Fairy Tale

I was recalling a childhood tale and although I don't recall who wrote this story, or even its title, 

it was a very charming tale.

 

It concerns a princess who was born with everything she could possibly wish for, doting parents,

great wealth, beauty and intelligence.  The only problem she was born bald and bald she remained.

 

On her sixteenth birthday, a fairy told the queen, she would grant whatever wish the queen desired

for her daughter.  Whereupon the queen wished that her daughter would grow a beautiful head of long

golden hair.  And should the princess ever cut her hair, then the more it would grow, both faster and

longer.

 

This became a problem, as you can guess.  Because she did cut her hair when it became (she felt)

too heavy and too long.

 

For awhile the princess' hair became her kingdom's primary industry: stuffing for pin cushions, and

chairs and ropes and the like.  But really that could only go on for so long.  What can you do with

such an overwhelming surplus?

 

The king offered that any man who could solve this problem could have his daughter's hand in marriage.

Well of course, there were all sorts of suitors who gave it a shot.  Until one day, this poor prince

suggested, that instead of cutting the hair off the princess, she should try cutting herself off from her

hair.  And guess what?  It worked!.  Her hair stopped growing.

 

But can you guess what happened next?  Yup.  You got it.  Uh huh.  She started to grow and grow.

She literally became the bulwark of her nation, lifting enemy ships out of the water intent on destroying

her father's kingdom.  She became very lonely because was just too big.

 

But then she heard a tiny voice in her ear.  That prince had climbed all the way up the princess to reach

her ear.  He had one more suggestion.  He figured the problem the first time around was cutting her hair

from her.  The problem the second time around was cutting her off from her hair.

 

Why not, he reasoned, have the princess jump and simultaneously whack off her hair.  While I personally

do not know how this amazing feat was achieved, it did do the trick.

 

The princess was restored to normal size, but her resume now included her heroic achievements on behalf

of country.  She had insights and perspectives that very few, if any, could offer.  And of course, she had

a very clever husband now as well.

 

Finis