Daniella’s Fairytale

• Kiri Gibbins, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2008

Daniella caressed her glimmering tiara as she stared longingly outside to the courtyard. The jewels seemed to purr as she ran her soft fingers over every detail. Daniella sighed heavily, the hard work that came with being a princess made her constantly tired. Her lack of concentration whilst reading her favourite books frustrated her parents; father was always heard saying, ‘Daniella, playing all the time makes you sleepy, you need to focus more’ and ‘Did you know they take little girls away if they don’t study?’.
Thinking she knew better at nine years of age, she ignored her books and father’s advice and ran into the fields admiring the sun kissed flowers of spring, the melodic chirping of the birds bringing music to her ears. She danced in circles with her dog Henry yapping at her heels. Her golden curls rode the wind like the wings of a soaring bird as she danced faster and faster and faster. But suddenly the world started spinning and she could no longer maintain focus. Her cheerful laughter turned to nausea and she fainted gracefully, like a floating leaf.
Daniella felt invisible hands lifting and guiding her. She was taken away in a carriage, with horns and trumpets warning the town of her departure. ‘Where are we going daddy?’ she asked softly, her voice diminishing with each syllable.
‘Away princess, don’t worry’ came the miserable reply; a tone she did not recognise in her father.
‘I’m sorry for not studying; I promise I’ll make it up to you. I want to go home. Why are we leaving?’
‘It’s for your own good; you’ll understand when you’re older.’
Daniella was escorted to a small, characterless room in the tallest tower of an old building far, far away. She was somewhat aware of mysterious figures rushing around as if obediently answering the calls of their masters, before she faded into a deep sleep. When she awoke from slumber, her parents were speaking to the mysterious figures as if pleading to allow their daughter to go home. By their gloomy and teary expressions, Daniella knew this old, insipid place would be her home for quite some time.
After weeks, her parents returned to their daily lives, visiting every so often, bringing many a tear with them. Daniella heard their voices as she slept; her mind racing through adventurous animations with the voices of her parents narrating. However, the two stories never matched. She couldn’t comprehend what she had done to upset or displease them.
The mysterious figures were replaced by simple people, all dressed in the same harmonious blue. Ironically they resisted eye contact with Daniella and her questions were seemingly unworthy of an answer. Her room consisted of a lifeless bed, which groaned under her weight and a few simple possessions of her own. Her friends were forbidden by their parents to enter her room, as if she were to plague them with disease. She was locked away, isolated from her once almost perfect world.
Daniella found herself spending days at the window, staring optimistically off into the distance. Letting her long golden hair drift in the breeze, she dreamt that one day a prince would climb up the towering walls and rescue her from her dull life. She quietly murmured to the gentle wind, ‘Daniella, Daniella, let down your beautiful hair.’
Yet her hair thinned to weak strands and eventually all of it fell out. Her mind became puzzled by concoctions of pills and potions, and the days drifted like passing shadows, hardly noticed by the common onlooker. Her courage and determination leaked like a dripping worn tap that refused to turn off.
Later, in her more mature years, Daniella thanked her parents for being so strong during the hardest stages of her leukaemia treatment. They were always there by her side, watching their daughter peacefully sleep as her body grew too weak to stay awake for long periods of time. Her hair eventually grew back to its original golden curly status and she found a prince of her own.
Occasionally Daniella takes out her plastic dress up tiara and remembers the day the ambulance took her to hospital, obscuring her imagination and revealing the harsh reality that can unfortunately be part of life.