Once upon a time there was a girl who wanted so bad to fly. She spent day and night by her window, laid out along the seat. The girl was always told "you can't leave," her sisters would beg "who then would tell us who would weave together tales as they weave the gems into our hair? What would we have to live for?" She could not bare to see her sisters destroyed when they would finally hear the news of her departure. So she never left. She stayed day and night at her window. She watched as her sisters came and went from parties and balls. She sat and told them tales as she readied them to leave, and as she unwound their hair for bed. She was content with her life. But never happy. One day as she helped her sisters, they talked of the ocean and the party along the shore. She begged her sisters to let her come, she wished so much to see the water and the stars that were blocked from her window view. "Please let me come,, i could tell stories for everyone. Please just one night to see the water and to see the stars." But all in vain her sisters refused her. "If you go and tell others our stories," they cried "they would always want to hear. They would no longer be ours." So she stayed. Again she watched her sisters walk down the path waving and laughing as they went. Again she waved and smiled till they were out of sight before she wiped away the tears. But as she cried, her guardian came. He rose from where her tears touched the gown she had been sewing. He took her face in his hands and asked her what she wished. "Anything at all, your hearts desire." The girl silly with her grief thought of nothing but going to the party. "Please, a chance to see the water. To see the stars." The man smiled sadly for he knew what would come. "And a chance you shall have. Dawn your gown and dress your hair with pins and flowers, tonight you shall dance with the waves and shine like the stars." The girl was to excited to see that the man was hurt and so when she did as he told he laid his mouth upon her head and told her to close her eyes. When she felt the warmth leave she smelt the salt water and felt the breeze. She saw her sisters and when she moved to talk to them she was swept off her feet by the dancing girls. Having never danced before she stumbled over herself, and they laughed as she fell. "What use," they cried in laughter "is a girl who doesn't dance." She sat with tears building in her eyes, till she heard a boy "I think it is wonderful. To never have to worry whether the steps are right because you just don't know. To be free in that way." The girl tried to brush the water from her eyes, but the sand on her hands only burned her eyes. "What good you say," the girl whispered "a girl who doesn't dance. Stories. I weave tales and dress reality in fiction. So what good am i? Who can't hold myself to the time, who's been burdened with two left feet? But I who can keep you company and who can hold my own in a battle of wits? Yes, what good am I." The girl stood and turned to flee but found herself in the arms of the boy who spoke for her. She couldn't believe her eyes. Before her was the crown prince. Quickly she dropped down to a bow and stuttered out a thank you, just as she heard her sisters coming over. With wide eyes she ran to them. "Marcy, Ann oh its so much better than i imagined! Can you hear it? The mermaids i told you of? Oh can you hear their songs, as they dance in the waves? Oh and the stars! They shine so bright, its so much better than i imagined!" She sighed wishful as she clasped her sisters hands to her chest. "Its such a wonderful night don't you think? I never wish for it to end." Her sisters, finally coming out of their shock, pull their hands back in shock. "But you should be home," they cried "you should be at the window waiting for us to come home. Not here if you're here you'll want to leave." Her sisters begged her to go home but she would not listen. She finally got a taste of love and adventure and flight. She would never go back to wishing. Sadly she shook her head and sadly she smiled. "I can't go back," she whispered "not now." She turned to the prince hold his hand out for her to take. And she did. For the rest of the night she danced and told her stories, and her heart grew warmer till she saw the sight of tears in her sisters eyes. She couldn't stay from them. So she didn't finish her story, and raised to leave. But the prince took her hand. "Marry me," he cried "be my queen and let me have your stories every day of my life." Oh how she wished to say yes. "My sisters-" she started. "They will be wed to. My brothers look for wives and who better than the queens sisters?" She looked to her sisters who smiled so wide. For who would be silly to deny the prince. So they all agreed, they would be wed the next day for the rest of their lives. And for years the girl lived thinking she was happy. And for years she was content. Till she woke one day and found herself at the window. She could now see the water and the stars, but she could not leave. She couldn't feel the water like she did years ago. She couldn't turn her head up with her arms and imagine she was touching the stars. And even now she could tell no one her stories for they were to busy to listen. She soon realized that she was not loved, she was used for her stories. So just like the night that she thought she was free she sat on the window and cried on the gown she had set about sewing. And now her guardian rose once again. He look the way he did those years ago. He smiled at her "Your hearts desire." He whispered to her. The girl silly with grief thought of nothing but leaving "Take me away," she cried "take me where i will be loved never used. Take me with you." Her guardian sadly for what he knew what must happen. "And go you will." He told her to dawn her gown and dress her hair with pins and flowers. She was to excited to notice how hurt he was. When she finished he laid his lips upon her head and told her to close her eyes. "Step on the window sill," he whispered "and i will sweep you off." She did as he said willingly. He smiled sadly one more time at her, the girl who so wanted to fly. "You don't love, it's not what you were meant to do. You were meant to be loved and yet you were forced into a cage. But you would never be happy, a caged bird can't fly." Sadly he let her go and he watched her fly. Days later nobody cried, as they looked down into the girls new cage. For they knew, that even for a moment, that girl flew.
