Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in the sky. The sun was her mother and the moon was her father, and she was best of friends with the clouds and raindrops. The princess loved nothing more than spending her days watching the Earth from above; though she could fly and swoop and play in the light of the blue skies, she would always prefer to settle herself on a cloud and watch the Earth pass by below her. She had heard of other princesses that lived in the sea and in the earth, and in her deepest dreams she would imagine the three of them together.
Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in the earth. The fire was her mother and the stones were her father, and she resided in a grand palace chiseled out of rock and brimstone. Though the princess had chambers of pure diamonds and dozens of doting servants, all she desired was the freedom to sit by an old mining shaft and gaze up at the sky through the drilled hole in the earth. She had heard of a princess who lived in the sky, and dreamt of reaching out and taking her hand.
Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in the sea. The waves were her mother and the sand was her father, and she spent her days diving through the deepest blue of the ocean and the most vibrant of coral reefs. The princess had access to the entire expanse of sun-dappled water spread across the Earth, and yet she felt drawn to the wide open skies over the surface. She had heard of a princess who lived in the sky, and sometimes as she looked up she could picture the girl's face in the light.
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Once upon a time, the princesses of earth and sea met on a beach to talk. The princess of the sea floated in the gentle tide and the princess of the earth perched on the sun-warmed rocks, and the two gazed up at the sky side-by-side.
"I've heard that another princess lives up there." The princess of the earth spoke first. "I would very much like to talk to her, but I'm afraid I don't know how."
"I've heard the same!" The princess of the sea exclaimed.
The princess of the earth sighed. "If only we could send her a message somehow, to let her know we'd like to meet her."
And it just so happened that a beam of light shone in the eyes of the princess of the sea at that moment, and she suddenly had a brilliant idea.
"I know." She said, triumphant. "I can send a few beads of water up to her, through the light that connects the sky and the ocean. She will recognize the water from above the sea, and know that we know of her existence and wish for her to come down to Earth."
And so the princess of the sea cupped some of the ocean water in her palms and raised them into the air. Light glinted off the surface of the miniature pool; droplets began to detach from the bottom, float out of the princess's hands and drift upwards. Soon enough, a large cluster of water bubbles was rising slowly into the sky, until they all disappeared into the blue.
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The princess of the sky was utterly delighted by the lovely bubbles that floated up beside her. She brushed them delicately with the tips of her fingers, splitting them into the smallest drops, and sculpted them into a soft white cloud- the very first of its kind. The princess had no doubt that the pretty gift was a message, a call for her to come down to Earth. All she needed was to send a message back, to confirm that she was coming.
As she watched, the new cloud dissolved back into drops and fell, in gentle showers, to Earth.
"Rain." The princess of the sky said, enchanted.
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Down on Earth, the princesses of earth and sea saw the rain and rejoiced. They knew that the princess of the sky had received their message, and they were sure the rainfall was her reply. The two waited in feverish excitement for her to come down to them, to meet them, to finally see them face to face.
"Look!" called the princess of the earth suddenly, pointing across the beach at a distant figure slowly drifting down to the ground. The princess of the sea waved wildly as the figure landed softly on the distant sand and began clambering over the rocks towards them.
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The princess of the sky scrambled across the shore, heart pounding with excitement. Years of staring down at Earth, years of watching the blue ocean and mottled earth, and now she was here. Really truly. She could see the other two princesses waiting for her- the princess of the sea treading water, waving at her; the princess of the earth perched on the rocks, grinning widely. She began moving faster, running, until she was practically flying over the sand and tumbling over pebbles and finally she was there.
The three princesses crushed each other into a hug and for a moment, none of them could catch their breaths. And when they finally did, they sat where the waves met the rocks and talked for hours and hours on end, babbling and laughing and telling stories. It felt like the very best kind of dream, the kind that you never want to wake up from; but this was real, and that made it all the better.
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Eventually, of course, the princess of the sky had to return to her home. She belonged there, after all, and couldn't remain on Earth forever. She promised the princesses of earth and sea to come down and see them whenever she could (for she would miss them terribly while she was gone). And then, as evening fell, the princess of the sky kissed the other two princesses on their foreheads. She waved goodbye and walked away down the beach until she was nothing more than a speck against the sand. And then she was gone.
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Now look out into the distance, my child. Can you see that faint, glowing line at the end of your vision? That is the horizon. It is both sand and waves, air and water and fire. That is the place where sky met earth and sea, where she kissed them once and left the Earth. It is almost impossible to see it at night, but do not fret; as soon as dawn comes the three will meet again, like friends always do, and so forth until the end of time.
this story was written as a present for my friend Mira, whom I love very much, so yes this is absolutely an allegory about friendship I love my friends
