger problem among other things. He had made a lot of progress in learning but he remained prideful and unable to experience humbleness or empathy for others.

 Yet Princess Pia continued to love him unconditionally until one day she got sick.   Very sick.  She needed him.  It was his turn to give back but he couldn’t. The prince had given her many nice gifts, but not his heart. He was so afraid if he gave too much he would end up somewhere he couldn't remember.  Back in "Ugly Frog Ville." So he kept his heart hidden allowing a very strong evil force to have control inside his mind.  Princess Pia was sent to "raise" him up and he was sent to help her get through a very difficult time in her and their lives.  At times he was able to honor his new role in life.  He didn't realize he was being selfish with his heart. Rather he thought he was defending his honor. Love isn't defending your own honor rather it encourages growth.  It isn't perfect. But real true love is the best thing that will ever happen to you. Most will never meet the one person that really loves them let alone surrender love in return. The Handsome Prince didn't have what it took to save Princess Pia and she didn't have what it took to save herself and him.

 She passed away and he shriveled back down into Mr. Ugly Frog but this time he was "blessed" with a life lesson on pride.  We all live and die by our choices.  They both lost in the end.  💔