Green Princess

Green Princess Part 3

Part 3 is dedicated to @LizzieNewell, a real Alaskan, who convinced me that the bullet train would never be allowed to go through Alaska. The Alaskans would fight it. 

So the first part of this Part had to be re-set in Vancouver. OK, I thought, so like just give 'er, eh. Time for the NLP to get some like international exposure, eh, even if it's only 15 minutes north of the border on the bullet train . . . .

-5-

Saturday, 23 August 2025, 8.23 am , Los Angeles

Anthony arrives in my hotel room with bag packed. Dad lets me go alone with him. Dad  is still on impossible-dream duty amongst the publishers, agents and other mysterious spirits. I'm  only in the way here.

"Right, Antony," picking up my bag like a professional tourist, "Ready to go to Vacuum Hoover."

"It's . . .  Vancouver, LP," Anthony says.

"Oh," I say and follow him out the door.

The bullet train isn't bad. It's smooth, quiet, no "ch-chunk-ch-chunk" like British Rail, that used to take us to Gran's in Saxby when I was a little child . . .  uh . . .  more little than now. No loud whistles to hurt my ears and give me headaches.

There is an LSCM on the bullet train, just like at home. I forgot what that means too. It shows what's on the computer on a wall-sized screen and projects the images in 3D. The bullet train also has food, colouring books and toys for people like me and music in headphones for everyone including me. On the LSCM, they show ICT news and even videos.

There is even one video of me doing "Moon Kid"! I'm not dressed like on the video on the train, so no one recognises me as the Princess.

It's so strange, watching myself from the audience.

She's rather good, that little blonde canary. Wouldn't mind downloading that one!

I giggle to think like that about me. Here I am, watching myself roller skating around the stage in 3D, in my 16th-century-style Princess dress, with superreflective tiara, tennies (antennae), red flower behind my right ear and violet flower behind my left, almost in front of my own face, looking so satisfied, and no one else in the train even notices!"

Uh, oh! Until now. A little boy, sitting behind me, says "Hey, your hair is just like the Princess'!" Without turning around to look, I say, "Yeah, I know. I copy her a lo'.  I pu' lemon juice in me hair to make i' look her colour. I'm the best fan she's go'!" He giggles . . . and so do I.

If he saw me full-on, how would I tell him how I did the blue eyes, buck teeth and face just like the Princess, not to mention the Manc-Scots accent? Too hard! Just try to hide in plain sight and hope he doesn't  come around his seat to look.

Best about the video is listening to the audience chatting about me. They're laughing and clearly happy. I only hear good comments, nothing bad. The kids, especially, love it. Yet even Mums, Dads and Grans are all positive. I am so warm inside. I love it when they like it!

When I sing the bridge in "Moon Kid", on the video, the part that caused all the for- and against- the Earth to comment on the ICT, ("If it all goes away, some day, here's my moon and you can have it!"), I only hear a few comments about "those assholes on the ICT". They thought slagging a little girl over politics was conduct unbecoming an adult! And too right, too! It was just what I needed, hearing their free speech, an injection of my only addictive drug: popularity.

After 2 hours 15 minutes in the bullet train, here we are in Vancouver. Amazing! The most beautiful place I've ever seen!